Showers and thunderstorms developed on the nose of the low level jet during the morning hours of February 21st. The more robust cells that developed were prolific precipitation producers.
Every event with a place to put it; 4 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.
Showers and thunderstorms developed on the nose of the low level jet during the morning hours of February 21st. The more robust cells that developed were prolific precipitation producers. The 850mb temperatures were above freezing across Anderson and Coffey counties, while 925mb temperatures were two to eight degrees below freezing. Sleet was the dominant precipitation type in these counties. Two inches of sleet accumulated in Coffey county, while one half to one and a half inch accumulations were common across the rest of the county, as well as Anderson county.
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 20, 3:05 PM CST, 12 hours 55 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS 305 PM CST WED FEB 20 2008 .DISCUSSION... DESPITE CLEAR SKIES TODAY...TEMPERATURES HAVE STRUGGLED TO MAKE IT INTO THE TEENS ACROSS THE AREA. HIGH PRESSURE CONTINUES TO SLIDE SOUTH AND EASTWARD...KEEPING NORTHEAST WINDS AND COLDER TEMPS SOLIDLY IN PLACE. BAND OF LOW AND MID CLOUDS ALONG FRONT HAVE MOVED INTO OK...BUT ARE BEGINNING TO MAKE THE NORTHWARD RETREAT FOR TONIGHT. EXPECT CLOUDS TO RETURN TO THE AREA...WITH SOUTHWESTERN LOCATIONS CLOUDING UP BETWEEN 6 AND 9PM WHILE NORTHEAST SOCKS IN BETWEEN 9PM AND MIDNIGHT. DEEPER ISENTROPIC LIFT AND SATURATION MOVE IN ABOUT 3 HRS BEHIND THE CLOUDS...AND EXPECT IT WILL TAKE EVEN A LITTLE MORE TIME TO SATURATE DOWN TO THE SURFACE CONSIDERING 15 DEGREE DEWPOINT DEPRESSIONS TO OVERCOME. SOUNDINGS ALONG AND SOUTH OF I35 SHOWING A GOOD WARM NOSE AROUND 850 AS WARM AS 6C AT TIMES. HOWEVER...LOWER LEVELS ARE COLDER THAN -6C FOR AT LEAST 2000 FEET...AND SHOULD REFREEZE PRECIP INTO PELLETS AS IT DEVELOPS AND FALLS. WILL KEEP AN IP/SN MIX THERE. HAVE ALSO ADDED ISOLD THUNDER AS CAN SEE INSTABILITIES AS HIGH AS 150J/KG AT TIMES IN THE SOUNDINGS. NORTH OF THAT...WARM LAYER IS MUCH LESS AGGRESSIVE...LESS THAN 2C AT MAX...WITH MOST TIMES FULL SOUNDING BELOW FREEZING. WILL CARRY SNOW THOSE AREAS. 12Z NAM IS THE OUTLIER WITH QPF AND SNOW...BANKING ON A STRONG SHORTWAVE PRODUCING GOOD FRONTOGENESIS AT 700 AND 850 RIGHT ACROSS OUR CWA FROM SW TO NE. GFS AND EC...AS WELL AS SREF...DONT CARRY THE STRONG SHORTWAVE AND KEEP THERMAL GRADIENT...AND THEREFORE HIGHER AMOUNTS...SOUTH AND EAST. 18Z NAM COMING IN A BIT FARTHER SOUTH AS WELL. ALL MODELS KEEP THE LAYER SATURATED THROUGH THE DAY...WITH PRECIP MAINLY DRIVEN BY ISENTROPIC LIFT AND DIMINISHES IN THE AFTERNOON WEST...BY 0Z FAR EAST. WITH SUCH A LONG PERIOD ACROSS THE SOUTHEAST COUNTIES...AND LONG PERIOD OF OPPORTUNITY FOR SLEET...COULD GET OVER A QUARTER INCH. WITH SUCH COLD TEMPERATURES AT THE SURFACE...WILL ALSO EXPECT HIGHER SNOW TO LIQUID RATIOS AND SNOW MAY ACCUMULATE OVER AN INCH IN SOME LOCATIONS. WILL THEREFORE GO WITH A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR COUNTIES ALONG AND SOUTH OF I35. THIS SHOWS UP IN THE SNOW GRIDS...SO TOTAL AMOUNTS OF 2 INCHES WOULD INCLUDE UP TO HALF AN INCH OF SLEET POSSIBLE. COULD ALSO GET A BRIEF PERIOD OF FREEZING RAIN LATER IN THE AFTERNOON THURSDAY AS LOWER LEVELS BEGIN TO WARM AND MAY NOT REFREEZE PRECIP BEFORE CONTACTING THE GROUND. WILL ALSO HAVE TO MONITOR SLEET AMOUNTS...SINCE IF NAM VERIFIES SOUTHERNMOST COUNTIES MAY NEED TO UPGRADE TO WARNING IF SLEET ACCUMULATES OVER HALF AN INCH. LONG TERM...AN ACTIVE WINTER PATTERN LOOKS TO CONTINUE OVER THE CENTRAL CONUS THROUGH THE LONG TERM PERIOD. THURSDAY NIGHT-FRIDAY...SHORTWAVE TROUGH CURRENTLY ANALYZED FROM WATER VAPOR IMAGERY / HEIGHT CONTOURS OVER SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA REGION WILL MOVE EAST-SOUTHEAST BEFORE EJECTING INTO THE SOUTH CENTRAL CONUS THURSDAY NIGHT INTO FRIDAY. BEST LARGE SCALE ASCENT WILL BE ACROSS THE SOUTHERN HALF OF THE CWA AND POINTS SOUTHWARD THUR NIGHT / FRIDAY MORNING. NOSE OF BEST H7-H8 LAYER THETA-E ADVECTION COMES INTO FAR SOUTHEAST KANSAS THURSDAY NIGHT. CROSS SECTIONS INDICATE THE STRONGEST LIFT BETWEEN 06-12Z FRIDAY WITH A SATURATED COLUMN. WARM LAYER ALOFT STILL MAY RESULT IN PERIODS OF SLEET OR SLEET MIXED WITH SNOW AT TIMES ACROSS THE SOUTHEAST 1/4 OF THE CWA 00-06Z FRIDAY. SNOW WILL BECOME THE PREDOMINANT PRECIPITATION TYPE AFTER 06Z. NAM APPEARS TO BE AN OUTLIER DURING THIS PERIOD IN REGARDS TO PRECIP...WITH SREF/GFS/WWD SOLUTIONS MUCH LESS GENERATED QPF. OVERALL...SNOW ACCUMULATION AMOUNTS THURSDAY NIGHT INTO FRIDAY MORNING SHOULD BE ON THE LIGHT SIDE...WITH UP TO 1 INCH POSSIBLE IN THE SOUTHERN CWA AND LESSER AMOUNTS TO THE NORTH. SNOW WILL END FROM WEST TO EAST FRIDAY MORNING. SATURDAY...THE ACTIVE WEATHER PATTERN CONTINUES AS THE NEXT SHORTWAVE TROUGH QUICKLY MOVES ACROSS THE REGION SATURDAY AND SATURDAY NIGHT. VERTICAL TEMPERATURE PROFILES ACROSS THE CWA LOOK TO BE JUST COLD ENOUGH FOR ALL SNOW...AND HAVE DICTATED WX WORDING TO REFLECT THIS. SLIGHTLY LESS IMPRESSIVE VERTICAL ASCENT ALONG WITH THE QUICK SPEED OF THE SYSTEM SUGGESTS MINOR/LIGHT SNOW ACCUMULATIONS...WITH THE BEST PROBABILITY ACROSS THE SOUTHWESTERN 1/2 OF THE CWA. SUNDAY-WEDNESDAY...AFTER A SHORT LULL IN THE WEATHER WITH A 24 HOUR PERIOD OF UPPER LEVEL RIDGING...THE RIDGE QUICKLY FLATTENS IN ADVANCE OF THE NEXT PACIFIC SHORTWAVE TROUGH. SLIGHT CHANCES OF SNOW WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH THIS SYSTEM BEHIND A SFC COLD FRONT MONDAY INTO MONDAY NIGHT. ANOTHER SHORTWAVE TROUGH IS PROJECTED TO DIVE SOUTHEAST FROM CANADA INTO THE MID MISSOURI VALLEY BEHIND THE INITIAL UPPER LEVEL SYSTEM ON TUESDAY. THIS DRIVES ANOTHER SHOT OF ARCTIC AIR INTO THE NORTH CENTRAL CONUS TUESDAY INTO WEDNESDAY. COULD SEE SOME LIGHT SNOW WITH THIS SETUP BUT LEFT FORECAST DRY ATTM TO ESTABLISH BETTER MODEL CONSISTENCY WITH TIME. TEMPERATURES WILL BE BELOW NORMAL MID WEEK WITH NORTHWEST FLOW IN PLACE...BEFORE THE PATTERN HINTS AT A SHIFT TO BEGIN THE MONTH OF MARCH. .AVIATION... NE WINDS CONTINUE THROUGH THE PERIOD...AND LOSE GUSTS AFTER TODAY. THINK IT WILL TAKE UNTIL AFTER MIDNIGHT FOR CLOUD MID DECK TO ADVECT BACK NORTH AND FOR MVFR CIGS TO DEVELOP. WILL TAKE A FEW HOURS FOR THE COLUMN TO SATURATE ENOUGH FOR SNOW AT THE TAF SITES...AND WILL CARRY A 2 HR TEMPO THEN PREVAIL WITH -SN BY 6AM. AMOUNTS AT THIS TIME APPEAR LIGHT...HOWEVER STAY TUNED FOR UPDATES AS ANY INCREASE IN INTENSITY OF THE SNOW WILL DROP CONDITIONS TO IFR. && .TOP WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM 3 AM THURSDAY TO MIDNIGHT FRIDAY FOR AREAS ALONG AND SOUTH OF I-35 KSZ054-KSZ055-KSZ056-KSZ058-KSZ059. && 67/BLAIR
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS 351 PM CST WED FEB 20 2008 KSZ008>012-020>024-026-034>040-054>056-058-059-212200- REPUBLIC-WASHINGTON-MARSHALL-NEMAHA-BROWN-CLOUD-CLAY-RILEY- POTTAWATOMIE-JACKSON-JEFFERSON-OTTAWA-DICKINSON-GEARY-MORRIS- WABAUNSEE-SHAWNEE-DOUGLAS-LYON-OSAGE-FRANKLIN-COFFEY-ANDERSON- 351 PM CST WED FEB 20 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EAST CENTRAL...NORTH CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST KANSAS. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT A MIX OF SLEET AND SNOW WILL BEGIN LATE TONIGHT INTO THURSDAY MORNING. SNOW AND SLEET ACCUMULATIONS TONIGHT WILL AVERAGE BELOW A QUARTER OF AN INCH. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY A MIX OF SLEET AND SNOW WILL CONTINUE FROM THE EARLY MORNING HOURS ON THURSDAY THROUGH LATE THURSDAY EVENING. PRECIPITATION IS EXPECTED TO CHANGE TO ALL SNOW BY THURSDAY NIGHT INTO EARLY FRIDAY MORNING. THE GREATEST POTENTIAL FOR SLEET ACCUMULATION WILL BE ACROSS EAST CENTRAL KANSAS...GENERALLY ALONG AND SOUTH OF INTERSTATE 35...WHERE UP TO HALF AN INCH OF SLEET IS POSSIBLE. TOTAL SNOWFALL ACCUMULATIONS BY FRIDAY MORNING WILL RANGE FROM ONE HALF AN INCH IN NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS TO NEARLY 3 INCHES IN FAR EAST CENTRAL KANSAS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SNOWFALL AND SLEET AMOUNTS TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TOPEKA. BLAIR
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
2 sleet, 2 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.
A storm spotter reported that between one and two inches of sleet accumulated in LeRoy. La enforcement officals reported one quarter to one half of an inch of sleet accumulated in Burlington.
One half of an inch of sleet accumulated one mile south of Greely.
The University of Kansas, Lawrence campus was closed as a result of adverse winter weather conditions for the second time during the 2007-2008 winter season. Approximately one quarter of an inch of sleet fell before noon. The next two hours saw approximately half of an inch of snow accumulation.
A mix of rain, sleet, and snow fell for a short period of time during the late morning and early afternoon of the 21st. Seven tenths of an inch of frozen precipitation, the mix of sleet and snow, was measured at the NWS-Topeka office. Minor vehicle accidents were reported across the county. Only one injury was reported near Topeka High school when a vehicle failed to stop and slid through a cross walk as a result of slick road conditions. The vehicle struck a pedestrian attempting to cross the road.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Kansas in 2008Every state in 2008This day in weather historyWarnings in Kansas, February 2008
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: 84250, 84251, 84882, 84874.