Ice Storm in Kansas, December 10 to 11, 2007

Ice accumulations of one quarter of an inch to one half of an inch were reported. Countywide, more than 200 Westar Energy customers were left without power. For the most part, Emergency Management reported that the county had escaped relatively unscathed. Minor tree damage was reported, with around ten to twenty trees removed from county roadways.

One quarter to one half of an inch of ice was reported to have accumulated on surfaces across the county. Several large trees and limbs were reported down in Lebo, Waverly, and Burlington. Coffey-Lyon County Electric reported that 250 customers were without power northeast and west of Emporia. Emergency shelters were opened across the county. Ten people sought shelter in Waverly, and 5 sought shelter in Lebo where power was out to approximately 60 residents. Blacktop roads were in good shape across the county, but gravel roads were iced over but up to of an inch of accumulated ice. School was closed across the county because of the slippery roads.

One half of an inch to three quarters of an inch of ice was reported to have coated surfaces across the county. Downed power line reports began only approximately 6 hours after precipitation began in the county. Some residents of Tescott and Bennington reported power outages. Broken tree limbs littered the town of Minneapolis. An emergency shelter was opened in Minneapolis.

One quarter of an inch to one inch of ice was reported to have accumulated on surfaces across the county.

One half of an inch to one inch of ice accumulation was reported on surfaces across the county. Significant tree damage was reported in Herington and rural communities across the county, and a two mile stretch of power lines south of Herington snapped off. Three hundred and fifty power poles needed to be replaced, and 3,200 meters were without power. Rural and in-town residents were left without running water, as pumps were unable to run without power. Radio and television stations across Chapman were without power. Two house fires were reported, and were caused by downed power lines one in Herington, and a second in the northern part of the county. Fire fighters otherwise responded to numerous calls, several due to power lines having been pulled away from homes. At least three weather related accidents were reported across the county-none of which had injuries the morning of the 11th, although one did involve a school bus on icy roads several days later during the afternoon of the 13th. No children were on board.

One quarter to one half of an inch of ice accumulation was reported countywide. Downed tree branches were reported across the county. Power outages were generally scattered and relatively minor across the county, and within the city of Burlington. A portion of the town of Lyndon was left without power after a tree limb fell on a power line. Roadways were in pretty good shape across the county.

One quarter to three quarters of an inch of ice accumulated on surfaces across the county. Nearly 80% of Junction City residents were without left without power, and 65% of the power lines in the city were down. Shelters were set up in Junction City at Spin City, as well as the Municipal Building for local residents, as well as stranded travelers. Around 200 people utilized the facilities the night of the 11th, despite the fact that heat was not available. Over 70% of Geary County residents were without power the morning of the 12th, while only 10% of Chapman was without power the morning of the 12th. 80% of the Fort Riley post was without power between the 11th and 12th, much of which retuned during the afternoon of the 12th. Employees across the county were told not to come to work for safety reasons. Many power poles were broken, and numerous power lines were reported to have been down. Broken tree limbs covered the ground across much of Junction City, and heavily iced branches hung over many city streets. A total of 4500 Westar Energy customers were still without power in Geary County the morning of the 13th. A 90-year-old woman was found dead outside her home in Junction City. The family believes she walked outside, stumbled, and froze.

One quarter to one half of an inch of ice was reported to have accumulated on surfaces across the county. 2800 residents of the county were without power Tuesday evening, including some on the north side of Lawrence. One non-vehicular accident was reported when a man attempted to remove a tree limb from his roof, and became trapped on his ladder by the tree limb.

Ice accumulations from one quarter of an inch up to one inch were reported across the county. Alta Vista was one of the hardest hit areas, with devastating tree damage evident across the town. Widespread power outages affected the county. Emergency shelters were set up across the county to assist those most adversely affected by the outages. A boil order was issued for residents because of the lack of water pressure for an extended period of time. Farmers found it incredibly difficult to keep their livestock fed and watered. Over 300 tons of salt was spread on Wabaunsee County roads in an effort to keep conditions safe for motorists that had to travel.

Accumulated ice was up to half of an inch thick was reported across the county. The town of Miltonvale was without power sporadically the morning of the 11th, and outages were otherwise scattered across the county. Schools, businesses, many government offices, and other events were called off across the county, and public transportation was shut down during and for 2 days following the event. Tree limbs were reported to have fallen across several city and county roads.

Ice between half of an inch and one inch thick was reported to have accumulated across the county. Several house fires were reported as a result of downed power lines. Approximately 2500 residents of Clay County was left without power the night of the 10th and morning of the 11th. Westar Energy lost 80 power poles to ice during the storm. Businesses and schools across the county were closed for safety concerns.

Riley County: One of the hardest hit areas, Riley County reported some of the most widespread power outages for counties in northeast Kansas. 16,000 customers in Manhattan and surrounding areas alone were without power. For many, power periodically went up and down the 10th through 13th. Downed trees and power lines were the greatest concerns, and roads for the most part were in good condition due to the hard work of local road crews. Bluemont Rd was blocked from 3rd St. to Juliette Ave. due to a downed power pole. Several streets in Manhattan were impassible because of downed limbs, including Claflin near College Ave, other portions of Claflin, as well as Yuma Ave. Businesses, including local newspaper offices, across the county were left without power, and were unable to serve customers. Shelters were setup in Fort Riley and Manhattan to accommodate those left without power. Thirteen thousand Manhattan residents were still without power the morning of the 13th. Power was returned to Ft. Riley the morning of the 17th. Two people were injured when they came in contact with downed power lines (a 38-year-old man and his 15-year-old son). At least 1,000 power poles were broken in the city and surrounding area alone. The evening of the 18th, 200 people still did not have power in Riley County. At least one house fire was blamed on the weather, a $210,000 loss.

A storm total 2.63 of precipitation was reported at the NWS in Topeka. Ice accumulations ranged from around half of an inch up to nearly an inch across the county. One quarter of residents in Rossville lost power, and one hundred and fifty homes in Silver Lake lost power. Westar Energy’s largest plant, Jeffery Energy Center, was shut down because it had no place to send power. Four and a half days passed before the plant was operating again. Downed tree limbs and power lines littered city and county roads. Only two traffic accidents were reported during the day of the 11th, and officers noted that for the most part people had heeded local warnings and stayed home and off the icy city streets of Topeka. Agriculture Hall at the Kansas Expo Center was opened as a shelter for those without electricity, and other emergency shelters were opened across the county. Schools across the county were closed for several days due to lack of power as well as hazardous roadways. Minor roof leaks were also reported at a few locations, including several schools across the Topeka area.

Ice accumulation estimates ranged from around half of an inch, to three quarters of an inch across the county. The city of Wamego reported 45 downed power lines the morning of the 11th. Belvue, Onaga, and Olsburg were left completely without power by the time the freezing rain ended, and Westmoreland was left completely without water. Four hundred Westmoreland residents were still without power the night after the freezing rain fell. Local firefighters responded to several fires, caused by downed power lines and stressed transformers. Nearly every street in Westmoreland was littered with tree branches, tree limbs, and power lines. Shelters were set up across the county. Two days after the freezing rain ended, 5,000 county residents were still without power including all of St. George, Onaga, Westmoreland, Olsburg, Wheaton, Emmet, and Havensville. Tree limbs and power lines continued to fall over the course of the week after the event. Phone outages were also reported across the area.

One half of an inch to three quarters of an inch of ice was reported to have accumulated on surfaces across the county. Primary problems in both towns and rural areas were downed trees, limbs, and power lines especially limbs that fell onto power lines. Several homes in Belleville were left without power, and residents of both Scandia and Norway also reported power outages.

Ice accumulated to between one quarter and one half of an inch thinck across the county. Trees and tree limbs were reported down across the county due to heavy ice accumulations, several of which were over roadways in the Hanover area. Most of Hanover and the surrounding communities were left without power, which was not restored for several days. The Clyde arboretum suffered fairly robust losses, especially to some of the older trees.

Ice accumulations between half of an inch and one inch were reported across the county. Trees and power lines were reported down across Frankfort, several of which blocked roadways. Power outages knocked out phone service to residents across the county, and left many homes and businesses across the county in the dark, with nearly 30% of Westar Energy customers left without power in the county. At the peak, 3,200 customers were without power. Thirteen hundred power poles were reported down, with 97 alone down in the Goff area. Temporary emergency shelters were opened across the county. National attention was garnered by the people of Barnes and Waterville when an ABC news crew came out to record the damage with up to one inch of ice accumulations on surfaces across the county.

Between half of an inch and up to one and one quarter of an inch of ice accumulated on surfaces across Nemaha County, with some of the greatest totals reported in Seneca and Baileyville. City streets and rural roads across the county were blocked as a result of downed trees, limbs, and power lines. Officers reportedly ran out of orange cones to block off city streets too many had downed power lines or trees. Rows of power poles were down in a few locations. No structural damage was reported, but it was reported that there was not a tree in Sycamore Springs that wasn’t damaged by the ice nor many trees in Sabetha and the surrounding area that were not adversely affected by the accumulated ice.. Centralia High School students who were out of school during the period due to lack of electricity spent much of their time helping residents clean up after the storm. A woman was injured when a piece of ice dislodged from a building, fell, and struck her in the head. She suffered a concussion, and needed several stitches.

Between one half of an inch and one inch of ice accumulated on surfaces across the county. Extensive tree damage that residents deemed comparable to the destruction of a tornado was reported across the county. Roads across the county were closed because entire trees, tree limbs, or power lines blocked the way. The entire town of Holton, and locations across Jackson County were left without power. Rural Jackson County residents weren’t likely to have power back for more than 3 weeks after the ice storm hit. Generators helped to keep local hospitals online. The day after the freezing rain ceased falling, 60% of the county was still without power. Emergency shelters were set up at more than 8 sites across the county. A Holton resident awoke to the sound of a tree limb crashing through the roof of her house early the morning of the 11th. A second tree limb crashed through the roof and landed in the kitchen of the home later that day. St. Mary’s and Rossville schools were closed 3 days, Emmett and Delia schools were closed for 4 days after the storm. One Holton utility employee was injured when he attempted to move a live electrical wire, and was taken to the hospital to attend to his severe burns.

Half an inch to one inch of ice accumulations were reported across the county. Nearly every home in the town of Oskaloosa had downed tree limbs, uprooted trees, or leaning power poles. Ice covered trees, limbs, and power lines were reported down across the county. Electric water pumps were unable to be run, so a boil order was issued for residents in Oskaloosa due to the lack of water pressure for an extended period of time. Nearly 75% of the county was left without power. Several homes in Ozawkie also reported downed tree limbs and power lines. The northwest portion of the county was one of the hardest hit areas, with up to 1 inch of ice accumulated on nearly all surfaces. Residents in the southeast portion of the county measured between an eighth and quarter of an inch of accumulated ice. Schools across the county were out of session for nearly a week.

Brown County: Three quarters of an inch to one and one half inches of ice accumulated on surfaces across the county. Thunder was also heard during the periods of heaviest freezing rain on the 11th. Tree limbs and power poles were down across Fairview, due to the accumulation of ice. Whole trees were uprooted in and around Hiawatha. Power poles were snapped across the region as well. Many streets in Hiawatha were littered with tree limbs where an estimated of ice accumulated on just about everything in the city. Homes and vehicles alike suffered tremendous damage when large branches fell on top of them. Much of the county was left without power, beginning about 2:30am CST the 11th. Several fires were reported in Hiawatha, at least one of which was caused by a tree limb that fell onto the electrical box of a house. In Horton, power lines were down, as were entire trees and many of their limbs. Power was cut off in Horton around 11:30pm the 10th, and phone, cable, and Internet were also knocked out. Shelters were set up in Hiawatha, Morrill, Everest, and Horton. The Brown-Atchison Electric Coop was 100% without power no substations had any power whatsoever. The company serves 3180 customers in northeast Kansas. Crews took nearly two weeks to restore power to some locations. An emergency water conservation message was put out due to the fact that electric water pumps across the county were able to be run without power. Several accidents were reported on roads across the county none of which were serious. US-159 was closed along a 5 mile stretch east of Muscotah due to downed power lines. A portion of K-7 was also closed due to downed power lines and tree limbs. Cell phone communication was spotty for up to a week after the event. Ice was reported to be two to three inches thick along and east of Baker Road in Brown County.