A significant storm system moved across Oklahoma on February 7th and 8th, 2010. An abundant area of moisture streamed to the north of this storm system into portions of Southern Kansas.
Every event with a place to put it; 5 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 significant storm system moved across Oklahoma on February 7th and 8th, 2010. An abundant area of moisture streamed to the north of this storm system into portions of Southern Kansas. This moisture set up a narrow band of intense snowfall over portions of South Central Kansas from Kingman, Kansas to Wichita, Kansas to El Dorado, Kansas to north of Eureka, Kansas. This band of snow led to snowfall amounts of 3 to 6 inches. The heavy wet snow led to trees sagging under the weight of the snow.
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 Feb 6, 3:19 PM CST, 1 hour 2 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS 319 PM CST SAT FEB 6 2010 .DISCUSSION... THE MAIN CONCERN WITH THIS FORECAST PACKAGE WILL BE THE HEAVY SNOWFALL POTENTIAL SUNDAY NIGHT AND MONDAY. TONIGHT: SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE WILL CONTINUE TO SLIDE EAST TONIGHT AND ALLOW FOR SOUTHEAST FLOW TO KICK IN ESPECIALLY IN AREAS MAINLY WEST OF HIGHWAY 14. THIS WILL YIELD TO UPSLOPE FLOW AND CAUSE CEILINGS TO DROP THIS EVENING AND OVERNIGHT. THIS MAY ALSO RESULT IN SOME LIGHT FREEZING DRIZZLE IN CENTRAL KANSAS TOWARDS DAYBREAK. HOWEVER...WE HAVE VERY LOW CONFIDENCE THAT IT WILL CAUSE ANY TRAVEL PROBLEMS. SUNDAY: LATEST WATER VAPOR LOOP/PROFILERS WERE SHOWING QUITE A BIT OF JET ENERGY (120KT) MOVING THROUGH NORTHERN MEXICO AHEAD OF THE DIGGING TROF IN CALIFORNIA. THIS JET ENERGY IS EXPECTED WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE INTO THE PLAINS SUNDAY MORNING AND CAUSE THE ISENTROPIC LIFT TO INCREASE BETWEEN 290-295K. THIS WILL MOST LIKELY CAUSE SATURATION JUST ABOVE THE IFR STRATUS LAYER IN THE MORNING. THIS MAY YIELD TO SOME FREEZING DRIZZLE IN THE MORNING MAINLY WEST OF I-35/I-135...BUT IT WILL MOST LIKELY BE SHORTLIVED AS THINGS BEGIN TO SATURATE IN THE CLOUD ICE LAYER. WE DID NOT PUT ANY HEADLINES FOR THE MORNING PERIOD...BUT THAT MAY BE SOMETHING LATER SHIFTS MAY NEED TO CONSIDER IF THE FREEZING DRIZZLE PERSIST. DURING THE REMAINDER OF THE DAY SNOWFALL WILL CONTINUE TO INCREASE IN COVERAGE MAINLY ACROSS SOUTHERN KANSAS WHERE THE MID LEVEL FRONTOGENESIS (700-600MB) WILL GRADUALLY INCREASE AHEAD OF THE APPROACHING WAVE IN THE SOUTHWEST. AFTER COLLABORATING WITH SEVERAL SURROUNDING FO'S AND CO-WORKERS WE DECIDED TO GO AHEAD AND ISSUE THE WINTER STORM WARNING CLOSEST TO THE ZONE OF MID LEVEL FRONTOGENESIS SINCE THE SNOW WILL MOST LIKELY START ACCUMULATING BY EVENING. SUNDAY NIGHT-MONDAY: THE MODELS ARE IN FAIRLY GOOD AGREEMENT IN SHOWING THAT ZONE OF MID LEVEL FRONTOGENESIS SITTING OVER SOUTH CENTRAL KANSAS DURING THE NIGHT. HOWEVER...THE MAIN QUESTION IS HOW FAR SOUTH THAT POLAR VORTEX WILL SHIFT SOUTH. LATEST MODEL TRENDS HAVE BEEN GRADUALLY SHIFTING THIS POLAR VORTEX SOUTH WITH TIME. IF THIS POLAR VORTEX MOVES IN A LITTLE FASTER THAN THE APPROACHING WAVE IN THE SOUTHWEST IT MAY CAUSE THE DRIER AIR TO FILTER INTO CENTRAL KANSAS SUNDAY NIGHT. AS A RESULT...THIS WILL REALLY CUT DOWN SNOW AMOUNTS IN THAT REGION. WE DECIDED TO ONLY MENTION AN ADVISORY AT THIS POINT. FURTHER SOUTH THE HEAVY SNOWFALL POTENTIAL INCREASES DRAMATICALLY ESPECIALLY WITHIN THE FRONTOGENESIS REGION. THE MODELS HAVE BEEN TRENDING AND PUSHING THIS FRONTOGENESIS ZONE SOUTH. WE HAVE FOCUSED OUR WARNING FOR THAT FRONTOGENESIS ZONE...BUT WE ALSO HAVE ALLOWED FOR SOME WIGGLE ROOM BY CONTINUING THE WINTER STORM WATCH FOR SOUTHEAST KANSAS. TOTAL SNOWFALL AMOUNTS COULD RANGE FROM 6 TO 10 INCHES WITHIN THE HEAVIER FRONTOGENISIS BAND OF SNOW WITH 2 TO 5 INCHES SURROUNDING THAT BAND. ANOTHER FLY IN THE OINTMENT IN SOUTHEAST KANSAS IS SURFACE TEMPERATURES. THESE TEMPERATURES MAY BE AT OR ABOVE FREEZING THROUGH MUCH OF THE EVENT WHICH MAY ALSO LIMIT SNOWFALL ACCUMULATIONS...UNLESS THEY SEE THE FRONTOGENISIS BAND. THE MODELS ARE PROGGING THIS BAND OF SNOW TO GRADUALLY SHIFT SOUTHEAST OF THE AREA BY MONDAY NIGHT FOLLOWED BY MUCH COLDER AND DRIER AIR. TUESDAY-SATURDAY: THE MODELS ARE STILL SHOWING ANOTHER WEAK UPPER LEVEL WAVE MOVING INTO THE PLAINS ON THURSDAY. WE HAVE KEPT A CHANCE OF SNOW THURSDAY AND THURSDAY NIGHT. OTHERWISE...TEMPERATURES WILL CONTINUE TO BE UNSEASONABLY COLD THROUGH MUCH OF THE WEEK DUE TO THE POTENTIAL SNOWPACK AND SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE KEEPING ITS GRIP OVER THE AREA. COX && .AVIATION...18Z TAFS KRSL/KSLN/KHUT/KICT/KCNU CURRENTLY A SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE HAS SET UP OVER THE FORECAST AREA...CREATING LOW CIGS OF IFR CONDITIONS FOR ALL SITES EXCEPT RSL AND CNU WHO ARE MVFR. THROUGHOUT THE DAY TODAY EXPECT IFR CIGS TO LIFT SLOWLY AND HAVE ALL SITES IN MVFR STATUS WITH VARIABLE WINDS. OVERNIGHT...EXPECT A STRATUS BUILD DOWN AND CIGS DROPPING BACK TO IFR CONDITIONS AND STAYING THEIR FOR THE REST OF THE TAF PERIOD. WITH THE UPSLOPE FLOW IN THE EARLY MORNING HOURS BELIEVE THAT RSL AND SLN WILL GO INTO LIFR CONDITIONS. ANOTHER LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL SLOWLY MAKE ITS WAY TO THE AREA BRINGING -SN AROUND SUNDAY AFTERNOON. DUNTEN .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... WICHITA-KICT 29 36 29 29 / 10 80 100 100 HUTCHINSON 29 34 26 26 / 10 60 100 90 NEWTON 29 35 27 27 / 10 60 100 90 ELDORADO 29 36 29 29 / 10 70 100 100 WINFIELD-KWLD 30 38 31 31 / 10 80 100 100 RUSSELL 27 33 23 23 / 20 50 80 60 GREAT BEND 27 33 23 24 / 20 60 90 70 SALINA 28 35 25 24 / 10 50 90 80 MCPHERSON 28 35 25 26 / 10 60 100 90 COFFEYVILLE 30 40 32 32 / 10 60 100 100 CHANUTE 29 38 32 32 / 10 50 100 100 IOLA 29 37 31 32 / 10 50 100 100 PARSONS-KPPF 30 39 32 32 / 10 50 100 100 && .ICT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WINTER STORM WATCH FROM SUNDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH MONDAY EVENING FOR KSZ071-072-093>096-098>100. WINTER STORM WARNING FROM NOON SUNDAY TO 6 PM CST MONDAY FOR KSZ050>053-067>070-082-083-091-092. WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM NOON SUNDAY TO 6 PM CST MONDAY FOR KSZ032-033-047>050. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS 426 AM CST SAT FEB 6 2010 KSZ032-033-047>053-067>072-082-083-091>096-098>100-071030- 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- 426 AM CST SAT FEB 6 2010 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL KANSAS... SOUTH CENTRAL KANSAS AND SOUTHEAST KANSAS. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT THERE IS A SLIGHT CHANCE OF FREEZING DRIZZLE OR LIGHT SNOW AFTER MIDNIGHT FOR AREAS OF CENTRAL AND SOUTH CENTRAL KANSAS...TO THE WEST OF HIGHWAY 14. LITTLE IF ANY SNOW AND ICE ACCUMULATION IS EXPECTED. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY THERE IS A CHANCE OF FREEZING DRIZZLE OR LIGHT SNOW ACROSS MUCH OF THE AREA ON SUNDAY MORNING. HOWEVER LITTLE IF ANY SNOW AND ICE ACCUMULATION IS EXPECTED. SIGNIFICANT WINTER WEATHER COULD IMPACT THE AREA...BEGINNING SUNDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING...AND CONTINUING UNTIL MONDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING. THE MAIN RISK WILL BE HEAVY SNOWFALL. PLEASE REFER TO THE WINTER STORM WATCH FOR MORE DETAILS. MUCH COLDER AIR WILL AFFECT THE AREA ON MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT. THIS WILL RESULT IN SUB-ZERO WIND CHILLS ACROSS THE ENTIRE AREA ON MONDAY NIGHT AND TUESDAY MORNING...AND MAINLY ACROSS CENTRAL KANSAS ON TUESDAY NIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY MORNING. THERE IS A SLIGHT CHANCE OF SNOW ON THURSDAY. LITTLE IF SNOWFALL IS EXPECTED. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SKYWARN SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED TODAY OR TONIGHT. && FOR A GRAPHICAL VERSION OF THIS INFORMATION...SEE OUR WEBPAGE AT (LOWERCASE) HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/WICHITA/HWO/HWO.PHP KED
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
4 heavy snow, 1 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.
An observer reported 6 inches of snow in extreme northeast Kingman county.
Heavy wet snow blanketed the north side of Wichita with 4 to 6 inches of snowfall. The wet snow coated trees and piled up on decks and outdoor furniture. Most of the snowfall fell on elevated surfaces and grassy areas, but very little fell on roadways.
Heavy snowfall of 4 to 6 inches fell across the northern portions of Butler county.
Heavy snowfall of 3 to 6 inches fell over the northern half of Greenwood county.
Snowfall amounts of 2 to 3 inches led to a roll over accident near Anthony, Kansas. The vehicle lost control on an icy bridge, slamming into a guardrail and rolling the car. The driver of the car was injured in the accident.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Kansas in 2010Every state in 2010This day in weather historyWarnings in Kansas, February 2010
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: 215831, 215833, 215835, 215836, 215829.