A late season snowfall event brought two to six inches of snow to portions of north central and northeast Kansas the morning of April 2nd, with snowfall accumulations generally north of Interstate 70, north of a line from Ottawa to Brown Counties. Strong, deep frontogenetic forcing brought sufficient lift to the region to help produce these substantive amounts, despite the low-level moisture in…
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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 late season snowfall event brought two to six inches of snow to portions of north central and northeast Kansas the morning of April 2nd, with snowfall accumulations generally north of Interstate 70, north of a line from Ottawa to Brown Counties. Strong, deep frontogenetic forcing brought sufficient lift to the region to help produce these substantive amounts, despite the low-level moisture in place across the region. Surface temperatures were notably in the upper 30s to lower 40s through the duration of the event, but the intensity of the snowfall because of the enhanced lift allowed for relatively deep accumulations. Vehicle accidents occurred across the region on both primary and secondary roadways, but no deaths or injuries were reported.
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 Apr 2, 3:05 AM CST, 1 hour 10 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS 405 AM CDT THU APR 2 2009 .DISCUSSION... THE 7Z WATER VAPOR SATELLITE IMAGERY ALONG WITH THE 00Z UPPER AIR MAPS SHOWED AN UPPER LEVEL LOW MOVING EAST AND SOUTHEAST ACROSS THE TX PNHDL. AN INTENSE UPPER LOW WAS LIFTING NORTHWARD ACROSS NORTHERN LAKE SUPERIOR INTO ONTARIO...CANADA. ANOTHER UPPER LEVEL TROUGH WAS DIGGING SOUTHEAST ACROSS THE NORTHEAST PACIFIC OCEAN TOWARDS THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST. THE 6 TO 9 HR FCST OF THE 00Z NAM SHOWS A BAND OF 850MB TO 700MB FRONTOGENESIS ACROSS THE NORTH CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST COUNTIES OF THE CWA. THE 0748Z RADAR RETURNS SHOW A BAND OF ENHANCE PRECIPITATION JUST NORTH OF THE BAND OF MAXIMUM LOW-LEVEL FRONTOGENESIS. MUCH DRIER AIR ACROSS SOUTH CENTRAL NE HAS BEEN ADVECTING SOUTHWARD INTO THE NORTHWEST AND NORTH CENTRAL COUNTIES OF THE CWA. AS THIS BAND OF PRECIP LIFTS NORTH INTO THE LOW-LEVEL DRY AIR...WITH DEWPOINTS IN THE LOWER 20S...WET BULB COOLING OF THE LOWEST LEVELS OF THE ATMOSPHERE WILL CAUSE THE LIGHT RAIN TO SWITCH OVER TO LIGHT SNOW. CNK HAS SWITCHED OVER TO SNOW AND VISIBILITIES HAVE DROPPED UNDER 2 MILES. A BAND OF LIGHT TO AT TIMES MODERATE SNOW MAY DEVELOP ACROSS THE NORTHERN COUNTIES OF THE CWA THIS MORNING. TEMPERATURES MAY DROP TO AROUND FREEZING...THUS THE SNOW WILL PROBABLY MELT ON THE WARMER ROAD SURFACES. HOWEVER...ELEVATED ROADWAYS AND BRIDGES MAY BECOME SLICK FROM 10Z THROUGH 14Z. THERE COULD BE AN INCH OR TWO OF SNOW ACCUMULATING ON GRASSY SURFACES ALONG AND NORTH OF A DELPHOS TO HOLTON LINE. ACROSS THE REMAINDER OF THE CWA AREAS OF LIGHT RAIN WILL MOVE NORTHEAST ACROSS THE AREA THROUGH THE MORNING HOURS SOUTHERLY 850MB WINDS BRING RESIDUAL MOISTURE NORTHWARD OVER THE COOLER AIRMASS AT THE SURFACE. THE ISENTROPIC LIFT AND THE LARGER SCALE ASCENT WITHIN THE DEFORMATION ZONE ON THE NORTH SIDE OF THE UPPER LOW WILL GRADUALLY SHIFT EAST ACROSS THE CWA THROUGH THE MORNING HOURS. I CANNOT RULE OUT SOME SNOW MIXING IN THE RAIN ACROSS EAST CENTRAL KS...GENERALLY NORTH OF I-70 BETWEEN 12Z AND 15Z. BY NOON THE UPPER LOW WILL HAVE MOVED EAST IN TO AR CAUSING THE BETTER LOW AND MID LEVEL FRONTOGENESIS TO DEVELOP SOUTHEAST OF THE CWA. SURFACE TEMPERATURES WILL PROBABLY BE TOO WARM FOR THE PRECIP TO MIX WITH SNOW SOUTH AND EAST OF THE KS TURNPIKE. THE RAIN AND SNOW WILL END FROM NORTHWEST TO SOUTHEAST ACROSS THE CWA THROUGH THE MID MORNING AND AFTERNOON HOURS. THE RAIN SHOULD MOVE OUT OF THE SOUTHEAST COUNTIES AFTER 21Z. SKIES WILL BE CLOUDY THIS MORNING WITH SOME CLEARING LATE IN THE AFTERNOON POSSIBLE ACROSS THE WESTERN COUNTIES. THE CLOUD COVER AND PRECIPITATION WILL KEEP HIGHS COOL THROUGH THE DAY. HIGH TEMPERATURES WILL REMAIN NEARLY STEADY ACROSS EAST CENTRAL KS IN THE UPPER 40S. TEMPERATURES MAY WARM SLIGHTLY THIS AFTERNOON INTO THE MID 40S ACROSS THE NORTHEAST AND NORTH CENTRAL COUNTIES. TONIGHT...SKIES WILL CLEAR AND WITH A COOLER AND DRIER AIRMASS IN PLACE...OVERNIGHT LOWS WILL DROP BELOW FREEZING ACROSS MUCH OF THE CWA. MOST AREAS WILL DROP INTO THE UPPER 20S TO AROUND 30 DEGREES. AN INTENSE 5H TROUGH WILL DIG SOUTHEAST ACROSS THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST. FRIDAY AND FRIDAY NIGHT...THE 5H TROUGH ACROSS THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST WILL DIG SOUTHEAST INTO THE FOUR CORNERS REGION. A LEE CYCLONE WILL DEVELOP SATURDAY NIGHT ACROSS EASTERN CO. STRONG SOUTHERLY LOW-LEVEL FLOW ACROSS THE SOUTHERN AND CENTRAL PLAINS WILL TRY TO ADVECT SOME RESIDUAL GULF MOISTURE NORTHWARD. THE WESTERN GULF OF MEXICO WILL BE SLOW TO RECOVER AND THERE WILL PROBABLY BE INSUFFICIENT MOISTURE RETURN FRIDAY NIGHT FOR ANY SHOWERS OR THUNDERSTORMS TO DEVELOP. HIGHS FRIDAY WILL WARM INTO THE UPPER 50S TO LOWER 60S. SATURDAY THROUGH SUNDAY...THE 5H TROUGH ACROSS THE FOUR CORNERS REGION WILL LIFT NORTHEAST INTO WESTERN KS ON SATURDAY. MOST OF THE CWA WILL BE IN THE WARM SECTOR. THERE MAY BE ENOUGH RESIDUAL MOISTURE RETURN FOR ISOLATED TO SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS TO DEVELOP ALONG THE PACIFIC FRONT/DRYLINE LATE SATURDAY AFTERNOON. AS THE PACIFIC FRONT MOVES EAST ACROSS THE CWA ALONG WITH STRONG LARGE SCALE ASCENT AHEAD OF THE 5H TROUGH...A LINE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP ACROSS THE CENTRAL COUNTIES OF THE CWA SATURDAY EVENING AND MOVE ACROSS THE CWA. ONCE AGAIN GULF MOISTURE WILL BE LIMITED AND THE ONLY HAZARD I CAN SEE FROM ANY LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS WOULD BE 50 TO 60 MPH WIND GUSTS AND SMALL HAIL. HIGHS ACROSS MUCH OF THE CWA SATURDAY AFTERNOON WILL REACH THE UPPER 60S TO LOWER 70S. SOUTHERLY WINDS MAY INCREASE TO 25 TO 35 MPH WITH GUSTS OF 45 MPH POSSIBLE. A WIND ADVISORY MAY BE NEEDED FROM 15Z THROUGH 23Z SATURDAY. THE PACIFIC FRONT WILL MOVE EAST OF THE CWA AFTER MIDNIGHT AND WE MAY SEE A BREAK IN THE PRECIPITATION UNTIL SUNRISE AS DRY MID LEVEL AIR ADVECTS NORTHEAST ACROSS MOST OF THE CWA AFTER MIDNIGHT SUNDAY. AS THE 5H LOW MOVES NORTHEAST ACROSS SOUTHEAST NE WE MAY SEE ENOUGH WRAP AROUND MOISTURE IN THE TROWAL REGION ON THE WESTERN SIDE OF THE UPPER LOW FOR SNOW TO DEVELOP ACROSS THE NORTH CENTRAL COUNTIES. THE BAND OF SNOW WILL MOVE NORTHEAST ACROSS THE NORTHEAST COUNTIES DURING THE MID MORNING HOURS OF SUNDAY. THE RAIN MAY MIX WITH SNOW ACROSS PORTIONS OF EAST CENTRAL KS BETWEEN 12Z AND 16Z SUNDAY. IT IS TOO EARLY TO SAY HOW MUCH SNOW MAY ACCUMULATE ACROSS THE NORTHEAST COUNTIES...BUT BOTH THE ECM AND NAM SHOW THE HEAVIEST SNOW POTENTIAL FARTHER NORTH ACROSS EASTERN NE. NORTH WINDS AND LOW-LEVEL CAA WILL KEEP TEMPERATURES COOL ON SUNDAY WITH HIGHS ONLY REACHING THE LOWER TO MID 40S. SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY...THE 5H TROUGH WILL AMPLIFY ACROSS THE EASTERN CONUS AND WILL KEEP EASTERN KS UNDER NORTHWEST FLOW ALOFT. EXPECT COOL AND DRY CONDITIONS THROUGH TUESDAY WITH HIGHS IN THE MID 40S TO LOWER 50S. OVERNIGHT LOWS MAY DROP BELOW FREEZING SUNDAY AND MONDAY NIGHT. AN UPPER RIDGE WILL SLOWLY MOVE EAST INTO THE HIGH PLAINS BY LATE WEDNESDAY...WHICH COULD HELP HIGHS TO WARM INTO THE UPPER 50S AND LOWER 60S. GARGAN && .AVIATION... SFC FRONT IS BEGINNING TO PUSH BACK SOUTH AGAIN WITH BACKING LOW LEVEL FLOW AS LATEST WATER VAPOR IMAGERY SHOWING SHORTWAVE TROUGH OVER NORTHEAST NM MOVING EASTWARD OVERNIGHT. MID LEVEL FRONTOGENESIS INCREASING AS EVIDENCED BY INCREASING RETURNS ON RADAR AS MID LEVELS SATURATE NEAR AND JUST NORTH OF THE TAF SITES. HAVE DELAYED INTRODUCTION OF LOWERED CIGS IN LIGHT RAIN IN THE TAFS WITH A SLOWER SATURATION TAKING PLACE IN THE LOW LEVELS THAN ORIGINALLY EXPECTED. THE DEEPEST LARGE SCALE ASCENT THEN DEVELOPS ACROSS THE TAF SITES IN THE 09Z-12Z TIMEFRAME AS THE SFC AND 850 FRONTS AND CAA MAKE A STRONGER PUSH SOUTHWARD. WILL LOWER CIGS TO MVFR IN RAIN AND SNOW AT KMHK AND IN RAIN AT KFOE/KTOP AS WINDS BACK TO THE NORTH AND INCREASE AS SFC LOW PASSES SOUTH ACROSS OK INTO FAR WESTERN AR THROUGH MIDDAY THURSDAY. THIS SHOULD KEEP A RAIN/SNOW MIX POSSIBLE IN MUCH OF THE MORNING WITH LOWER CIGS THEN A RAPID END TO PRECIP BY 15Z AT KMHK AND BY 17Z AT KTOP/KFOE WITH IMPROVING CEILINGS TO VFR WEST TO EAST IN THE 18-22Z TIMEFRAME AS MUCH DRIER AIR WITHIN SUBSIDENCE REGION OVERSPREADS THE AREA AS THE SYSTEM PULLS AWAY. WEAKENING GRADIENT AS THE AFTERNOON PROGRESSES WILL ALSO WARRANT A DECREASE IN SPEEDS BEYOND MID AFTERNOON AS WELL. BY 00Z/THU...EXPECT WINDS AT ALL SITES WILL BE UNDER 10 KTS FROM THE NORTH/NORTHWEST WITH MOSTLY CLEAR SKIES. 63 && .TOP WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS 415 AM CDT THU APR 2 2009 KSZ008>012-020>024-026-034>040-054>056-058-059-030915- REPUBLIC-WASHINGTON-MARSHALL-NEMAHA-BROWN-CLOUD-CLAY-RILEY- POTTAWATOMIE-JACKSON-JEFFERSON-OTTAWA-DICKINSON-GEARY-MORRIS- WABAUNSEE-SHAWNEE-DOUGLAS-LYON-OSAGE-FRANKLIN-COFFEY-ANDERSON- 415 AM CDT THU APR 2 2009 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EAST CENTRAL...NORTH CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST KANSAS. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT LIGHT TO AT TIMES MODERATE SNOW WILL CONTINUE ACROSS PORTIONS OF NORTH CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST KANSAS THROUGH THE MORNING HOURS. THE SNOW MAY ACCUMULATE 1 TO 2 INCHES ON GRASSY SURFACES...AND POSSIBLY CAUSE SLICK SPOTS ON AREA ROADWAYS...GENERALLY ALONG AND NORTH OF A DELPHOS...TO HOLTON LINE. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY THERE IS A CHANCE FOR THUNDERSTORMS SATURDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING ACROSS MUCH OF THE AREA. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SNOWFALL AMOUNTS TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TOPEKA.
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
449 AM CDT THU APR 02 2009
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0448 AM SNOW MARYSVILLE 39.84N 96.65W
04/02/2009 E1.0 INCH MARSHALL KS COUNTY OFFICIAL
ONE INCH OF SNOWFALL HAS ACCUMULATED ON GRASSY SURFACES.
DISPATCH REPORTS THAT ROADWAYS ARE STILL JUST WET.
SNOWFALL IS NOT ACCUMULATING ON ROADWAYS YET.
&&
CAVANAUGHPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
515 AM CDT THU APR 02 2009
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0512 AM SNOW MARYSVILLE 39.84N 96.65W
04/02/2009 E2.0 INCH MARSHALL KS COUNTY OFFICIAL
HEAVIEST ACCUMULATION ON GRASSY SURFACES...BUT SNOW IS
NOW STARTING TO COLLECT ON ROADS AND SOME ROADWAYS ARE
GETTING SLICK.
&&
CAVANAUGHThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
8 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.
Two to five inches of snow fell county wide, with greatest accumulations noted in the northern half of the county.
Two to five inches of snow was reported to have fallen by trained storm spotters and cooperative observers. Accumulated snow led to slick conditions on county roadways, and several vehicle slide-offs.
One to four inches of snow was reported to have fallen across the northern half of Clay County. Several slide-offs were reported on primary and secondary roadways.
Two to four inches of snow was reported across the southern half of the county.
Rainfall transitioned to all snow during the late morning hours. The northern half of the county received two to five inches of snow. Roadways were snow covered and slick, leading to several slide-offs on primary and secondary roadways.
Trained storm spotters reported two to five inches of snow accumulation across the county.
Up to six inches of snow was reported to have fallen across the county.
Trained storm spotters reported two to five inch snowfall accumulations across much of the county. Law enforcement reported snowpacked roadways county wide, and a handful of slide-offs and accidents throughout the county. No injuries or deaths were noted.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Kansas in 2009Every state in 2009This day in weather historyWarnings in Kansas, April 2009
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: 168283, 168285, 168286, 168290, 168292, 168302, 168312, 168310.