Winter Storm in Kansas, January 28, 2001

Name: Winter Storm in Kansas, January 28, 2001
Start: 2001-01-28T04:00
End: 2001-01-28T09:00
Location: Kansas

January 28, 2001 · NWS GID · 4 events in 4 counties and zones

The first piece of energy from a larger storm system in the Rockies dumped 3 to 5 inches of snow on parts of north-central Kansas early on January 28.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 4 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: 4

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 happened

The episode as NWS GID wrote it up.

The first piece of energy from a larger storm system in the Rockies dumped 3 to 5 inches of snow on parts of north-central Kansas early on January 28.

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 Hastings, NE wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jan 28, 2:45 AM CST, 1 hour 15 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 28, 2:45 AM CST, 1 hour 15 minutes before

SOUTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA/NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE
245 AM CST SUN JAN 28 2001

LEAD WAVE GENLY PRVD 1 TO 2 INCHES SN ACRS KS TNGT.  PRIMARILY SN
FLURRIES FOR NEB CWA AS OF 08Z.  BREAK IN INTENSITY AFT 06Z AS
SATELLITE LOOPS SHOWED ENCROACHMENT OF SOME DRY AIR/WARMING ON THE
IR WITH.  MSTR SURGE WAS E OF THE AREA.  HOWEVER...WATCHING
REINTENSIFICATION OF SN ON THE KS RADARS AND COOLING OF THE TOPS OVR
WRN KS ON THE IR LOOPS...SO BREAK WILL BE SHRT.

KS CWA...EXPECT SN TO CONTINUE/INTENSIFY THIS MRNG...AND WITH CPL
INCHES ALREADY ON THE GROUND...SEE NO REASON TO DROP THE WINTER
STORM WARNING FOR SUNDAY.  HOWEVER...MESOETA AND AVN RAPIDLY ADVN
THE ERN NM DRY SLOT OVR THIS AREA BY NOON...SHUTTING DOWN ANY HEAVY
SN.  THINK THEY MAY SEE ANOTHER 3 OR 4 SO WL KP ACCUMULATION NR 6
INCHES.

NEB CWA...LEAD WAVE PRVD NO ACCUMULATION BUT DID SERVE TO MOISTEN UP
THE LLVLS.  WL GO WITH A SN ADVISORY FOR THESE ZONES.  QN MAY BE FOR
NRN COUNTIES...HOWEVER...MDL PROGGED Q VECTOR CNVRGNC SHOWS THE
INTENSIFYING ISENTROPIC LIFT THROUGH EARLY AFTN SPPRTD BY DVRGNC
ALOFT...THEY ALSO SHOULD GET AT LEAST 2 INCHES BEFORE DRY SLOT
RUINS IT ALL...WL NOT DISCRIMINATE.

SUN NGT AND MONDAY...MDLS HAVE COME INTO AGREEMNT WITH PLACEMENT
OF MID LVL LOW NR DENVER BY 00Z MON WITH DRY SLOT ENTRENCHED OVR
THE CWA.  ATMOSPHERE GRADUALLY MOISTENS UP AGAIN AS LOW TAKES A
SWD WOBBLE INTO KS.  00Z ETA/AVN INDS PLENTY OF ISENTROPIC LIFT AND
UPR DVRGNC FOR ENTIRE CWA THRU 00Z TUE...BUT 06Z MESOETA TRACK OF
MID LVL/SFC LOW INDS A RAPID SHIFT TO THE E ARND 18Z MON.  WL ISSUE
WINTER STORM WATCH FOR MON...BUT RESTRICT IT TO THE ERN HALF OF THE
CWA.

GID...WINTER STORM WARNING TODAY NORTH CENTRAL KS AND BORDER COUNTIES
      OF SC NEBRASKA. KSZ005>007-017>019-NEZ082>087.
     ...SNOW ADVISORY REST OF SOUTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA.
     ...WINTER STORM WATCH FOR MONDAY.q  EASTERN CWA...NEZ039-040
     047>049-062>064-075>077-085>087.  KSZ006-007-018-019.

09

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Jan 27, 10:29 PM CST, 5 hours 31 minutes before

KSZ005>007-017>019-NEZ039>041-046>049-060>064-072>077-082>087-281100-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE
1029 PM CST SAT JAN 27 2001

...SIGNIFICANT SNOW IS LIKELY ACROSS NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS AND SOUTH
CENTRAL NEBRASKA TONIGHT AND SUNDAY...AND CONTINUE INTO MONDAY...

SNOW WILL SPREAD NORTH ACROSS NORTHERN KANSAS INTO SOUTHERN NEBRASKA
OVERNIGHT AND CONTINUE ON SUNDAY.

A WINTER STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT TONIGHT AND SUNDAY FOR NORTH
CENTRAL KANSAS...AND THE SOUTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA COUNTIES NEAREST THE
KANSAS BORDER.  UP TO 4 INCHES OF SNOW IS FORECAST BY DAYBREAK
SOUTHWEST OF A LINE FROM PHILLIPSBURG TO OSBORNE.  ACCUMULATIONS OF 6
INCHES ARE POSSIBLE IN THE WARNED AREA BY SUNDAY EVENING.  FARTHER
NORTH...2 TO 4 INCH SNOW AMOUNTS ARE POSSIBLE IN THE REST OF SOUTH
CENTRAL NEBRASKA.

THE WEATHER SYSTEM RESPONSIBLE FOR THE SNOW WILL MOVE OUT OF THE
SOUTHWEST UNITED STATES AND CROSS THE PLAINS OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF
DAYS.  BOUTS OF LIGHT TO MODERATE SNOW MAY CONTINUE OVER PARTS OF THE
AREA SUNDAY NIGHT AND MONDAY.  THIS PROLONGED PERIOD OF SNOWFALL MAY
RESULT IN TOTAL ACCUMULATIONS NEAR 6 INCHES ACROSS SOUTH CENTRAL
NEBRASKA BY MONDAY EVENING...WHILE UPWARDS OF 8 INCHES OF SNOW
MAY STACK UP IN NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS BEFORE THIS SYSTEM FINALLY EXITS
THE REGION.

WINDS SHOULD REMAIN FAIRLY LIGHT UNTIL LATE MONDAY WHEN THEY ARE
EXPECTED TO PICK UP OUT OF THE NORTH WHICH MAY RESULT IN CONSIDERABLE
BLOWING SNOW.

RESIDENTS AND TRAVELERS SHOULD PREPARE FOR HAZARDOUS WINTER WEATHER.
STAY TUNED TO YOUR FAVORITE MEDIA OUTLET...INCLUDING NATIONAL
WEATHER SERVICE RADIO...FOR THE LATEST DEVELOPMENTS ON THIS WINTEOR
STORM.

DROZD

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

4 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, Jewell

When: January 28, 4:00 AM CST to 9:00 AM CST
Where: Jewell forecast zone
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 39.785, -98.218 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Osborne

When: January 28, 4:00 AM CST to 9:00 AM CST
Where: Osborne forecast zone
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 39.350, -98.768 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Rooks

When: January 28, 4:00 AM CST to 9:00 AM CST
Where: Rooks forecast zone
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 39.350, -99.325 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Smith

When: January 28, 4:00 AM CST to 9:00 AM CST
Where: Smith forecast zone
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 39.785, -98.785 (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, January 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: 5230269, 5230270, 5230271, 5230378.