A powerful area of low pressure brought heavy snow and near blizzard conditions to portions of central, south-central and southeast Kansas on December 22nd. Heavy snow began to fall across the area between 0700 and 1000 CST.
Every event with a place to put it; 8 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 ICT wrote it up.
A powerful area of low pressure brought heavy snow and near blizzard conditions to portions of central, south-central and southeast Kansas on December 22nd. Heavy snow began to fall across the area between 0700 and 1000 CST. The heavy snow spread east and northeast as the day progressed, before coming to an end between 1600-1800 CST. A swath of 6 to 9 inches of snow accumulated, generally along the Kansas Turnpike corridor. The heavy snow in concert with 25 to 40 mph winds reduced visibilities to less than one-quarter mile for several hours across the area, and in fact near whiteout conditions were periodically reported. Numerous traffic accidents and slide-offs occurred, and flights at the Wichita Mid-Continent Airport were either delayed or canceled.
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 Wichita, KS wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Dec 22, 5:34 AM CST, 3 hours 26 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS 534 AM CST SAT DEC 22 2007 .UPDATE... && .AVIATION...12Z TAFS RSL/SLN/HUT/ICT/CNU STORM SYSTEM LIFTING OUT ACROSS THE KANSAS REGION TODAY...WILL BRING LIGHT-MODERATE SNOW TO ALL SITES ALONG WITH OCCASIONAL IFR/LIFR CONDITIONS. PRECIPITATION WILL BEGIN IN CENTRAL KS EARLY THIS AM...THEN S-CNTRL/SERN KS MID MORNING THRU MUCH OF THE AFTERNOON. FORECAST SOUNDINGS INDICATE PRECIPITATION AT ONSET COULD BE RAIN/SLEET MIX AT CNU. GUSTY NW WINDS WILL COMBINE WITH THE ACCUMULATING SNOW TO PRODUCE AREAS OF BLOWING SNOW ACROSS RUNWAYS. CLEARING WILL ARRIVE IN CENTRAL KS LATE IN THE AFTERNOON...AND IN SERN KS MID-LATE EVE. JMC && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 249 AM CST SAT DEC 22 2007/ DISCUSSION... MAIN FORECAST CONCERNS ARE SNOWFALL ACCUMULATIONS TODAY AND TEMPERATURES TONIGHT. TODAY-TONIGHT: UPPER WAVE IS MOVING ACROSS NEW MEXICO THIS MORNING...HEADING TOWARDS THE SOUTHERN PLAINS. SURFACE COLD FRONT IS INTO SOUTHEAST KANSAS...AND IS ON TRACK TO BE EAST OF THE FORECAST AREA BY 12Z. WE HAVE ALREADY SEEN A COUPLE MID-LEVEL FRONTOGENESIS BANDS SET UP OVER WESTERN AND CENTRAL KANSAS OVERNIGHT...AND THESE WILL CONTINUE TO PROGRESS EASTWARD WITH THE 700MB FRONT THROUGH THE DAY. BOTH THE GFS AND NAM/WRF ARE SHOWING A FRONTOGENESIS BAND SOMEWHERE OVER SOUTH CENTRAL KANSAS THIS MORNING AND INTO SOUTHEAST KANSAS THIS AFTERNOON. WHEREVER THIS BAND SETS UP WILL BE WHERE THE HIGHEST SNOWFALL TOTALS WILL BE. SOUTHEAST KANSAS STILL LOOKS TO START OUT AS RAIN...BUT THERE ARE SOME DECENT LAPSE RATES ONCE THE SNOW GETS GOING SO THAT AREA COULD STILL END UP WITH 2 TO 3 INCHES OF SNOW. STILL GENERALLY EXPECTING 3 TO 5 INCHES WEST OF THE TURNPIKE. ADDITIONALLY...GUSTY NORTHWEST WINDS WILL BRING VISIBILITIES DOWN AND CAUSE ADDITIONAL TRAVEL PROBLEMS. WITH THESE THINGS IN MIND...WE WILL CONTINUE THE ADVISORIES AS THEY ARE CURRENTLY. BEHIND THE PRECIPITATION...SKIES WILL CLEAR OUT QUICKLY AND TEMPERATURES WILL DROP INTO THE TEENS TONIGHT. SUNDAY-WEDNESDAY: THERE IS A SHORTWAVE TROUGH THAT WILL COME THROUGH ON MONDAY...BUT THE FORCING IS NOT VERY IMPRESSIVE AND FORECAST SOUNDINGS ARE PRETTY DRY. SO AT THIS POINT THE NEXT CHANCE FOR PRECIPITATION LOOKS TO BE TUESDAY NIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY. TEMPERATURES WILL REMAIN AT OR BELOW NORMAL THROUGH THE WEEK. SCHRECK && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... WICHITA-KICT 31 15 36 21 / 100 20 0 10 HUTCHINSON 30 8 35 18 / 100 10 0 10 NEWTON 30 13 35 21 / 100 20 0 10 ELDORADO 32 15 36 20 / 100 30 0 10 WINFIELD-KWLD 33 16 38 21 / 100 30 0 10 RUSSELL 28 12 36 18 / 100 10 0 10 GREAT BEND 29 8 34 18 / 100 10 0 10 SALINA 30 13 34 18 / 100 10 0 10 MCPHERSON 30 13 35 19 / 100 10 0 10 COFFEYVILLE 40 17 38 24 / 100 60 0 0 CHANUTE 38 15 37 20 / 100 60 0 0 IOLA 37 15 36 21 / 100 60 0 0 PARSONS-KPPF 40 17 38 20 / 100 60 0 0 && .ICT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW ADVISORY FROM NOON TODAY TO 9 PM CST THIS EVENING FOR KSZ071-072-095-096-099-100. SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW ADVISORY UNTIL 6 PM CST THIS AFTERNOON FOR KSZ052-053-068>070-083-092>094-098. SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW ADVISORY UNTIL 6 PM CST THIS AFTERNOON FOR KSZ032-033-047>051-067-082-091. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS 523 AM CST SAT DEC 22 2007 KSZ032-033-047>053-067>072-082-083-091>096-098>100-231130- RUSSELL-LINCOLN-BARTON-ELLSWORTH-SALINE-RICE-MCPHERSON-MARION-CHASE- RENO-HARVEY-BUTLER-GREENWOOD-WOODSON-ALLEN-KINGMAN-SEDGWICK-HARPER- SUMNER-COWLEY-ELK-WILSON-NEOSHO-CHAUTAUQUA-MONTGOMERY-LABETTE- 523 AM CST SAT DEC 22 2007 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL KANSAS... SOUTH CENTRAL KANSAS AND SOUTHEAST KANSAS. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT A WINTER STORM SYSTEM WILL AFFECT PORTIONS OF CENTRAL AND SOUTH CENTRAL KANSAS TODAY. REFER TO THE LATEST SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW ADVISORY FOR DETAILS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY THERE WILL BE A COUPLE OF MORE CHANCES FOR SOME ACCUMULATING SNOW ACROSS THE AREA NEXT WEEK...AS PERIODIC WEATHER DISTURBANCES WILL MOVE ACROSS THE CENTRAL PLAINS. THERE WILL BE A CHANCE FOR SNOW TUESDAY NIGHT AND WEDNESDAY...AND THEN AGAIN BY THURSDAY NIGHT. THE EXACT TRACK OF THESE SYSTEMS AND POTENTIAL SNOW AMOUNTS ARE STILL UNCERTAIN...HOWEVER THEY COULD IMPACT TRAVEL CONDITIONS AT SOME TIME NEXT WEEK. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SKYWARN SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED. HOWEVER SNOWFALL REPORTS ARE ALWAYS APPRECIATED. && FOR A GRAPHICAL VERSION OF THIS INFORMATION...SEE OUR WEBPAGE AT (LOWERCASE) HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/WICHITA/HWO/HWO.PHP SCHRECK
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS
702 AM CST SAT DEC 22 2007
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0702 AM SNOW GREAT BEND 38.36N 98.81W
12/22/2007 E1.0 INCH BARTON KS LAW ENFORCEMENT
BARTON COUNTY DISPATCH ESTIMATED SNOW ACCUMULATIONS OF
THREE QUARTERS OF AN INCH TO 1 INCH.
&&
JMCSPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS 846 AM CST SAT DEC 22 2007 KSZ069-083-092-093-221530- BUTLER-COWLEY-SEDGWICK-SUMNER- 846 AM CST SAT DEC 22 2007 ...THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN WICHITA HAS ISSUED A SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ALERT FOR BUTLER...COWLEY...SEDGWICK AND SUMNER COUNTIES... AT 843 AM CST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED BANDS OF MODERATE SNOW AND SLEET WITH THUNDER AND LIGHTNING...ACROSS SUMNER...NORTHWEST COWLEY AND BUTLER COUNTIES. THIS BAND MAY DEVELOP NORTH INTO SEDGWICK COUNTY AND GREATER WICHITA LATER THIS MORNING. LOCALIZED SNOW AND SLEET ACCUMULATIONS OF 1 TO 2 INCHES CAN BE EXPECTED THROUGH 10 AM...ACROSS SUMNER...BUTLER AND NORTHWEST COWLEY COUNTIES. DARMOFAL
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
8 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.
Seven to eight inches was reported in Anthony. Two people were injured in an auto accident at 1430 CST on K-44 one mile east of Anthony.
Eight inches was reported in far northwest Wichita.
Six inches was reported in Wellington.
Seven inches was reported in Rock.
Nine inches was reported in Sedgwick.
Eight inches was reported 10 miles north of El Dorado. A driver was injured when their vehicle went off the road and rolled into the ditch on Thunder Road, between the Dike Road and the Whitewater River.
Six inches was reported in Florence.
Seven inches was reported in Cottonwood Falls.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Kansas in 2007Every state in 2007This day in weather historyWarnings in Kansas, December 2007
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: 70393, 70386, 70387, 70389, 70390, 70388, 70391, 70392.