A strong low pressure system began to slide across the Central Plains during the afternoon of February 12th. Rain was the initial type of precipitation that fell during the afternoon hours across the NE corner of Kansas.
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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.
A strong low pressure system began to slide across the Central Plains during the afternoon of February 12th. Rain was the initial type of precipitation that fell during the afternoon hours across the NE corner of Kansas. High temperatures the 12th were able to climb a few degrees above the freezing mark, thanks in part to warm southerly flow out ahead of the low pressure system. Cold arctic air on the north side of the low began to infiltrate the Central Plains by evening, as the system slid to the east. This forced temperatures to plummet. The rain switched briefly over to sleet during the early evening, and eventually turned to all snow across much of the NE corner of Kansas around 9pm. |The highest amount measured was 14.0 by a trained spotter just west of the town of Beattie in Marshall County. Otherwise amounts over the winter storm area averaged 5 to 9 inches. Elsewhere, north of Interstate 70, amounts were generally 2 to 4 inches. Meanwhile, along and south of Interstate 70, 1 to 3 inches was common. |The storm produced widespread hazardous driving conditions. Numerous indirect injuries occurred in traffic accidents including some roll overs and even some jack-knifed semis. A number of schools were also closed due to the hazardous conditions. Fortunately, no serious injuries or deaths occurred.
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 Feb 12, 4:35 AM CST, 11 hours 25 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS 435 AM CST MON FEB 12 2007 .DISCUSSION... LATEST WATER VAPOR SATELLITE IMAGERY SHOWING NEXT SIGNIFICANT SHORTWAVE TO AFFECT THE AREA MOVING INTO NORTHERN NM AND WILL MOVE EAST ACROSS OK TONIGHT ALONG WITH A SFC LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM. INVERTED TROUGH AHEAD OF THE LOW ACROSS CENTRAL KANSAS WILL KEEP THE CWA ABOVE FREEZING MUCH OF THE DAY...ALTHOUGH SOME FREEZING DRIZZLE WITH TEMPS NEAR FREEZING POSSIBLE ACROSS THE NORTHERN CWA EARLY THIS MORNING. OTHERWISE FOG WILL LINGER ACROSS MUCH OF THE CWA THIS MORNING WITH SOME GRADUAL IMPROVEMENT. WILL HOLD OFF ON DENSE FOG ADVISORY FOR NOW...BUT WILL NEED TO MONITOR TRENDS THROUGH MID MORNING IF LOWER VISIBILITY COVERAGE INCREASES. RAIN CHANCES WILL INCREASE SOUTH TO NORTH THROUGH THE DAY. AS THE INVERTED TROUGH MOVES EAST AND WINDS COME AROUND MORE TO A NORTHEAST DIRECTION LATER TODAY...TEMPS MAY BEGIN TO FALL SLOWLY...ESPECIALLY NORTH IN THE AFTERNOON. BUFKIT FCST SOUNDINGS COOL QUICKLY BETWEEN 21Z AND 00Z ACROSS THE NORTHWEST HALF OF THE CWA AND A RAIN/SNOW/SLEET MIXTURE NORTHERN CWA BY MID AFTERNOON SHOULD CHANGE TO ALL SNOW THERE BY AROUND 00Z. AS THE UPPER TROUGH PASSES BY TO THE SOUTH TONIGHT...BEST QC FORCING AND ISENTROPIC LIFT SHOULD OCCUR 00Z-06Z...AND WITH COLD AIR IN PLACE ACROSS THE NORTHWEST HALF OF THE CWA AT THAT TIME...EXPECT THIS AREA TO HAVE THE HEAVIEST SNOWFALL. LESS TIME FOR ACCUMULATING SNOW APPEARS JUST TO THE SOUTH FROM COUNCIL GROVE TO TOPEKA TO OSKALOOSA WHERE COMPLETE RAIN TO SNOW CHANGEOVER MAY TAKE UNTIL MID EVENING...BUT ENOUGH FOR 2 TO 3 INCHES...WITH HEAVIER AMOUNTS OF 3-5 INCHES NORTH OF THIS AREA. THEREFORE HAVE ISSUED A SNOW ADVISORY FROM 6 PM THIS EVENING TO 6 AM TUESDAY FOR THESE AREAS. LIGHTER AMOUNTS SHOULD OCCUR ALONG AND TO THE SOUTH OF I-35 WHERE IT MAY TAKE TO AROUND MIDNIGHT FOR A CHANGEOVER TO OCCUR. SOME LIGHT SNOW POTENTIAL EASTERN CWA EARLY TUESDAY...BUT EXPECT LITTLE ADDITIONAL ACCUMULATION IS EXPECTED. ON TUESDAY...CAA WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE DAY AS THE SFC LOW MOVES INTO THE MID MS VALLEY AND 850 TEMPS FALL INTO THE -12 TO -15 DEG C RANGE. WITH CLOUDY SKIES...EXPECTED SNOW ON THE GROUND MANY AREAS AND THE CAA...HAVE LOWERED HIGH TUESDAY INTO THE MID TEENS TO MID 20S. WITH EXPECTED SNOWCOVER...HAVE ALSO HAVE LOWERED TEMPS WEDNESDAY MORNING THROUGH THURSDAY MORNING BY A FEW DEGREES AS SFC HIGH BUILDS SOUTH ACROSS THE CWA. THIS SHOULD ALSO KEEP DRIER AIR IN PLACE. ALTHOUGH A FEW FLURRIES CANNOT BE RULED OUT...WILL KEEP FCST DRY ON THROUGH THE END OF THE WEEK AS TRANSITION TO COLDER AND DRIER AIR ALLOWS MOST OF THE SHORTWAVE ENERGY TO PASS WEST AND SOUTH OF THE CWA. THIS WILL KEEP THE COLD AIR IN PLACE ACROSS THE CWA WITH THE CENTER OF THE HIGH AND LESS MIXING THROUGH THURSDAY...DESPITE A GRADUAL DECREASE IN CLOUDS. LITTLE OR NO CHANGES MADE TO FCST BEYOND THURSDAY WITH MODERATING TEMPS INTO THE END OF THE WEEK STILL LOOKING GOOD. && .TOP WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...SNOW ADVISORY 6 PM THIS EVENING UNTIL 6 AM TUESDAY ALONG AND TO THE NORTH OF A COUNCIL GROVE...TOPEKA TO OSKALOOSA LINE. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS 358 PM CST MON FEB 12 2007 KSZ008>012-020>024-026-034>040-054>056-058-059-131200- REPUBLIC-WASHINGTON-MARSHALL-NEMAHA-BROWN-CLOUD-CLAY-RILEY- POTTAWATOMIE-JACKSON-JEFFERSON-OTTAWA-DICKINSON-GEARY-MORRIS- WABAUNSEE-SHAWNEE-DOUGLAS-LYON-OSAGE-FRANKLIN-COFFEY-ANDERSON- 358 PM CST MON FEB 12 2007 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EAST CENTRAL...NORTH CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST KANSAS. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT SNOW ADVISORIES ARE POSTED UNTIL 6 AM TUESDAY MORNING FOR AREAS GENERALLY ALONG AND NORTH OF A COUNCIL GROVE TO TOPEKA TO OSKALOOSA LINE. FURTHER SOUTH A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 AM TUESDAY. PERIODS OF SNOW WILL REDUCE VISIBILITIES TONIGHT TO LESS THAN A MILE AND ALSO MAKE FOR HAZARDOUS DRIVING CONDITIONS. ALONG AND SOUTH OF THE TURNPIKE A MIX OF RAIN...SLEET AND SNOW IS EXPECTED THIS EVENING BEFORE CHANGING OVER TO SNOW BY MIDNIGHT. WINDS WILL INCREASE AFTER MIDNIGHT AND CAUSE SOME BLOWING AND DRIFTING OF SNOW. SNOW AMOUNTS WILL RANGE FROM 1 TO 3 INCHES ALONG AND SOUTHEAST OF THE KANSAS TURNPIKE...TO 4 TO 5 INCHES NEAR THE NEBRASKA BORDER. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY SOME LIGHT SNOW IN THE MORNING HOURS TUESDAY ACROSS NORTHEAST AND EAST CENTRAL KANSAS...ALONG WITH SOME BLOWING SNOW MAY CAUSE REDUCED VISIBILITIES THROUGH MID MORNING. .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.
17 winter weather, 6 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.
Four to seven inches of snow was reported to have fallen across the county.
Four to seven inches of snow was reported across the county.
Four to nine inches of snow was reported to have fallen across the county. A public report of 14 inches was also received from near Beattie.
Four to eight inches of snow was reported to have fallen across the county.
Five to nine inches of snow was reported to have fallen across the county.
Five to eight inches of snow was reported to have fallen across the county.
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, February 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: 15106, 15107, 15108, 15111, 15109, 15110, 15193, 15194, 15196, 15197, 15199, 15201, 15202, 15205, 15207, 15209, 15210, 15211, 15212, 15214, 15215, 15216, 15220.