Arctic air followed very mild weather. Then a storm system moved into the plains and dropped a mixture of snow, sleet, freezing rain and freezing drizzle.
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 TOP wrote it up.
Arctic air followed very mild weather. Then a storm system moved into the plains and dropped a mixture of snow, sleet, freezing rain and freezing drizzle. Numerous non-injury accidents occurred including a school bus in the Topeka area that slid off the road. One indirect fatality occurred with the icy conditions on the Kansas Turnpike just east of Topeka.
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 Topeka, KS wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Nov 29, 4:22 AM CST, 6 hours 38 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS 422 AM CST WED NOV 29 2006 .DISCUSSION... EARLY THIS MORNING A SHALLOW ARCTIC AIRMASS WAS PUSHING SOUTH ACROSS EASTERN KS. TEMPERATURES AT 200 AM WERE ALREADY IN THE MID 20S ACROSS THE NORTHWEST COUNTIES. TEMPERATURES WERE IN THE MID 60S JUST SOUTH OF THE FRONT ACROSS SOUTHEAST KS. BOTH THE GFS AND NAM ARE IN GOOD AGREEMENT BRINGING THE FRONT SOUTHWARD INTO NORTHERN OK BY THIS AFTERNOON. THE 00Z NAM WAS A BIT FASTER BRINGING THE FRONT SOUTH ACROSS THE CWA...AND SURFACE OBSERVATIONS SEEM TO BE FITTING WELL WITH THE NAM FORECAST. THEREFORE I WILL KEEP TODAYS HIGHS AT 12Z THIS MORNING WITH TEMPERATURES FALLING THROUGH THE DAY AS STRONG LOW-LEVEL CAA DEVELOPS NORTH OF THE FRONT. AN UPPER LEVEL TROUGH ACROSS THE GREAT BASIN REGION WILL DIG SOUTHEAST INTO CO AND NORTHERN NM THIS EVENING. AHEAD OF THE 5H TROUGH THE 850MB WINDS WILL REMAIN FROM THE SOUTH-SOUTHWEST AND WILL TRANSPORT GULF MOISTURE NORTHWARD ACROSS EASTERN COUNTIES OF THE CWA TODAY AND TONIGHT. THE RESULTING ISENTROPIC LIFT WILL CAUSE AREAS OF PRECIPITATION TO DEVELOP THIS MORNING ACROSS THE CENTRAL AND EASTERN COUNTIES. ALSO 850MB TO 700MB FRONTOGENETICAL FORCING WILL PROVIDE LIFT. AS SURFACE TEMPERATURES FALL BELOW FREEZING THIS MORNING...THE RAIN WILL BECOME FREEZING RAIN. FORECAST SOUNDINGS SHOW THE COLD AIR WILL BE DEEP ENOUGH ACROSS THE CENTRAL COUNTIES THAT THE FREEZING RAIN WILL BE MIXED WITH SLEET. BOTH THE NAM AND GFS HAVE THE GREATEST QPF OCCURING ALONG AND SOUTH OF I-35. FCST SOUNDINGS SHOW A WARM LAYER OF AIR AT THE 830MB LEVEL TO REMAIN ABOVE 3 DEG C THROUGH 03Z...THUS THE POTENTIAL EXIST FOR ICE ACCUMULATIONS OF 0.25 INCHES OR MORE. THEREFORE I ISSUED A WINTER STORM WARNING FOR THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT FOR AREAS SOUTH OF AN EMPORIA...TO OSAGE CITY TO LAWRENCE LINE. SINCE THE FREEZING RAIN WILL BEGIN TO MIX WITH SLEET THIS EVENING AND EVENTUALLY TO SNOW AFTER MIDNIGHT I WENT WITH THE WINTER STORM WARNING INSTEAD OF AN ICE STORM WARNING. THOUGH I THINK THE BIGGEST THREAT WILL BE ICE ACCUMULATIONS ON ELECTRIC WIRES AND TREES. NORTH WINDS OF 20 TO 25 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 35 MPH WILL MAY HELP TO SNAP TREE LIMBS AND POWER LINES IN AREAS WHERE ICE ACCUMULATES. I ALSO ISSUED A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY EAST OF AN ABILENE TO MARYSVILLE LINE. MINOR ICE AND SLEET ACCUMULATIONS IN THE CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST COUNTIES MAY CREATE SLICK DRIVING CONDITIONS DURING THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING HOURS. THE WESTERN COUNTIES MAY SEE SOME LIGHT FREEZING DRIZZLE THIS MORNING WITH SLEET AND SNOW SHOWERS THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. ATTM THE BEST MOISTURE SHOULD REMAIN EAST OF THE WESTERN COUNTIES...THOUGH THIS MAY CHANGE IF THE UPPER TROUGH IS A BIT SLOWER AND THE 850MB MOISTURE MOVES NORTHWARD ACROSS CENTRAL KS. THE 5H TROUGH WILL DIG SOUTHEAST INTO OK AND NORTH TX ON THURSDAY. MOST OF THE MOISTURE WILL SHIFT EAST OF THE CWA ACROSS EASTERN OK...NORTHEAST ACROSS SOUTHWEST MO AND AR. THE UPPER TROUGH WILL THEN LIFT NORTHEAST INTO SOUTHERN MO THURSDAY NIGHT. THE CURRENT FORECAST TRACK SHOULD KEEP THE HEAVIER SNOW SOUTH AND EAST OF THE CWA. MAY BE A HEAVY SNOWFALL OF SIX OR MORE INCHES FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHEAST OK...NORTHEAST INTO CENTRAL MO THURSDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING. THOUGH IF THE UPPER LOW SHOULD LIFT NORTHEAST FARTHER WEST ACROSS SOUTHEAST KS...THE HEAVY SNOW COULD MOVE NORTHEAST ACROSS THE EASTERN COUNTIES OF THE CWA. ATTM IM LESS THAN 30 PERCENT CERTAIN OF THE MORE WESTERN TRACK THEREFORE I WILL NOT ISSUE A WINTER STORM WATCH FOR THURSDAY AFTERNOON AND NIGHT...THOUGH LATER SHIFTS WILL NEED TO MONITOR THE NEXT FEW MODEL RUNS. WE COULD SEE SOME LIGHT SNOW SHOWERS THURSDAY AND THURSDAY NIGHT ACROSS THE SOUTHEAST AND EAST CENTRAL COUNTIES OF THE CWA AS RESISUAL MOSITURE WRAPS SOUTHWEST...AND SOUTH ACROSS THE SOUTH CENTRAL MO 5H LOW. TEMPERATURES WILL STRUGGLE INTO THE MID TO UPPER 20S FOR HIGHS ON THURSDAY. LOW TEMPERATURES WILL BE IN THE TEENS ACROSS THE CWA THURSDAY NIGHT AND FRIDAY. HIGH TEMPERATURES WILL SLOWLY WARM INTO THE 40S EARLY NEXT WEEK AS THE COLD ARCTIC AIR SHIFTS EAST OF THE REGION. THE EXTENDED FORECAST LOOKED GOOD AND NO CHANGES WERE MADE. && .TOP WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...WINTER STORM WARNING THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH TONIGHT SOUTHEAST OF AN EMPORIA...TO OSAGE CITY...TO LAWRENCE LINE. WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH TONIGHT SOUTHEAST AN ABILENE TO MARYSVILLE LINE AND NORTHWEST OF THE WINTER STORM WARNING. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS 951 AM CST WED NOV 29 2006 KSZ008>012-020>024-026-034>040-054>056-058-059-301200- REPUBLIC-WASHINGTON-MARSHALL-NEMAHA-BROWN-CLOUD-CLAY-RILEY- POTTAWATOMIE-JACKSON-JEFFERSON-OTTAWA-DICKINSON-GEARY-MORRIS- WABAUNSEE-SHAWNEE-DOUGLAS-LYON-OSAGE-FRANKLIN-COFFEY-ANDERSON- 951 AM CST WED NOV 29 2006 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EAST CENTRAL...NORTH CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST KANSAS. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT THERE IS A CHANCE FOR THUNDERSTORMS ALONG AND SOUTHEAST OF THE TURNPIKE THIS MORNING. THE MOST SIGNIFICANT THREAT OF HAZARDOUS WEATHER WILL BE IN THE FORM OF FREEZING RAIN AND SLEET TODAY AND TONIGHT OVER NORTHEAST AND EAST CENTRAL AREAS. A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT THROUGH EARLY THURSDAY MORNING ALONG AND SOUTHEAST OF A LINE FROM MARYSVILLE TO ABILENE. A WINTER STORM WARNING IS ALSO IN EFFECT THROUGH EARLY THURSDAY MORNING ALONG AND SOUTHEAST OF A LAWRENCE TO EMPORIA LINE. THIS INCLUDES THE TOPEKA...LAWRENCE...EMPORIA AND OTTAWA AREAS. ALTHOUGH SOME LIGHT FREEZING DRIZZLE IS EXPECTED WEST OF HIGHWAY 77...IT IS NOT EXPECTED TO ACCUMULATE AS MUCH AS AREAS TO THE EAST. FREEZING DRIZZLE AND FREEZING RAIN ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP IN THE ADVISORY AREAS THIS AFTERNOON...AND MAY BRING A THIN COAT OF ICE ON ROADWAYS AND EXPOSED SURFACES. SLEET AND SNOW MAY ALSO MIX IN LATER IN THE DAY THEN CHANGE OVER TO LIGHT SNOW SHOWERS LATE TONIGHT. IN AREAS IN THE WINTER STORM WARNING...UP TO A QUARTER INCH OF ICE ACCUMULATION IS POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON AND OVERNIGHT...WITH A CHANGEOVER TO SLEET THEN SNOW AFTER MIDNIGHT. NORTH WINDS WILL ALSO BE IN THE 15 TO 25 MPH RANGE WHICH COULD INCREASE THE LIKELIHOOD OF POWER LINE AND TREE DAMAGE WHERE ICE ACCUMULATES. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY SNOW WILL CONTINUE ACROSS EAST CENTRAL KANSAS THURSDAY THROUGH EARLY FRIDAY MORNING. SOME ACCUMULATIONS ARE POSSIBLE. STAY TUNED FOR UPDATES ON SNOW AMOUNTS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT THE TYPE OF WINTER PRECIPITATION FALLING AND ANY ACCUMULATIONS TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TOPEKA.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
10 winter weather, 3 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.
Ice and sleet accumulations up to a half inch brought very hazardous conditions.
Ice and sleet accumulations up to a half inch brought very hazardous conditions.
Ice and sleet accumulations of up to a half inch brought very hazardous conditions.
As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.
| Event | Date | Age | Sex | Where | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winter Weather, Shawnee | 2006-11-29 | 24 | Female | Outside/Open Areas | Indirect |
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, November 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: 5104, 5105, 5107, 5134, 5135, 5136, 5138, 5139, 5140, 5141, 5142, 5143, 5144.