Winter Storm in Kansas, December 9, 2003

Name: Winter Storm in Kansas, December 9, 2003
Start: 2003-12-09T05:30
End: 2003-12-09T17:00
Location: Kansas

December 9, 2003 · NWS GID · 3 events in 3 counties and zones

The first winter storm of the season clipped a small section of north-central Kansas. The storm dumped 5 to 9 inches of snow.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 3 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

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The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 3

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 winter storm of the season clipped a small section of north-central Kansas. The storm dumped 5 to 9 inches of snow. Beloit reported 6 inches and Mankato 8.6 inches. The heavier snow amounts fell along and east of State Highway 14. Strong winds in the wake of the storm caused blowing and drifting snow. Most schools in the area canceled classes.

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 Dec 9, 4:30 AM CST, 1 hour earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 9, 4:30 AM CST, 1 hour before

SOUTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA/NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE
430 AM CST TUE DEC 9 2003

.DISCUSSION...WILL BE BRIEF THIS MORNING WITH FORECAST CONCERN
WINTER WEATHER TODAY. ETA/GFS IN BETTER AGREEMENT THAN 24 HOURS AGO
WITH EVOLUTION AND TRACK OF UPPER TROF AND SURFACE...THOUGH
DIFFERENCED IN BOTH TIMING AND TRACK STILL EVIDENT...AND NEITHER HAS
BEEN STELLAR WITH THEIR QPF DEPICTION. BIGGEST QUESTION THAT REMAINS
IS HOW MUCH SNOW AND WHERE. FORCING AND LIFT ARE QUITE IMPRESSIVE
WITH THIS SYSTEM...AND MOISTURE AVAILABILITY CERTAINLY NOT A
QUESTION. EXPECTING GENERALLY AMOUNTS OF 3-5 INCHES ACROSS THE
CWA...BUT POTENTIAL FOR FOR BANDED PRECIP FOR ANOTHER FEW HOURS
ACROSS THE SE COUNTIES...AND FORECAST POSITION OF DEFORMATION ZONE
LATER THIS MORNING INTO THIS AFTERNOON SUGGESTS POSSIBILITY OF
LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS IN KS AND EXTREME SE NEB COUNTIES. FOR THESE
AND COLLABORATIVE REASONS...WILL UPGRADE THE ADVISORY TO A WARNING
IN THIS AREA...WITH THE REMAINING CWA CONTINUING IN AN ADVISORY.
COMPOUNDING THE SNOWFALL WILL BE NORTH WINDS SUSTAINED AT 20 TO 30
MPH...WITH GUSTS UP TO 40 MPH. CONSIDERABLE BLOWING AND DRIFTING
SNOW IS LIKELY...AND WILL CONTINUE TO WORD AS SUCH IN FORECAST.

SNOW SHOULD QUICKLY COME TO AN END FROM WEST TO EAST LATE THIS
AFTERNOON AS THE SURFACE LOW LIFTS INTO THE MISSOURI RIVER VALLEY
AND THE UPPER TROF AXIS MOVES ACROSS THE PLAINS.

REMAINDER OF FORECAST LOOKS GREAT WITH ONLY MINOR CHANGES
MADE...PRIMARILY TO TEMPERATURES.

&&

.GID WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
NE...WINTER STORM WARNING TODAY WEBSTER...NUCKOLLS...THAYER COUNTIES.
  ...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY TODAY ALL REMAINING NEBRASKA COUNTIES.
KS...WINTER STORM WARNING ALL KANSAS COUNTIES TODAY.

&&

VII

Hazardous weather outlook, Dec 9, 3:09 AM CST, 2 hours 21 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...CORRECTED DATE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HASTINGS NE
309 AM CST TUE DEC 9 2003

KSZ005>007-017>019-NEZ039>041-046>049-060>064-072>077-082>087-101100-
ADAMS-BUFFALO-CLAY-DAWSON-FILLMORE-FRANKLIN-FURNAS-GOSPER-GREELEY-
HALL-HAMILTON-HARLAN-HOWARD-JEWELL-KEARNEY-MERRICK-MITCHELL-NANCE-
NUCKOLLS-OSBORNE-PHELPS-PHILLIPS-POLK-ROOKS-SHERMAN-SMITH-THAYER-
VALLEY-WEBSTER-YORK-
309 AM CST TUE DEC 9 2003

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA AND
PARTS OF NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

A WINTER STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT SOUTH AND EAST OF A LONG ISLAND
KANSAS TO BLUE HILL NEBRASKA LINE WITH A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY
EFFECTIVE FOR THE AREA NORTH AND WEST OF THIS LINE.

A STORM SYSTEM WILL AFFECT THE CENTRAL PLAINS TODAY CAUSING SNOW TO
OCCUR OVER SOUTH CENTRAL NEBRASKA AND NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS. NORTH
WINDS OF 20 TO 30 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 40 MPH WILL CREATE BLOWING AND
DRIFTING SNOW DURING TODAY. SNOWFALL TOTALS OF 6 TO 8 INCHES WILL BE
POSSIBLE THROUGHOUT THE WARNING AREA WITH 4 TO 6 INCHES POSSIBLE IN
THE ADVISORY AREA.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

STORM SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED.

16

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, Jewell

When: December 9, 5:30 AM CST to 5:00 PM CST
Where: Jewell forecast zone
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 39.785, -98.218 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Mitchell

When: December 9, 5:30 AM CST to 5:00 PM CST
Where: Mitchell forecast zone
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 39.393, -98.209 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Osborne

When: December 9, 5:30 AM CST to 5:00 PM CST
Where: Osborne forecast zone
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 39.350, -98.768 (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 2003 Every state in 2003 This day in weather history Warnings in Kansas, December 2003

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: 5379949, 5379950, 5379951.