Heavy banded snow developed during the pre-dawn hours of Tuesday February 8th and continued through the day and into the overnight hours ending early on February 9th. A narrow band of very heavy snow fell across portions of Ottawa, Dickinson, Morris, Lyon and into Coffey and Anderson Counties where amounts of 6 to 12 inches were common.
Every event with a place to put it; 13 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.
Heavy banded snow developed during the pre-dawn hours of Tuesday February 8th and continued through the day and into the overnight hours ending early on February 9th. A narrow band of very heavy snow fell across portions of Ottawa, Dickinson, Morris, Lyon and into Coffey and Anderson Counties where amounts of 6 to 12 inches were common. A few spots reported amounts in excess of 12 inches however those were isolated cases. The snow was accompanied by air temperatures of less than 10 degrees and wind chills of zero to 10 below.
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 Feb 7, 11:03 PM CST, 2 hours 57 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS 1103 PM CST MON FEB 7 2011 .UPDATE... UPDATED THE AVIATION DISCUSSION. && .DISCUSSION... SEE PREV DISCUSSION. && .AVIATION... STILL UNCERTAIN WHETHER THE LOW LEVELS WILL SATURATE ENOUGH FOR MVFR CIGS AND VSBY TO DEVELOP AT THE TERMINALS. ALL OF THE GUIDANCE CONTINUES TO SHOW A VERY TIGHT MOISTURE GRADIENT SETTING UP OVER TOP AND FOE WITH CONTINUED DRY AIR ADVECTION THROUGH THE DAY. LOOKING AT HOW DEWPOINTS CONTINUE TO FALL ACROSS SOUTHEAST KS...AM INCLINED TO LEAN MORE TOWARDS A FORECAST WHERE LOW LEVEL DRY AIR REMAINS OVER THE TERMINALS KEEPING VFR CONDITIONS IN PLACE THROUGH THE DAY. MODELS TEND TO BE TO FAR NORTH WITH THE LOW LEVEL MOISTURE IN THESE INSTANCES. WOLTERS && .PREV DISCUSSION.../246 PM CST MON FEB 7 2011/ TONIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT...ACCUMULATING SNOW AND BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES IS THE FOCUS OF THE SHORT TERM FORECAST. SKIES HAVE BECOME PARTLY CLOUDY THIS AFTERNOON WITH AN UPPER TROUGH EXITING TO THE EAST ACROSS THE LOWER MISSISSIPPI VALLEY. STRONG SHORTWAVE ENERGY MOVING THROUGH THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST WILL QUICKLY DIG THROUGH THE CENTRAL ROCKIES TONIGHT DEVELOPING ANOTHER DEEP UPPER TROUGH. AHEAD OF THIS UPPER TROUGH...A LEESIDE SURFACE LOW WILL DEEPEN OVER EASTERN COLORADO IN RESPONSE TO HEIGHT FALLS ALOFT. FORECAST MODELS CONTINUE TO PROG ISENTROPIC UPGLIDE ALONG THE 290-305K SURFACES OVERNIGHT AND INTO TUESDAY. A GRADUAL SATURATION OF THE COLUMN IS EXPECTED TONIGHT WITH STRATUS SLOWLY LOWERING AND THE LOWER LEVELS OF THE ATMOSPHERE EVENTUALLY SATURATING. LIGHT SNOW IS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP ACROSS NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS LATE THIS EVENING WITH BETTER CHANCES OVERNIGHT. THIS LIGHT SNOW WILL SPREAD SOUTHEAST THROUGH NORTHEAST KANSAS OVERNIGHT WITH THE SNOW INCREASING IN COVERAGE AND INTENSITY TUESDAY. THE SURFACE LOW WILL DIG SOUTH INTO THE TEXAS PANHANDLE WITH HIGH PRESSURE BUILDING SOUTH INTO NEBRASKA TUESDAY. THIS SURFACE HIGH WILL ADVECT DRIER AIR IN THE LOWER LEVELS OF THE ATMOSPHERE RESULTING IN A TIGHT SNOWFALL GRADIENT ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA. THE LOW WILL DIG THROUGH THE RED RIVER VALLEY TUESDAY AFTERNOON AND NIGHT WITH ARCTIC HIGH PRESSURE BUILDING ACROSS WEST AND CENTRAL KANSAS. STRONG ISENTROPIC DOWNGLIDE ALONG THE 290-305K SURFACES WILL BRING AN END TO THE SNOW LATE TUESDAY NIGHT AND EARLY WEDNESDAY MORNING. THIS SNOWFALL GRADIENT IS ANTICIPATED TO PLAY OUT IN THE FOLLOWING FASHION. ACROSS THE ENTIRE FORECAST AREA...SNOWFALL AMOUNTS RANGING FROM NEAR 1 TO 5 INCHES ARE POSSIBLE. A TRACE TO 2 INCHES OF SNOW IS EXPECTED FOR AREAS ALONG AND NORTH OF A LINE FROM NEAR MARYSVILLE TO OSKALOOSA. 4 TO 5 INCHES OF SNOW WITH LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS ARE POSSIBLE ALONG AND SOUTH OF A LINE FROM CONCORDIA TO MANHATTAN TO OTTAWA. ELSEWHERE 2 TO 3 INCHES OF SNOW IS FORECAST INCLUDING TOPEKA AND LAWRENCE. LOWS IN THE SINGLE DIGITS TONIGHT WITH HIGHS IN THE TEENS TUESDAY AND LOWS ONCE AGAIN IN THE SINGLE DIGITS ARE FORECAST. WITH A WIND RANGING FROM 5 TO 15 MPH...WIND CHILLS NEAR MINUS 5 TO MINUS 15 WILL BE POSSIBLE. ANGLE WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY...THE EXTENDED FORECAST WILL BE CHARACTERIZED BY A DRYING OUT PERIOD WITH WARMER TEMPERATURES ON THE WAY. SNOW SHOWERS WILL PUSH SOUTH OF THE FORECAST AREA DURING THE DAY ON SUNDAY. VERY WEAK ISENTROPIC LIFT IS STILL INDICATED ON THE LATEST NAM SOUTH OF INTERSTATE 70 WHICH COULD KEEP LIGHT SNOW FALLING IN THE SOUTHERN ZONES THROUGH THE MID MORNING TO EARLY AFTERNOON HOURS ON WEDNESDAY. BY WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON THE PRECIP WILL MOVE OFF TO THE SOUTH AND SKIES WILL GRADUALLY CLEAR OUT FOR THE LAST HALF OF THE WEEK. THE ARCTIC HIGH PRESSURE MOVES INTO THE AREA ON WEDNESDAY NIGHT...WHICH WILL CLEAR SKIES OUT AND DECREASE WINDS. RAISED TEMPERATURES SLIGHTLY FOR THURSDAY MORNING AS THE CURRENT TEMPERATURES UNDER THIS ARCTIC HIGH IN CENTRAL CANADA ARE BETWEEN 0 AND -10 DEGREES. BY THE TIME THIS HIGH REACHES THE AREA IT WILL MODIFY TO BETWEEN 0 AND -5 DEGREES. ALSO CONTRIBUTING TO THE THOUGHT OF SLIGHTLY WARMER TEMPERATURES IS THE FACT THAT A RELAXED SURFACE GRADIENT WILL SET UP OVER THE AREA...WHICH WILL KEEP LIGHT WINDS GOING FOR THURSDAY MORNING. ALTHOUGH TEMPERATURES MAY NOT BE AS COLD AS THE PREVIOUS FORECAST...THE LIGHT WINDS WILL CONTRIBUTE TO EXTREMELY COLD WIND CHILL VALUES ON THURSDAY...WHICH WILL BOTTOM OUT AROUND 10 TO 20 BELOW THURSDAY MORNING. BY THE END OF THE WEEK AND INTO THE WEEKEND WAA WILL OCCUR OVER THE AREA...AND BY THE WEEKEND A WEAK RIDGE WILL WORK ITS WAY INTO THE AREA. TEMPERATURES WILL BEGIN THE GRADUAL UPSWING ON THURSDAY AND FRIDAY AND BY SUNDAY HIGHS WILL BE IN THE UPPER 40S TO LOWER 50S ACROSS MUCH OF THE AREA. JL && .TOP WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM MIDNIGHT TONIGHT TO 6 AM CST WEDNESDAY FOR KSZ008-009-020-021-034-035. WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM 6 AM TUESDAY TO 6 AM CST WEDNESDAY FOR KSZ022-023-036>040-054>056-058-059. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS 205 PM CST MON FEB 7 2011 KSZ008>012-020>024-026-034>040-054>056-058-059-082015- REPUBLIC-WASHINGTON-MARSHALL-NEMAHA-BROWN-CLOUD-CLAY-RILEY- POTTAWATOMIE-JACKSON-JEFFERSON-OTTAWA-DICKINSON-GEARY-MORRIS- WABAUNSEE-SHAWNEE-DOUGLAS-LYON-OSAGE-FRANKLIN-COFFEY-ANDERSON- 205 PM CST MON FEB 7 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EAST CENTRAL...NORTH CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST KANSAS. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. ACCUMULATING SNOWFALL IS POSSIBLE LATE TONIGHT ACROSS NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY. ACCUMULATING SNOWFALL WILL CONTINUE ACROSS THE OUTLOOK AREA TUESDAY INTO EARLY WEDNESDAY WITH TOTAL SNOWFALL ACCUMULATION RANGING FROM 1 TO 5 INCHES. A TRACE TO 2 INCHES OF SNOWFALL IS EXPECTED FOR AREAS ALONG AND NORTH OF A LINE FROM NEAR MARYSVILLE TO OSKALOOSA. 4 TO 5 INCHES OF SNOW WITH LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS ARE POSSIBLE ALONG AND SOUTH OF A LINE FROM CONCORDIA TO MANHATTAN TO OTTAWA. ELSEWHERE 2 TO 3 INCHES OF SNOW IS FORECAST INCLUDING TOPEKA AND LAWRENCE. BITTERLY COLD WIND CHILL TEMPERATURES OF 15 TO 20 BELOW ARE EXPECTED WEDNESDAY NIGHT INTO EARLY THURSDAY MORNING. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED THROUGH TONIGHT.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
13 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
Snowfall reports out of Cloud county indicated that many locations received 5 to 7 inches of snow mainly between 2am and 8pm on February 8th. This would be the greatest snow of the 2010-2011 winter season for Cloud county. Law enforcement estimated 6 inches in Concordia.
COOP observer reported 6.5 inches of snow at Concordia which is a record daily snow for the date of February 8th.
Spotter reports from sources including law enforcement estimated between 6 and 9 inches of snow fell across central and southern Dickinson County during this storm.
Emergency Manager reported that Emporia received 8 to 12 inches of snow out of this event. Other reports from the southern half of the county indicated amounts of 10 to 13 inches. The northern parts of the county received 5 to 7 inches.
Reports out of central and southern Morris County include snowfall of 6 to 10 inches with lesser amounts across the northern parts of the county. Council Grove received 6 to 8 inches of snow.
Spotter reports from Ottawa county indicated that 6 to 9 inches of snow accumulated during this storm.
Spotter reports from Ottawa county indicated that 6 to 9 inches of snow accumulated during this storm.
KVOE radio station in Emporia measured 10 to 12 inches of snow at 7am February 9th.
Wilsey COOP observer estimates 8 inches of snowfall at 7am February 9th.
COOP observer measured 9 inches of new snow in White City at 7am February 9th.
COOP observer in Colony in Anderson County measured 12 inches of snow at 7am February 9th.
EM reported 6 to 12 inches of snow across Coffey county with the heaviest across the southwest half of the county. A law enforcement officer estimated 14 to 16 inches in Burlington which as the highest report received.
COOP observer in Gridley estimates 14 inches of new snow at 7am February 9th.
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, February 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: 271353, 271354, 271348, 271349, 271350, 271351, 271352, 271355, 271356, 271358, 271346, 271347, 271357.