Winter Storm, Russell
- When
- January 4, 2:00 PM CST to January 5, 12:00 PM CST
- Where
- Russell forecast zone
- Injuries
- 2 direct, 0 indirect
- Property damage
- $30 million
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 38.915, -98.762 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
On January 3rd, a strong cold front surged south across Kansas & Oklahoma before stalling along/near the Red River during the afternoon of the 4th. A shallow layer of moist, sub-freezing air spread south over all but Southeast Kansas, as an 850-mb cold front, oriented in a southwest to northeast manner from the Oklahoma Panhandle to near Kansas City, teamed with an inverted 850-mb trof positioned over Western Kansas to enable much warmer, moisture-laden air to overrun the layer of sub-freezing air beneath.The result was what many consider to be the worst ice storm since 1982 to ravage all of Central & most of South-Central Kansas from the afternoon of the 4th thru the morning of the 5th, coating almost the entire warning area with 1/2 to 1 inch of ice. Although freezing rain was the primary culprit, the winter storm was magnified considerably by periods of sleet that accumulated to depths of 1 to 2 inches. In Central Kansas, the situation was further worsened by periods of light snow that accumulated to 3 to 5 inch depths in Russell, Lincoln, and Saline counties.Damage to trees and power lines was major! In the latter case, the damage resulted both from heavy ice accumulations as well as from trees and limbs that fell onto the power lines in question. Trees as tall as 22 feet were split and either fell or were eventually felled, and limbs of 6-12 inches were downed at many locations. In some cases, the downed trees and limbs blocked roads and highways. No doubt, power outages were widespread, with many areas experiencing multiple outages. A few areas were without power for 1 1/2 weeks. Countless residents were forced to evacuate their homes, seeking refuge in designated shelters. Fires posed major problems, and were ignited primarily by power lines falling onto trees and houses.Particularly hard hit were Butler & Sedgwick counties. In Butler County, the ice storm caused $8,552,945 in damage. Monetary breakdown for Butler County: The Rural Electric Cooperative: $5.5 million; Incorporated towns: $2,424,545; Townships: $567,900; Public Works: $40,500; and communications: $20,000. At El Dorado Lake, a large tree fell onto a 5th wheel camper. As of Saturday evening, January 8th, approximately 3,000 WESTAR clientele in El Dorado were still without power.In Sedgwick County, an estimated $15 million damage was inflicted; $7.5 million upon Wichita alone. WESTAR Energy, assisted by power companies from 15 states, provided an estimated 360,000 electrical service restorations to 211,000 customers; 121,000 in Wichita. On January 4th, Sedgwick County Communications was deluged by 561 calls between 12 noon and 12 midnight, an average of 1 call every 77 seconds for 12 consecutive hours. On January 4th, WESTAR Energy received around 104,000 calls. Typical call volume is around 8,000. On January 6th, more power outages resulted as melting ice fell from power lines, causing them sag further then whip or snap, as well as from damaged limbs that thawed and fell onto power lines. As of Saturday evening, January 8th, approximately 30,300 WESTAR clientele in Wichita were still without power.Other counties experiencing $1 million or more in damage: Harvey: $3,300,000; Harper: $1,730,420; Kingman: $1,199,000.Obviously, countless accidents occurred, and were not only traffic-related, but also occurred during the extensive cleanup of tree damage. It was in Wichita that all three fatalities occurred. In South Wichita, a 63-year old woman succumbed to carbon monoxide after using a portable generator inside her home. Also in South Wichita, an unidentifed elderly man using a portable generator was found dead in his home. (Pending further details, his age listed at the end of this report is an approximation.) In West Wichita, an 80-year old man died outside his home while trying to remove downed tree limbs. As of this writing, it is not clear if his death was cold or health related. (Likely both.) Two people were seriously injured. A 39-year old man was listed in serious condition at Via Christi Regional Medical Center with head and neck injuries after a 15-foot tree limb fell as he was sawing it, and a power line crewman was listed in serious condition at Via Christi Regional Medical Center's burn unit when he came into contact with a 12,700 volt power line.Approximately 370 utility crews from 15 states assisted WESTAR Energy with power restoration. Working 12-16 hour days, the crews responded from as far as Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Minnesota, New Mexico, South Texas, Tennesee, and West Virginia.Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebulius issued a declaration of state disaster emergency to 56 counties, of which 20 are in the Wichita County Warning Area, and a federal disaster declaration was expected to be issued.In addition to law enforcement, emergency managers and trained spotters provided numerous and timely reports during this event. The monetary narrative for Butler County was furnished by Butler County Emergency Management. Sedgwick County statistics were furnished by Kansas.com. Numerous area newspapers, most notably the Wichita Eagle, Hutchinson News, and El Dorado Times, contributed greatly to this narrative. The reports of one and all, be they law enforcement, emergency management, trained spotters or the print media, are truly appreciated, especially during very difficult circumstances. It is their dedication that made such a detailed narrative possible.