A slow moving storm system brought widespread rain to Northeast Kansas during the afternoon and evening of Monday Dec 19th. The rain turned to snow across parts of the area and became heavy at times.
Every event with a place to put it; 7 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.
A slow moving storm system brought widespread rain to Northeast Kansas during the afternoon and evening of Monday Dec 19th. The rain turned to snow across parts of the area and became heavy at times. By the morning of Tuesday Dec 20th parts of Central Kansas had received 6 inches of snow. Freezing drizzle and light freezing rain and sleet also occurred across the area during the overnight and early morning hours of the 20th across the area. This produce a light glaze on elevated surfaces generally one quarter inch or less. No power outages due to ice 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 Dec 19, 5:25 PM CST, 35 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS 525 PM CST MON DEC 19 2011 ...UPDATE TO AVIATION... .DISCUSSION... THE FOCUS OF THIS FORECAST REMAINS ON THE POTENT STORM SYSTEM WHICH WILL MOVE OFF THE HIGH PLAINS AND BRING RAIN AND SNOW TO ALL OF NORTHEAST AND EAST CENTRAL KANSAS TONIGHT AND TOMORROW. 20Z WATER VAPOR IMAGERY AND ASSOCIATED RUC ANALYSIS SHOWING THE 500 MB TROUGH MAKING A NORTHEAST TURN AS IT TAKES ON A NEGATIVE TILT OVER FAR WESTERN TEXAS. STRONG ISENTROPIC LIFT CAUSING A WIDE SHIELD OF PRECIPITATION MAINLY IN THE FORM OF RAIN TO MOVE NORTHWARD ACROSS THE AREA. SOME ELEVATED INSTABILITY HAS ALLOWED FOR SOME WEAK CONVECTION WITHIN THE AREA OF PRECIP ALLOWING FOR A FEW RUMBLES OF THUNDER. WITH WARM LOW LEVEL TEMPERATURES ACROSS FAR EASTERN KANSAS THE PRECIPITATION HAS FALLEN AS RAIN THROUGHOUT THE DAY. FURTHER TO THE WEST COOLER AIR IN THE LOWER TO MID LEVELS HAS FACILITATED A GRADUAL CHANGE OVER TO A MIX OF RAIN AND SNOW WITH SOME SLEET. ACROSS CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST KANSAS WHERE THE COLD AIR IS EVEN DEEPER PRECIP HAS CHANGED COMPLETELY OVER TO SNOW. THE AREA WITH THE BIGGEST CONCERN FOR THIS SYSTEM WILL BE ACROSS CENTRAL AND NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS WHERE SNOW AMOUNTS COULD BE THE HIGHEST. BEST FRONTOGENETICAL LIFT AND ASSOCIATED HIGHEST OMEGA LOOKS TO PERSIST ACROSS THE AREA BETWEEN 00Z AND 12Z TONIGHT...AND THIS WILL LIKELY BRING THE HEAVIEST SNOW...ESPECIALLY TO AREAS OF CENTRAL KANSAS. GOOD LIFT THROUGH THE -8 TO -14 C DENDRITIC GROWTH LAYER WILL LIKELY KEEP ALL PRECIP WEST AND NORTH OF A HIAWATHA TO COUNCIL GROVE LINE. SNOW COULD RAPIDLY INCREASE WITH SNOW RATES APPROACHING 3 TO 5 INCHES OVER A 6 TO 10 HOUR PERIOD ACROSS THAT AREA. COMPLICATING THE CONDITIONS WILL BE STRONG WINDS ACROSS CENTRAL KANSAS OVERNIGHT...LEADING TO REDUCED VISIBILITIES AND DANGEROUS TRAVEL CONDITIONS...ESPECIALLY ALONG INTERSTATE 70. VERY TRICKY PRECIP TYPE FORECAST FOR AREAS ALONG AND EAST OF THE KANSAS TURNPIKE. FORECAST SOUNDINGS INDICATE ICE CRYSTALS INTRODUCED INTO THE ATMOSPHERIC COLUMN...BUT WARMER 850 MB TEMPS COULD TEMPER THE ABILITY OF SNOW TO REACH THE SURFACE. HOWEVER WITH REAL TIME TEMPS RUNNING A BIT COOLER THAN MODEL TEMPS...MAY NEED TO CALIBRATE MODELS WITH REAL TIME INFO AND LEAN TOWARD A SLIGHTLY COOLER SOLUTION...FOR PRECIP TYPES AND SNOW AMOUNTS ACROSS THE EASTERN COUNTIES. SHOULD PRECIP BE ABLE TO CHANGE OVER TO SNOW BY 01 TO 03Z EAST OF THE AFOREMENTIONED HIAWATHA TO COUNCIL GROVE LINE...MAY NEED TO BUMP UP SNOW AMOUNTS...ESPECIALLY FOR THE TOPEKA AREA. AROUND 12Z TUESDAY MORNING DRY MID LEVEL AIR WILL PUSH INTO THE AREA WHICH WILL REMOVE ICE CRYSTALS FROM THE COLUMN FOR A FEW HOURS TUESDAY MORNING. DURING THIS TIME EXPECT PRECIP TO GO FROM A LIGHT SNOW TO A LIGHT DRIZZLE OR FREEZING DRIZZLE ACROSS AREAS WHERE TEMPS ARE BELOW FREEZING. BY LATE TUESDAY AFTERNOON THE MID LEVEL TROWAL WILL SET UP NEAR THE INTERSTATE 70 CORRIDOR WHICH COULD BRING ANOTHER ROUND OF LIGHT SNOW FOR TUESDAY AFTERNOON AS THE ATMOSPHERIC COLUMN SHOULD BE COOL ENOUGH ACROSS THE ENTIRE FORECAST AREA. WILL NOT MAKE ANY MAJOR CHANGES TO THE ONGOING WARNING/ADVISORY LOCATIONS AS COUNTIES CURRENTLY UNDER THE WINTER STORM WARNING ARE STILL ON TRACK TO ACCUMULATE 6 TO 8 INCHES OF SNOW. THE COUNTIES FURTHEST NORTH AND EAST CONTAIN LESSER CONFIDENCE IN REACHING THE 6 TO 8 INCH RANGE...BUT COUNTIES ALONG INTERSTATE 70 AND WEST OF THE KANSAS TURNPIKE SHOULD EXPECT AT LEAST 4 TO 6 INCHES OF SNOW...WITH HIGHER AMOUNTS ACROSS CENTRAL KANSAS. ALSO STRONG WINDS ALONG INTERSTATE 70 WILL COMPLICATE TRAVEL CONDITIONS AS THEY WILL COINCIDE WITH THE HEAVY SNOW OVERNIGHT TO BRING LOWERED VISIBILITY AND DANGEROUS TRAVEL CONDITIONS. EXPECT LIGHT SNOW TO GRADUALLY COME TO AN END BY EARLY WEDNESDAY MORNING AS THE UPPER TROUGH EXITS COMPLETELY OUT OF THE AREA WITH CLEARING SKIES AND SEASONABLE TEMPS. ANOTHER SYSTEM SWINGS INTO THE PLAINS THURSDAY INTO FRIDAY BUT WITH A NORTHERLY TRAJECTORY AND MORE LIMITED MOISTURE WILL CARRY CHANCE TO SLIGHT CHANCE POPS AT THIS TIME. CONDITIONS CLEAR OUT FOR SATURDAY WITH ANOTHER PUSH OF COLDER AIR SATURDAY NIGHT INTO SUNDAY. && .AVIATION... MVFR TO IFR CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED TO BECOME IFR BETWEEN 00-03Z AND PERSIST THROUGH MUCH OF THE FORECAST PERIOD. MHK HAS SWITCHED TO ALL SNOW...WITH RAIN AT TOP/FOE. EXPECT WINTRY MIX OF PRECIPITATION AT TOP/FOE BY 04Z...WITH ALL TAF SITES IMPACTED WITH WINTRY TYPE OF PRECIP THROUGH MUCH OF THE PERIOD. BLAIR && .TOP WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL 6 PM CST TUESDAY FOR KSZ009>011- 020>023-034>036. WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 6 PM CST TUESDAY FOR KSZ008-012- 024-026-037>039. WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM MIDNIGHT TONIGHT TO 6 PM CST TUESDAY FOR KSZ040-054-055. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS 409 PM CST MON DEC 19 2011 KSZ008>012-020>024-026-034>040-054>056-058-059-202215- REPUBLIC-WASHINGTON-MARSHALL-NEMAHA-BROWN-CLOUD-CLAY-RILEY- POTTAWATOMIE-JACKSON-JEFFERSON-OTTAWA-DICKINSON-GEARY-MORRIS- WABAUNSEE-SHAWNEE-DOUGLAS-LYON-OSAGE-FRANKLIN-COFFEY-ANDERSON- 409 PM CST MON DEC 19 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EAST CENTRAL...NORTH CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST KANSAS. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. RAIN AND SLEET MAY MIX WITH SNOW SOUTH OF INTERSTATE 70 THIS AFTERNOON. A FEW RUMBLES OF THUNDER WILL ACCOMPANY THE AREAS OF HEAVIER PRECIP THIS AFTERNOON. BY LATE TONIGHT...SNOW ACCUMULATIONS OF SIX TO EIGHT INCHES ARE FORECAST FOR THIS AREA...WITH THE HEAVIER AMOUNTS OCCURRING WEST OF A LINE FROM HIAWATHA TO COUNCIL GROVE. LIGHT ACCUMULATIONS OF SLEET ARE ALSO POSSIBLE...MAINLY ALONG THE INTERSTATE 70 AND KANSAS TURNPIKE CORRIDORS. LIGHT FREEZING DRIZZLE IS POSSIBLE FOR MOST LOCATIONS LATE TONIGHT AS WELL. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY. WINTER WEATHER WILL BE RATHER WIDESPREAD THROUGH TUESDAY AFTERNOON. ADDITIONAL SNOWFALL OF ONE TO THREE INCHES IS POSSIBLE ALONG AND NORTH OF THE KANSAS TURNPIKE. A WINTRY MIX SHOULD PERSIST IN EAST CENTRAL KANSAS AS WELL...WITH LIGHT SNOW AND SLEET LIKELY. ANOTHER ROUND OF LIGHT SNOW IS POSSIBLE THURSDAY NIGHT INTO FRIDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED THROUGH TONIGHT.
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
549 PM CST MON DEC 19 2011
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0545 PM SNOW 7 SSW WAKEFIELD 39.13N 97.08W
12/19/2011 E3.0 INCH CLAY KS TRAINED SPOTTER
1/4 TO 1/2 MILE VISIBILITY. ROADS ARE SLICK.
&&
BYRNEPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
551 PM CST MON DEC 19 2011
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0545 PM SNOW 2 NE ADA 39.17N 97.86W
12/19/2011 E3.0 INCH OTTAWA KS TRAINED SPOTTER
1/4 TO 1/2 MILE VISIBILITY. ROADS ARE SLICK.
&&
BYRNEThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
7 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.
Miltonvale observer measured 6 inches of snow early Tuesday morning on Dec 20th.
One inch of sleet along with light freezing rain and anywhere from 1 to as much as 5 inches of snow was reported throughout Dickinson County. One inch of sleet was reported at Abilene with the heavier snow amounts reported across the northern half of the county.
Between 5 and 6 inches of snow was reported at Idana in Clay County.
Four to five inches of snow along with a glaze of ice was reported due to freezing rain and freezing drizzle at Clay Center.
Tescott observer measured 7 inches of snow early Tuesday morning on Dec 20th.
Observer measured 6 inches of snow 8 miles northeast of Barnard in Ottawa County Tuesday morning Dec. 20th.
Observer in Blaine reported 5 inches of snow along with between one tenth and one quarter inch of ice due to freezing rain.
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: 352044, 352692, 352036, 352037, 352040, 352042, 352047.