On late Saturday, January 9th, snow and a little freezing drizzle overspread much of the area. Snow began falling along the I-70 corridor Trego and Ellis counties late Saturday afternoon, and then spread south through most of the rest of the County Warning Area (CWA) during Saturday night.
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 DDC wrote it up.
On late Saturday, January 9th, snow and a little freezing drizzle overspread much of the area. Snow began falling along the I-70 corridor Trego and Ellis counties late Saturday afternoon, and then spread south through most of the rest of the County Warning Area (CWA) during Saturday night. By the time the snow ended late Sunday (1/10) evening, 7 to 8 inches of snow had fallen in Trego and Ellis counties. A 20 to 50-mile wide band of 3 to 5 inches of snow fell from northern Scott county east to northern Rush county, and south to eastern Barber county. One to three inches of snow fell across a large part of the central, southern and western parts of the CWA. Far western parts of the CWA received less than 1 inch of snow during the event, roughly west of a line from Syracuse to Johnson City to Elkhart.
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 Dodge City, KS wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jan 9, 1:20 PM CST, 8 hours 40 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DODGE CITY KS 120 PM CST SUN JAN 9 2011 .DISCUSSION... DAYS 1-2... TONIGHT: THE FORECAST IS GENERALLY ON TRACK AND MINOR TWEAKS WERE MADE IN THE SHORT TERM PERIOD. THE MOST SIGNIFICANT CHANGE IS THAT 12Z MODELS INDICATE SLOWER MOVEMENT WITH THE UPPER TROF. THIS DELAY IS GENERALLY REFLECTED IN SURFACE OBSERVATIONS SO THINK THERE IS CREDENCE TO THE SLOWER SOLUTIONS. OTHER THAN THAT, LARGELY RETAINED PARAMETERS IN THE INHERITED FORECAST. THE SNOW EVENT WILL START AFTER 00Z THIS EVENING AND PEAK DURING THE OVERNIGHT TO EARLY MORNING HOURS. THE EVENT LOOKS LIKE A HIGH END ADVISORY WITH 4 TO 6 INCHES OF SNOW ACCUMULATIONS EXPECTED GENERALLY NORTH OF HIGHWAY 50 AND 2 TO 4 INCHES SOUTH OF HIGHWAY 50. NEW SNOW ACCUMULATION OF AROUND 3 INCHES IS EXPECTED TO FALL THROUGHOUT THE OVERNIGHT PERIOD FOR A HEALTHY PORTION OF THE FA. MONDAY: ANOTHER 2 TO 3 INCHES OF ADDITIONAL SNOWFALL IS EXPECTED THROUGH MONDAY AFTERNOON AS THE UPPER LEVEL TROF HEADS EAST ACROSS KANSAS. BY LATE TOMORROW EVENING, UPPER LEVEL TROF AND ASSOCIATED PRECIPITATION WILL BE EAST OF THE DODGE CITY CWFA. IN THE MEANTIME, THE WELL ADVERTISED ARCTIC COLD FRONT WILL HAVE PUSHED THROUGH THE FA WITH GUSTY NORTHERLY WINDS AND AREAS OF BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW. WITH STRONG COLD AIR ADVECTION IN THE WAKE OF THE DEPARTING SYSTEM, TOMORROWS HIGHS WILL GENERALLY BE IN THE UPPER TEENS TO LOW 20S DEG F. TUESDAY: 500 HPA HEIGHT WILL INCREASE TUESDAY WITH A DRY FORECAST EXPECTED. DRY AND VERY COLD ARCTIC AIR WILL DOMINATE ACROSS KANSAS WITH DEWPOINTS TANKING WELL INTO THE NEGATIVE DIGIT TERRITORY. MINIMUM TEMPERATURES WILL START OFF VERY COLD (THE COLDEST OF THE SEASON) WITH -5 TO -10 DEG F VALUES EXPECTED UNDER NEAR PERFECT RADIATIONAL COOLING CONDITIONS. IT WILL BE A LITTLE "WARMER" TO THE SOUTHEAST WHERE VALUES OF 0 TO 5 DEG F ARE EXPECTED. WITH THE ARCTIC AIR FIRMLY ENTRENCHED ACROSS THE PLAINS, TEMPERATURES WILL TOP OUT AROUND 10-15 DEG F. A WIND CHILL ADVISORY LOOKS LIKE A DISTINCT POSSIBILITY TUESDAY MORNING HOWEVER WILL DEFER TO LATER SHIFTS SINCE THIS PERIOD IS TWO DAYS OUT AND WIND AND TEMPERATURE PARAMETERS COULD CHANGE. -SUGDEN DAYS 3-7... TROF OF LOW PRESSURE WILL BEGIN TO DEVELOP ALONG THE LEE OF THE ROCKIES MID WEEK AS NW DOWNSLOPE FLOW DEVELOPS. 85H TEMPS WILL BEGIN TO WARM ACROSS WRN KS MID TO LATE WEEK BUT GIVEN THE EXPECTED SNOW COVER AM STILL SOMEWHAT RELUCTANT TO GO AS WARM AS WHAT GUIDANCE SUGGESTED THURSDAY AND FRIDAY. THE PREVIOUS FORECAST STILL LOOKS MORE REASONABLE WITH HIGHS SLOWLY WARMING INTO THE 30S WITH SOME LOW TO MID 40S POSSIBLE IN OUR SW CWA BY FRIDAY AFTERNOON. AS TEMPERATURES WARM ACROSS WESTERN KANSAS LATE WEEK ANOTHER COLD FRONT WILL BE MOVING SOUTH OUT OF CANADA INTO THE NORTHERN PLAINS. THE GFS AND ECMWF MOVES THIS NEXT FRONT ACROSS KANSAS EARLY THIS WEEKEND WITH ANOTHER SHOT COLD CANADIAN AIR SETTLING INTO THE CWA ON SAT AND SUN. UPPER LEVEL DYNAMICS NOT OVERLY IMPRESSIVE WITH THIS NEXT FRONT BUT THE GFS DOES ATTEMPT TO GENERATE SOME VERY LIGHT QPF EARLY SATURDAY. AT THIS TIME GIVEN LOW CONFIDENCE ON PCPN CHANCES WILL NOT INCLUDE A MENTION OF POPS JUST YET FOR EARLY SATURDAY BUT DID INCREASE CLOUD COVER AND LOWER TEMPS SOME BEHIND THIS FRONT AS THE LOW LVLS SATURATE. PCPN CHANCES WILL HOWEVER BE IMPROVING LATE SATURDAY NIGHT AND SUNDAY AS LLVL WAA DEVELOPS AHEAD OF A 25H JET STREAK. WITH MOISTURE IN PLACE AND IMPROVING LIFT DEVELOPING WILL GO AHEAD AND INSERT SMALL POPS INTO DAY 7. && .AVIATION... STATUS ALREADY WORKING ITS WAY ACROSS SW KS EARLIER THIS AFTERNOON. BUFR SOUNDINGS APPEAR TO HAVE A GOOD HANDLE WITH THESE LOW CLOUDS AND INDICATED CIGS WILL CONTINUE TO LOWER THROUGH THE EARLY EVENING. IFR CONDITIONS WILL BE LIKELY FIRST AT DDC AFTER 21Z FOLLOWED BY GCK AND HYS AROUND 00Z MON. AS AN UPPER LVL STORM SYSTEM MOVES OUT OF THE ROCKIES AND INTO THE CNTL PLAINS EARLY TONIGHT SNOW WILL BEGIN TO DEVELOP ACROSS WESTERN KANSAS AFTER 00Z. STEADY SNOW IS EXPECTED TO ARRIVE AT GCK AROUND 02Z AND THEN SPREAD EAST TO HYS AND GCK TOWARDS MIDNIGHT. SNOWFALL OVERNIGHT IS EXPECTED TO AVERAGE BETWEEN 2 TO 4 INCHES WITH AN ADDITION 2 TO 4 INCHES LIKELY AFTER 12Z MONDAY...MAINLY AT HYS AND DDC. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... DDC 20 21 -1 13 / 100 100 30 0 GCK 17 18 -5 13 / 100 90 20 0 EHA 17 18 -3 14 / 100 80 10 0 LBL 20 21 0 15 / 100 80 20 0 HYS 18 20 -2 11 / 100 100 50 0 P28 23 25 3 14 / 100 100 50 0 && .DDC WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM 6 PM CST /5 PM MST/ THIS EVENING TO 9 PM CST /8 PM MST/ MONDAY FOR KSZ030-031-043>046-061>066- 074>081-084>090. && FN36/18/18
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DODGE CITY KS 1126 AM CST SUN JAN 9 2011 KSZ030-031-043>046-061>066-074>081-084>090-101730- TREGO-ELLIS-SCOTT-LANE-NESS-RUSH-HAMILTON-KEARNY-FINNEY-HODGEMAN- PAWNEE-STAFFORD-STANTON-GRANT-HASKELL-GRAY-FORD-EDWARDS-KIOWA- PRATT-MORTON-STEVENS-SEWARD-MEADE-CLARK-COMANCHE-BARBER- 1126 AM CST SUN JAN 9 2011 /1026 AM MST SUN JAN 9 2011/ THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL...SOUTH CENTRAL...SOUTHWEST AND WEST CENTRAL KANSAS. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT BEGINNING THIS EVENING THROUGH EARLY MONDAY EVENING. WINTER PRECIPITATION WILL BEGIN AFFECTING SOUTHWEST KANSAS THIS EVENING. SNOW WILL BE MOST LIKELY THIS EVENING NORTH OF HIGHWAY 50 AND WEST OF HIGHWAY 183. FREEZING DRIZZLE IS ALSO POSSIBLE WHICH WILL QUICKLY TRANSITION TO SNOW BY LATE TONIGHT. A SECOND ROUND OF SNOW WILL THEN OVERSPREAD MUCH OF SOUTHWEST KANSAS DURING THE OVERNIGHT HOURS WHICH WILL CONTINUE INTO MONDAY. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW IS EXPECTED ACROSS MUCH OF SOUTHWEST KANSAS MONDAY. CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED TO BE PARTICULARLY HAZARDOUS BY MIDDAY TO AFTERNOON MONDAY AS NORTH WINDS INCREASE TO 20 TO 30 MPH LEADING TO POTENTIALLY WIDESPREAD BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW. MORE DETAILED INFORMATION INCLUDING FORECAST SNOW AMOUNTS CAN BE FOUND IN THE WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SNOWFALL AMOUNTS AND OTHER SIGNIFICANT WINTER WEATHER REPORTS FROM SPOTTERS AND LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT WOULD BE APPRECIATED. && FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT OUR WEBPAGE AT HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/DDC SUGDEN
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DODGE CITY KS
638 PM CST SUN JAN 09 2011
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0630 PM SNOW WAKEENEY 39.02N 99.88W
01/09/2011 E2.0 INCH TREGO KS LAW ENFORCEMENT
LAW ENFORCEMENT IN TREGO COUNTY REPORTED AN ESTIMATED TWO
INCHES OF SNOW HAS FALLEN IN WAKEENEY SINCE THIS
AFTERNOON.
&&
JRJPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DODGE CITY KS
644 PM CST SUN JAN 09 2011
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0638 PM SNOW HAYS 38.88N 99.32W
01/09/2011 E1.0 INCH ELLIS KS LAW ENFORCEMENT
LAW ENFORCEMENT IN ELLIS COUNTY HAS REPORTED AN ESTIMATED
ONE INCH OF SNOW HAS FALLEN IN THE VICINITY OF HAYS. THEY
ALSO REPORTED ROADS ARE SNOWPACKED ON HIGHWAY 40 JUST
WEST OF YOCEMENTO.
&&
JRJThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
Snowfall of 7.5 inches was recorded in Victoria.
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, January 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: 281424.