Winter Storm in Kansas, February 8 to 9, 2001

Name: Winter Storm in Kansas, February 8 to 9, 2001
Start: 2001-02-08T09:35
End: 2001-02-09T11:30
Location: Kansas

February 8 to 9, 2001 · NWS ICT · 9 events in 9 counties and zones

9 winter storm, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 9 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 9

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Wichita, KS wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Feb 8, 3:53 AM CST, 5 hours 42 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 8, 3:53 AM CST, 5 hours 42 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS
353 AM CST THU FEB 8 2001

FCST CONCERNS...
FZRA POTNL AND HEADLINES TODAY/THEN SNOW ACCUM TNGT...
THE ETA HAS PROVEN ITSELF FAR SUPERIOR IN PUSHG CDFNT/COLD AIR SEWD
INTO CNTRL KS AND WL BE FOLLOWED FOR THIS FCST PACKAGE. AS THE COLDER
SUBFRZG AIR UNDERCUTS BNDRY/WARMER AIR ALOFT...THE STAGE IS SET FOR
FZRA ACRS CNTRL KS DURG THE DAY. THE QPF SHOULD BE VRY LGT BFR
18Z...HOWEVER THE ETA/NGM SHOW ABT A THIRD OF AN INCH OF PCPN THIS
AFTN OVR THE AREA OF CONCERN. THE ICE POTNL WL SHIFT INTO SCNTRL KS
THIS EVE...HOWEVER THE COLDER AIR ALOFT SHUD BEGIN TO CATCH UP WITH
SFC FNT SO ACCUM COULD BE MINIMIZED SOMEWHAT. THE NEXT CONCERN IS
SNOW ACCUM POTNL FOR CNTRL KS TNGT. THE UPR JET IS PROGD TO ENHANCE
LIFT OVR FNT THIS EVE/TNGT. ALTHO HEAVIER QPF IN RAIN/TSRA WL AFFECT
WARM SECTOR ACRS SERN KS...XPCT A PD OF SOME DECENT SNOWFALL IN THE
COLDER AIR UNDER THE DEFORMATION ZONE ACRS PTNS OF CNTRL KS INTO
EARLY FRI MRNG. XPCT AT LEAST A 2 TO 4 INCH SNOWFALL FM HUT-SLN NWD.

ALTHO SNOW ACCUMS WL BE UNDER WARNING CRITERIA...THE COMBO OF
ICE/WIND AND SNOW SHOULD VERIFY A WARNING TYPE SCENARIO WITH VRY
TREACHEROUS DRIVING CONDS. COORD WITH SURROUNDING WFO/S ALSO GO
ALG WITH THIS THINKING. SCNTRL KS IS A LTL MORE SUSPECT TNGT AS
MENTIONED ABV...SO WL GO WITH A WATCH TNGT FOR ICE/SNOW POTNL.

FOR SERN KS...HVY RAFL POTNL EXISTS WITH EMBEDDED CNVTN. EVEN SO
DOUBT WE WL EXCEED FFG...SO NO HEADLINE ANTICIPATED WITH MENTION OF
HVY RAFL SUFFICING THIS AFTN AND TNGT.

TREND IS FOR MUCH COLDER WX IN WAKE OF SYS NOW.

ZONES WL BE A LTL LATE THIS MRNG DUE TO SLOW UP FM ICWF.

FCSTID = 13/DARMOFAL
ICT   50  24  27  12 /  90 100  40   0
HUT   38  21  24   9 / 100 100  50   0
EWK   43  22  25  10 / 100 100  50   0
EQA   50  24  27  11 /  90 100  40   0
WLD   60  26  29  14 /  80 100  40   0
RSL   29  16  20   3 / 100 100  30   0
GBD   31  17  21   4 / 100 100  30   0
SLN   35  20  23   8 / 100 100  50   0
MPR   38  21  24   9 / 100 100  50   0
CFV   62  29  31  14 /  80 100  40   0
CNU   60  27  30  12 /  80 100  40   0
K88   60  26  29  11 /  80 100  40   0

.ICT...WINTER STORM WARNING TODAY AND TONIGHT FOR KSZ032-033-047-048.
WINTER STORM WARNING THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT FOR KSZ049>052-067...
068-082.
WINTER STORM WATCH TONIGHT FOR KSZ053-069-083-091-092.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

9 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, Lincoln

When: February 8, 9:35 AM CST to February 9, 11:30 AM CST
Where: Lincoln forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 39.045, -98.208 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Russell

When: February 8, 9:35 AM CST to February 9, 11:30 AM CST
Where: Russell forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 38.915, -98.762 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

A winter storm crossing the southwestern U.S. lifted northeast across the central plains, bringing a mixture of freezing rain and sleet to all of central and south-central Kansas from the morning thru the afternoon of the 8th. The freezing rain and sleet was accompanied by north winds of 20-30 mph, resulting in ice accumulations of 1/4 to 3/4 inch across the region. Sleet reached depths of 2 inches. Power outages were widespread, with many central Kansas locales without power from the late morning of the 8th thru the morning of the 9th. During the afternoon of the 8th, the freezing rain and sleet changed over to snow, with a wide range of snow accumulations resulting. By the morning of the 9th, accumulations ranged from 2-8 inches with the greater amounts, generally 4-8 inches, burying central Kansas. As the storm continued it's northeast trek across the central plains, the north winds increased to 30-40 mph resulting in a blizzard across most of central Kansas. Drifts were so deep across Russell and Barton counties that in a few instances street signs were nearly obliterated. Accidents were numerous and although most involved vehicles sliding off highways, a few were serious with injuries resulting. Area newspapers contributed greatly to this report.

Winter Storm, Barton

When: February 8, 2:35 PM CST to February 9, 11:30 AM CST
Where: Barton forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 38.479, -98.756 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Ellsworth

When: February 8, 2:35 PM CST to February 9, 11:30 AM CST
Where: Ellsworth forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 38.697, -98.205 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Saline

When: February 8, 3:35 PM CST to February 9, 11:30 AM CST
Where: Saline forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 38.784, -97.650 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Rice

When: February 8, 3:35 PM CST to February 9, 11:30 AM CST
Where: Rice forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 38.347, -98.201 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, McPherson

When: February 8, 5:35 PM CST to February 9, 11:30 AM CST
Where: McPherson forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 38.392, -97.648 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Marion

When: February 8, 7:35 PM CST to February 9, 11:30 AM CST
Where: Marion forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 38.359, -97.097 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Chase

When: February 8, 7:35 PM CST to February 9, 11:30 AM CST
Where: Chase forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 38.302, -96.594 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Winter Storm: A storm that brought snow, sleet or freezing rain at warning levels, usually over several hours or days.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Kansas in 2001 Every state in 2001 This day in weather history Warnings in Kansas, February 2001

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5229266, 5229385, 5229267, 5229268, 5229269, 5229270, 5229271, 5229272, 5229386.