Strong winds combined with heavy snowfall brought blizzard conditions to parts of Northwest Kansas. The snowfall began during the late morning of the 19th, lasting into the morning of the 20th.
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 GLD wrote it up.
Strong winds combined with heavy snowfall brought blizzard conditions to parts of Northwest Kansas. The snowfall began during the late morning of the 19th, lasting into the morning of the 20th. Frequent reports of visibilities of a quarter mile or less were reported with this storm. The highest snowfall amounts occurred over Greeley and Wichita counties where almost 13.5 and 11 inches were reported respectively. Snowfall amounts of seven to nine inches quickly declined to two or three inches from south to north over Wallace, Logan, and Gove counties.
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 Goodland, KS wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Dec 19, 10:13 AM MST, 17 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KS
1013 AM MST MON DEC 19 2011
.DISCUSSION...
345 AM MST MON DEC 19 2011
FORECAST FOCUS IS ON THE SIGNIFICANT STORM SYSTEM EXPECTED TO
MOVE ACROSS THE REGION TODAY THROUGH TUESDAY.
A BLIZZARD WARNING HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR PORTIONS OF EAST CENTRAL
COLORADO AND NORTHWEST KANSAS IN ADDITION TO A WINTER WEATHER
ADVISORY FOR A SMALLER PORTION OF EAST CENTRAL COLORADO AND
NORTHWEST KANSAS.
THE MODELS SOLUTIONS THROUGH THE 00Z RUN HAD COME INTO MUCH BETTER
AGREEMENT IN PUSHING SNOWFALL AMOUNTS FURTHER NORTH INTO THE
FORECAST AREA ALONG WITH INCREASING SNOWFALL AMOUNTS ACROSS THE
SOUTH AND SOUTHEAST AREAS. THE 06Z NAM REVERSED THAT TREND
SOMEWHAT...BUT STILL CONFIDENT ENOUGH IN THE AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE
00Z RUNS AND IN THE RUN TO RUN CONSISTENCY OF THE OTHER MODELS TO
EXPAND THE AREA OF THE PREVIOUSLY ISSUED BLIZZARD WARNING IN
ADDITION TO ADDING A SMALLER AREA FOR A SNOW/BLOWING SNOW ADVISORY
WHERE THE SNOW AMOUNTS AND WIND SPEEDS ARE LESS...BUT ARE STILL
EXPECTED TO PRODUCE SIGNIFICANT BLOWING AND DRIFTING AND
REDUCTIONS IN VISIBILITIES.
THE NEBRASKA COUNTIES REALLY MISS OUT ON THIS EVENT AS TOTAL SNOW
AMOUNTS ARE EXPECTED TO BE LESS THAN AN INCH. SNOW AMOUNTS WILL
INCREASE RAPIDLY TO THE SOUTH...WITH AS MUCH AS 5 TO 10 INCHES OF
SNOW EXPECTED ALONG AND SOUTH OF A LINE FROM KIT CARSON COLORADO
TO HILL CITY KANSAS. EXPECT THE HEAVIEST SNOWFALL TO OCCUR FROM
THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH THE OVERNIGHT HOURS AS THE LOW PRESSURE
SYSTEM TRACKS ALONG THE COLD FRONT THROUGH THE PANHANDLE REGION OF
TEXAS AND INTO SOUTHEAST KANSAS. SNOW AND WINDS WILL TAPER OFF
ON THE BACK SIDE OF THE SYSTEM ON TUESDAY AS IT CONTINUES ON TO
THE MID MISSISSIPPI VALLEY REGION BY TUESDAY NIGHT.
WITH FRESH SNOW...TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED TO REMAIN ON THE COLD
SIDE OF AVERAGE THROUGH THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK
THURSDAY-SUNDAY...GUIDANCE HAS COME IN A BIT STRONGER WITH THE
SHORTWAVE TROUGH PROGGED TO IMPACT THE REGION ON THURSDAY. STILL
SLIGHT DIFFERENCES ON TIMING AND STRENGTH OF THE SYSTEM BUT HAVE
ENOUGH CONFIDENCE TO INCREASE TO CHANCE POPS ACROSS MUCH OF THE
AREA. SPEED OF THE SYSTEM WILL LIKELY PRECLUDE SIGNIFICANT SNOW
ACCUMULATION BUT AN INCH OR TWO IS CERTAINLY NOT OUT OF THE
QUESTION. TEMPS THURSDAY WILL LIKELY BE 15 TO 20 DEGREE BELOW NORMAL
WITH HIGHS IN THE MID 20S TO AROUND 30 DEGREES. SYSTEM DEPARTS THE
AREA THURSDAY NIGHT YIELDING A CLEARING SKY AND LIGHT WINDS. THIS
COMBINED WITH FRESH SNOW COULD YIELD TEMPS COLDER THAN CURRENTLY
ADVERTISED...ESPECIALLY OVER THE SOUTHEAST PART OF THE FORECAST AREA
WHERE SUBSTANTIAL SNOW COVER FROM THE EARLY WEEK SYSTEM WILL
PERSIST.
DRY CONDITIONS ARE ANTICIPATED THROUGH THE WEEKEND BUT SNOW COVER
WILL CONTINUE TO IMPACT TEMPS OVER THE SOUTHEAST PART OF THE
FORECAST AREA. SHOULD SEE TEMPS ACROSS THE SNOW FIELD REMAINING IN
THE UPPER 20S TO LOWER 30S WHILE AREAS WITH LESS SNOW COVER SHOULD
REACH THE MID TO UPPER 30S WHICH IS STILL 5 TO 10 DEGREES BELOW
NORMAL.
FOLTZ/LOCKHART
&&
.AVIATION...
1013 AM MST MON DEC 19 2011
FOR THE 18Z TAF...COMPLEX AVIATION FORECAST FOR THE NEXT 18 HOURS...
ESPECIALLY AT KGLD WHICH WILL BE ON THE NORTHERN FRINGE OF A MAJOR
WINTER STORM. SNOW WILL BEGIN AT KGLD AROUND 20Z THIS AFTERNOON.
STILL SOME UNCERTAINTY WITH EXACTLY HOW FAR NORTH THE MOST INTENSE
SNOW WILL COME BUT DO EXPECT CIGS/VSBY TO BE IFR OR BELOW THROUGH
THE NIGHT. APPEARS KMCK WILL REMAIN ESSENTIALLY DRY WITH THIS
SYSTEM PASSING TO THE SOUTH. CANT COMPLETELY RULE OUT FLURRIES OR
LIGHT SNOW THIS EVENING BUT CONFIDENCE IS TOO LOW TO INCLUDE IN
THIS ISSUANCE. WINDS WILL BE FROM THE NORTH AND GUSTY TILL LATE
TONIGHT.
BAS
&&
.GLD WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
KS...BLIZZARD WARNING UNTIL 11 AM MST /NOON CST/ TUESDAY FOR
KSZ014>016-027>029-041-042.
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 11 AM MST TUESDAY FOR KSZ013.
NE...NONE.
CO...BLIZZARD WARNING UNTIL 11 AM MST TUESDAY FOR COZ092.
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 11 AM MST TUESDAY FOR COZ091.
&&HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...CORRECTED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KS 526 AM MST MON DEC 19 2011 COZ090>092-KSZ001>004-013>016-027>029-041-042-NEZ079>081-201300- YUMA-KIT CARSON-CHEYENNE CO-CHEYENNE KS-RAWLINS-DECATUR-NORTON- SHERMAN-THOMAS-SHERIDAN-GRAHAM-WALLACE-LOGAN-GOVE-GREELEY-WICHITA- DUNDY-HITCHCOCK-RED WILLOW- 526 AM MST MON DEC 19 2011 /626 AM CST MON DEC 19 2011/ THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EXTREME SOUTHWEST NEBRASKA...NORTHWEST KANSAS AND EAST CENTRAL COLORADO. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT A BLIZZARD WARNING IS IN EFFECT FROM MID DAY TODAY THROUGH MID DAY ON TUESDAY GENERALLY ALONG AND SOUTH OF A LINE EXTENDING FROM KIT CARSON COLORADO TO HILL CITY KANSAS. LIGHT SNOW WILL BEGIN TO SPREAD ACROSS THE REGION THIS MORNING WITH MODERATE TO HEAVY SNOW AND GUSTY NORTH WINDS PRODUCING AREAS OF BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW EXPECTED BY THIS AFTERNOON...CONTINUING OVERNIGHT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY SNOW AND WIND WILL DIMINISH EARLY TUESDAY AS THE RESPONSIBLE STORM SYSTEM TRACKS TOWARDS THE CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI VALLEY REGION. ANOTHER COUPLE OF INCHES OF SNOW IS POSSIBLE BETWEEN WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND THURSDAY NIGHT AS THE NEXT TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE SWEEPS ACROSS THE CENTRAL HIGH PLAINS REGION. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE REQUIRED.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
5 blizzard. Local standard time, as filed.
At 12 S of Tribune law enforcement reported quarter mile visibilities or less with white out conditions. Visibilities less than a quarter mile were also reported in Tribune with an estimated two inches of snow on the ground.
Blizzard conditions reported 14 S of Leoti with an estimated four inches of snow on the ground.
Blizzard conditions reported 5 WSW of Russell Springs.
Six to nine inches of snow fell across most of the county. Strong winds reduced visibility below 1/4 mile in blowing snow.
Visibility dropped below a quarter mile in Sharon Springs.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Kansas in 2011Every state in 2011This day in weather historyWarnings in Kansas, December 2011
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: 354214, 354219, 354217, 354423, 354216.