A fast moving clipper, brought heavy snow to Schuyler county, during the late evening hours February 20th, into the early morning hours of Februay 21st, 2009.
Every event with a place to put it; 1 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 EAX wrote it up.
A fast moving clipper, brought heavy snow to Schuyler county, during the late evening hours February 20th, into the early morning hours of Februay 21st, 2009.
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 Kansas City, MO wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Feb 20, 5:19 PM CST, 3 hours 41 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE KANSAS CITY/PLEASANT HILL MO 519 PM CST FRI FEB 20 2009 ...UPDATED AVIATION DISCUSSION... .DISCUSSION... SFC CYCLOGENESIS IS RAPIDLY TAKING PLACE ACROSS THE WESTERN PLAINS THIS AFTN...AS POTENT MID-LVL TROUGH DIVES INTO THE DAKOTAS. AS A RESULT...A SFC WARM FRONT HAS CONTINUED TO LIFT NWRD THIS AFTN WITH PERSISTENT OVERRUNNING CIRRUS HOLDING THE BOUNDARY BACK FROM SURGING EXCESSIVELY NORTHWARD. THIS BOUNDARY WILL CONTINUE TO LIFT NORTHWARD LATE THIS AFTN AS THE DEVELOPING SFC LOW BEGINS TO PUSH EWD. SHOULD THE BREAK OF CIRRUS ARRIVE IN THE NEXT 1-2 HOURS...RISING TEMPS WILL LIKELY EXPAND PAST THEIR NORMAL DIURNAL MAX TIME OF 4 PM. FOR THIS EVE AND OVERNIGHT...UPR LVL SYSTEM WILL CONTINUE TO ROTATE THROUGH THE NORTHERN PLAINS TOWARDS THE GREAT LAKES. STRONG SFC COLD FRONT ALREADY EVIDENT IN VISIBLE IMAGE AND OBS ACROSS NORTHERN NEBRASKA WILL CONTINUE PLUNGING TOWARDS THE CWA. EXPECTING THIS FRONT TO REACH NW MO BY 00Z WITH THE FRONT REACHING I-70 AROUND 03Z. INDICATION OF WEAK TO MODERATE 850:700 MB FRONTOGENETICAL FORCING AND SUFFICIENT MID-LVL MOISTURE MAY BE ENOUGH TO CREATE LIGHT BANDS OF PRECIP IN THE POST FRONTAL REGIME. BEST INDICATIONS OF THIS HAPPENING WOULD RUN CONCURRENT WITH BEST UPR-LVL SUPPORT FOCUSED FURTHER NE IN EASTERN IA AND NERN MO. NEVERTHELESS...ACCUMS IF THEY OCCUR WOULD BE LIGHT AT BEST. ELSEWHERE...WILL CONT WITH SLIGHT CHC POPS PRIMARILY FOR 1-3 HRS OF SPRINKLES/FLURRIES AS POST FRONTAL STRATUS BAND QUICKLY MOVES SE. ALL OF THE PRECIP SHOULD BE OUT OF THE CWA BY 09Z. THE BIGGEST IMPACT BEHIND THIS FRONT WILL BE GUSTY NW WINDS AND MUCH COOLER TEMPERATURES EXPECTED ON SAT. MIXING WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE ENTIRE NIGHT...WITH A FAIRLY TIGHT SFC PRESSURE GRADIENT KEEPING WINDS 15 TO 25 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 35 MPH AT TIMES. LITTLE IN THE WAY OF RELIEF CAN BE EXPECTED DURING THE DAY ON SAT AS 925:850 WINDS REMAIN AOA 35 KNOTS THROUGH THE AFTN. TEMPS WILL FALL BLO NORMAL FOR SAT AS COLDEST POCKET OF AIR ALOFT ROTATES IN FROM THE NORTH. SUNSHINE WILL HELP BALANCE OUT THE COLD AIR SOMEWHAT...HOWEVER SHOULD DECENT COLD AIR CU FIELD DEVELOP READINGS MAY BE COOLER THAN INDICATED. A GRADUAL AND SLOW WARMUP WILL BEGIN BY SUNDAY HOWEVER WITHOUT ANY STRONG SIGNAL OF LOW LVL WAA...COOL SFC HIGH WILL STRUGGLE TO SHIFT EASTWARD. THUS...WITH A E-NE LIGHT SFC FLOW LIKELY WITH LIMITED MIXING...HAVE LOWERED HIGH TEMPS A CATEGORY. DUX MEDIUM RANGE (MONDAY-FRIDAY) THE WEEK WILL START OFF WARM AND DRY HOWEVER BY TUESDAY NIGHT A MORE UNSETTLED WEATHER PATTERN SETS IN WITH CHANCES OF RAIN THROUGH FRIDAY. HIGH PRESSURE WILL CONTINUE TO SHIFT OFF TO THE EAST INTO TUESDAY MORNING. THIS WILL ALLOW FOR SOUTHERLY RETURN FLOW TO WARM TEMPERATURES WELL ABOVE SEASONAL NORMALS MONDAY AND TUESDAY. THE ONLY PROBLEM MAYBE WITH CLOUDS MOVING IN ON TUESDAY THAT MAY HOLD TEMPERATURES DOWN SOME. DEWPOINTS WILL BE SLOW TO RISE KEEPING AIR DRIER AND EASIER TO WARM. AS A RESULT HAVE GONE HIGHER THAN ECMWF AND GFS TEMPERATURE GUIDANCE. THE FIRST CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION WILL COME TUESDAY NIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY AS MODEL TRENDS HAVE A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM MOVING PAST THE CWA WELL TO THE NORTH. ECMWF EXHIBITS BEST CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION FOR THE AREA AS IT MOVES LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM SLOWER AND DEEPENS THE SYSTEM MORE THAN THE GFS. FEEL ECMWF MODEL HAS BEEN MORE CONSISTENT THROUGH THIS PERIOD AND HAS GENERAL AGREEMENT WITH UKMET. AS SUCH HAVE INCREASED PRECIPITATION CHANCES FOR PERIOD. FEEL THAT ECMWF IS STILL OVERDOING PRECIPITATION COVERAGE AND HAVE ONLY GONE WITH A SLIGHT CHANCE. IT APPEARS A BETTER CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION WILL AFFECT THE AREA WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY. A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL LIKELY TRACK OVER KANSAS AND THROUGH THE SOUTHERN PART OF THE CWA. THIS WOULD CAUSE A GOOD CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION AS PREVIOUS DAYS SOUTHERLY FLOW WILL HAVE INCREASED MOISTURE. EXACT CHANCES ARE SOMEWHAT HARD TO DETERMINE AT THIS TIME AS ECMWF MOVES SYSTEM MUCH SLOWER THAN THE GFS. AS SUCH HAVE INCREASED CHANCES WEDNESDAY NIGHT INTO THURSDAY OF RAIN. ALSO AS SYSTEM PULLS OUT SOME LIGHT SNOW MAY BE POSSIBLE IN THE NORTHERN PART OF THE CWA HOWEVER AMOUNTS SHOULD BE LIGHT. SYSTEM WILL PULL TO THE EAST ON FRIDAY WITH HIGH PRESSURE REPLACING IT. TEMPERATURES SHOULD RETURN TO NEAR NORMAL. DNB && .AVIATION... STRONG COLD FRONT AHEAD OF AN UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE WILL RACE THROUGH THE TERMINALS BTWN 02Z-04Z. STG NW WINDS WILL FOLLOW THE PASSAGE OF THE FRONT...WITH EVEN STRONGER WINDS TO OCCUR...BEGINNING A COUPLE OF HOURS AFTER FROPA. WINDS MAY GUSTS TO OVER 30 KNOTS. THE WINDS WILL SLOWLY DIMINISH LATE TONIGHT AND SATURDAY. OTHERWISE...A VFR CLOUD DECK WILL FOLLOW THE PASSAGE OF THE FRONT WITH A WINDOW OF MVFR CIGS PSBL LATE TONIGHT. ALTHOUGH MODEL GRIDS DO NOT SUGGEST MVFR CIGS...CURRENT OBS IN NEBRASKA SUPPORT A LEAST A MENTION IN THE TAFS. IN ADDITION...CANNOT RULE OUT A FEW FLAKES OF SNOW LATE THIS EVENING. MVFR VSBYS IN THE SNOW AT WORST. DB && .EAX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... MO...NONE. KS...NONE.
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE KANSAS CITY/PLEASANT HILL MO 1255 PM CST FRI FEB 20 2009 KSZ025-057-060-102>105-MOZ001>008-011>017-020>025-028>033-037>040- 043>046-053-054-211900- ATCHISON KS-MIAMI-LINN KS-DONIPHAN-LEAVENWORTH-WYANDOTTE- JOHNSON KS-ATCHISON MO-NODAWAY-WORTH-GENTRY-HARRISON-MERCER- PUTNAM-SCHUYLER-HOLT-ANDREW-DE KALB-DAVIESS-GRUNDY-SULLIVAN-ADAIR- BUCHANAN-CLINTON-CALDWELL-LIVINGSTON-LINN MO-MACON-PLATTE-CLAY- RAY-CARROLL-CHARITON-RANDOLPH-JACKSON-LAFAYETTE-SALINE-HOWARD- CASS-JOHNSON MO-PETTIS-COOPER-BATES-HENRY- 1255 PM CST FRI FEB 20 2009 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHWEST...NORTH CENTRAL AND WEST CENTRAL MISSOURI...AS WELL AS EXTREME EASTERN KANSAS. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT A STRONG COLD FRONT WILL SURGE SOUTHEAST THROUGH THE AREA THIS EVENING. BEHIND THIS FRONT...THERE MAY BE ENOUGH MOISTURE ALOFT TO PRODUCE A FEW LIGHT BANDS OF PRECIPITATION MAINLY IN THE FORM OF LIGHT SNOW. THE BEST CHANCE FOR ANY MEASURABLE PRECIPITATION WILL REMAIN IN AREAS NORTH AND EAST OF A LINE FROM ST. JOSEPH TO BOONVILLE. IF PRECIP IS ABLE TO DEVELOP...A DUSTING TO AS MUCH AS A HALF INCH OF SNOW MAY BE POSSIBLE IN NORTHEASTERN PORTIONS OF THE OUTLOOK AREA. SUSTAINED NORTH TO NORTHWEST WINDS BETWEEN 15 AND 25 MPH WITH GUSTS AS HIGH AS 35 MPH WILL DEVELOP BEHIND THIS FRONT. THESE WINDS MAY BE PROBLEMATIC FOR THOSE TRAVELING ON EAST TO WEST ROADWAYS AS WELL AS THOSE DRIVING HIGH PROFILE VEHICLES. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY GUSTY WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO CONTINUE THROUGH MUCH OF THE DAYTIME HOURS OF SATURDAY...BEFORE SUBSIDING NEAR SUNSET. THESE WINDS MAY BE PROBLEMATIC FOR THOSE TRAVELING ON EAST TO WEST ROADWAYS AS WELL AS THOSE DRIVING HIGH PROFILE VEHICLES. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED. DUX
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
Law enforcement measured 6.7 inches of snow in Lancaster.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Missouri in 2009Every state in 2009This day in weather historyWarnings in Missouri, February 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: 154396.