A slow-moving low pressure system produced significant snow and ice accumulations across eastern Colorado, southwest Nebraska and western Kansas. Snow totals of 6-12 inches were common along the Kansas-Colorado border, with 1/2-11/2 inch ice accumulations further east in the Norton and Hill City areas.
Every event with a place to put it; 13 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
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.
The episode as NWS GLD wrote it up.
A slow-moving low pressure system produced significant snow and ice accumulations across eastern Colorado, southwest Nebraska and western Kansas. Snow totals of 6-12 inches were common along the Kansas-Colorado border, with 1/2-11/2 inch ice accumulations further east in the Norton and Hill City areas. This storm produced widespread power outages and brought down a communications tower in Norton county, as well as affecting many counties with heavy tree damage and loss of utility poles. Storm totals for each county include... Cheyenne: 6-9 snow, 1/4 ice. Rawlins: 3-5 snow, 1/2 ice. Decatur: 1 snow, 1 ice. Norton 1 snow, 1 ice. Sherman 5-10 snow, 1/4 ice. Thomas 3-5 snow, 1/2 ice. Sheridan: 4-6 snow, 3/4 ice. Graham: 2-4 snow, 1 ice. Wallace: 5 snow, 1/4 ice. Logan 2 snow, 1/2 ice. Gove: 2 snow, 1 ice. Greeley: 6 snow, 1/4 ice. Wichita: 3 snow, 1/2 ice. |Damage estimates are not yet available.
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 Goodland, KS wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Dec 19, 11:31 AM MST, 2 hours 29 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KS
1131 AM MST TUE DEC 19 2006
.UPDATE...BUSY DAY ON THE SHORT TERM DESK. UPDATED POPS AND PRECIP
TYPE TO BETTER REFLECT CURRENT AND ANTICIPATED TRENDS. LOWERED MAX
TEMPS ACROSS THE SOUTHWEST HALF OF THE CWA. VARIETY OF
PRECIPITATION ALREADY BEING REPORTED ACROSS THE CWA WITH AN
INCREASE IN INTENSITY AND COVERAGE EXPECTED THROUGH THE REMAINDER
OF THE AFTERNOON HOURS.
&&
.GLD WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
KS...WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL 11 AM MST /12 PM CST/ THURSDAY FOR
KSZ001-KSZ013-KSZ027-KSZ041.
WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL 12 PM CST THURSDAY FOR KSZ002-KSZ003-
KSZ014-KSZ015-KSZ028-KSZ029-KSZ042.
ICE STORM WARNING FROM 6 PM THIS EVENING TO 6 PM CST WEDNESDAY
FOR KSZ004-KSZ016.
NE...WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL 11 AM MST THURSDAY FOR NEZ079.
WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL 12 PM CST THURSDAY FOR NEZ080-NEZ081.
CO...WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL 11 AM MST THURSDAY FOR COZ090-COZ091-
COZ092.
&&
BLAIRHAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KS 453 AM MST TUE DEC 19 2006 COZ090>092-KSZ001>004-013>016-027>029-041-042-NEZ079>081-201200- YUMA-KIT CARSON-CHEYENNE CO-CHEYENNE KS-RAWLINS-DECATUR-NORTON- SHERMAN-THOMAS-SHERIDAN-GRAHAM-WALLACE-LOGAN-GOVE-GREELEY-WICHITA- DUNDY-HITCHCOCK-RED WILLOW- 453 AM MST TUE DEC 19 2006 /553 AM CST TUE DEC 19 2006/ THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EXTREME SOUTHWEST NEBRASKA...NORTHWEST KANSAS AND EAST CENTRAL COLORADO. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT A WINTRY MIX OF PRECIPITATION WILL EXPAND IN COVERAGE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING AS A POWERUL STORM SYSTEM APPROACHES FROM THE SOUTHWEST. AN ICE STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT THROUGH WEDNESDAY FOR GRAHAM AND NORTON COUNTIES. FREEZING RAIN IS EXPECTED TO INCREASE THROUGH THE EVENING HOURS CONTINUING THROUGH THE DAY ON WEDNESDAY BEFORE GRADUALLY MIXING WITH SLEET AND CHANGING TO SNOW. SIGNIFICANT ICE ACCUMULATIONS GREATER THAN ONE-HALF INCH ARE EXPECTED. A WINTER STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FURTHER WEST...WHERE SLEET...SNOW AND FREEZING RAIN WILL EXPAND IN COVERAGE THIS EVENING AND CONTINUE THROUGH THE NIGHT. FREEZING RAIN AND SLEET WILL CHANGE TO ALL SNOW WEST OF A LINE FROM MCCOOK TO THE MONUMENT ROCKS DURING THE MORNING HOURS ON WEDNESDAY. LOCATIONS ALONG AND WEST OF A LINE FROM BENKELMAN TO BREWSTER TO TRIBUNE ARE EXPECTED TO SEE A MIX OF SLEET AND SNOW THIS EVENING CHANGING TO ALL SNOW BEFORE MIDNIGHT. SNOW MAY BE HEAVY AT TIMES. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY FREEZING RAIN AND SLEET WILL GRADUALLY CHANGE TO ALL SNOW FROM WEST TO EAST DURING THE AFTERNOON HOURS ON WEDNESDAY. SNOW MAY BE HEAVY AT TIMES. NORTHERLY WINDS WILL INCREASE WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON WITH REDUCED VISIBILITIES IN BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW. THE SNOW WILL CONTINUE INTO THE DAY ON THURSDAY BEFORE DIMINISHING FROM WEST TO EAST. TOTAL SNOWFALL ACCUMULATIONS OF 10-15 INCHES ARE EXPECTED WEST OF HIGHWAY 83 WHILE SIGNIFICANT AMOUNTS OF ICE WILL BE POSSIBLE ALONG AND EAST OF HIGHWAY 83. IF FREEZING RAIN AND SLEET CHANGE TO SNOW FASTER THAN ANTICIPATED...SNOWFALL ACCUMULATIONS WILL BE MUCH HIGHER EAST OF HIGHWAY 83. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... REPORTS OF SNOW DEPTH OR SIGNIFICANT ICING WOULD BE APPRECIATED. MCGUIRE
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
13 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.
Six inches of snow reported, following 1/4 of ice from freezing rain.
Five inches of snow reported, following 1/4 of ice from freezing rain.
Three inches of snow reported, following 1 of ice from freezing rain.
Six to nine inches of snow fell on top of 1/4 inch of ice.
Three to five inches of snow fell on top of 1/2 inch of ice. Six people were injured when their vehicle skidded on icy roads 10 miles south of Atwood. The vehicle left the road and hit a shed.
Five to ten inches of snow reported, following 1/4 ice from freezing rain. Two vehicle rollover accidents were reported by the local newspaper, with one accident resulting in three injuries. Numerous other minor accidents and slideoffs occurred with the storm as a result of slippery roads.
Three to five inches of snow reported, following 1/2 ice from freezing rain.
Two to three inches of snow reported, following 1/2 of ice from freezing rain.
Freezing rain resulted in one inch of ice across much of the county. Widespread power outages occurred with tree and utility pole damage common.
Freezing rain resulted in one inch of ice across much of the county. A communications tower 2 miles south of Norton collapsed due to the weight of ice. Widespread power outages occurred with tree and utility pole damage common.
Four to six inches of snow reported, following 3/4 ice from freezing rain. Widespread power outages occurred with tree and utility pole damage common.
Two to four inches of snow reported, following 1 ice from freezing rain.
Two inches of snow reported, following 1 of ice from freezing rain. Widespread power outages occurred with tree and utility pole damage common.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Kansas in 2006Every state in 2006This day in weather historyWarnings in Kansas, December 2006
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: 9770, 9767, 9771, 9757, 9758, 9763, 9764, 9768, 9759, 9760, 9765, 9766, 9769.