Dry conditions continued across all of the central plains through the month of December. December brought a small amount of moisture in the form of some snow during the middle part of the month, and again at the very end of the month.
Every event with a place to put it; 23 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.
Dry conditions continued across all of the central plains through the month of December. December brought a small amount of moisture in the form of some snow during the middle part of the month, and again at the very end of the month. Although some moisture did arrive to the area, the drought persisted through the month with D2 to D3 conditions continuing through the month, and into January.
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 Nov 30, 11:36 PM CST, 24 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS 1136 PM CST FRI NOV 30 2012 ...UPDATE TO AVIATION... .DISCUSSION... SHORT TERM - THROUGH SATURDAY... HIGH CLOUDS AND LIGHT WINDS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE EVENING HOURS WITH A GRADUAL DECREASE IN CLOUDS FROM WEST TO EAST. THE CLOUD COVER KEPT TEMPERATURES A BIT COOLER ON FRIDAY...AND THE TIMING OF THE CLEARING WILL ALLOW TEMPERATURES TO DROP OFF QUICKLY THROUGH THE MIDNIGHT HOUR. HOWEVER...AS THE NIGHT WEARS ON...AN AREA OF LOW LEVEL MOISTURE POOLED OVER EASTERN OKLAHOMA WILL STREAM NORTH INTO EASTERN AND EVENTUALLY CENTRAL KANSAS. THIS MOIST AIR CHARACTERIZED BY DEWPOINTS IN THE 50S WILL INTERACT WITH AIR TEMPERATURES IN THE UPPER 40S TO LOWER 50S ACROSS THE LOCAL FORECAST AREA. THE RESULT WILL LIKELY BE WIDESPREAD LOW STRATUS CLOUD COVER ALONG WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR SOME WIDESPREAD FOG. VISIBILITY LESS THAN 1 MILE CURRENTLY APPEARS TO BE A SAFE BET...BUT CONFIDENCE IN WIDESPREAD DENSE FOG IS LOWER AT THIS TIME GIVEN GRADUAL WARM ADVECTION ALONG WITH THE MOIST AIRMASS AND WINDS AROUND 10 MPH MAINTAINING SOME LOW LEVEL MIXING. SO FOR NOW WILL NOT ISSUE ANY DENSE FOG ADVISORY BUT THE POTENTIAL DOES EXIST...AND THIS WILL BE THE PRIMARY NON-AVIATION FORECAST ISSUE THROUGH THE SHORT TERM. THE BEST TIME PERIOD FOR WIDESPREAD FOG WILL BE FROM AROUND 2 AM THROUGH 10 AM. DRIZZLE OR VERY LIGHT RAIN SHOWERS WILL ALSO DEVELOP ON SATURDAY AS AN AREA OF INCREASED LIFT ASSOCIATED WITH A WEAK SHORT WAVE TROUGH SHOULD BE SUFFICIENT TO PRODUCE VERY LIGHT PRECIPITATION. POPS REMAIN LOW BUT MAINLY FOR THE LOW LIKELIHOOD OF ACTUALLY HAVING MEASURABLE PRECIPITATION. MOST OF EASTERN KANSAS IN PARTICULAR WILL STAND A GOOD CHANCE OF SEEING VERY LIGHT RAIN SHOWERS OR DRIZZLE AT SOME POINT DURING THE DAY. ALSO...DESPITE AMPLE CLOUD COVER...SIGNIFICANT WARM ADVECTION WILL ALLOW HIGH TEMPERATURES TO CLIMB INTO THE MIDDLE TO UPPER 60S. MID RANGE AND EXTENDED FORECAST (SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY)... TEMPERATURES FOR THE END OF THE WEEKEND AND INTO THE BEGINNING OF NEXT WEEK WILL REMAIN WELL ABOVE NORMAL ACROSS OUR ENTIRE FORECAST AREA. A STRONG FETCH OF SOUTHERLY FLOW IN CONJUNCTION WITH A MID/UPPER LEVEL RIDGE WILL ALLOW DAYTIME HIGHS ON SUNDAY TO REACH THE UPPER 60S TO LOWER 70S FOR ALL OF NORTHEAST...NORTH CENTRAL...AND EAST CENTRAL KANSAS. FOR CONTRAST SEASONAL NORMALS IN EARLY DECEMBER FOR DAYTIME HIGHS IN EASTERN KANSAS IS IN THE LOWER TO MID 40S. A CHANGE TO THE PATTERN IS IN STORE FOR THE AREA AS A LONGWAVE TROUGH IS EXPECTED TO GLIDE ACROSS SOUTHERN CANADA CAUSING PRESSURE HEIGHTS TO FALL OVER NORTHEAST KANSAS. THE BEST MID LEVEL LIFT FROM THIS SYSTEM WILL LIKELY STAY WELL NORTH OF THE AREA...SO DO NOT EXPECT MUCH IN THE WAY OF SYNOPTIC LIFT...HOWEVER A COLD FRONT ASSOCIATED WITH AN AREA OF HIGH PRESSURE AT THE SURFACE WILL PUSH THROUGH THE AREA MONDAY NIGHT INTO TUESDAY. THIS MAY PROVIDE ENOUGH LOW LEVEL LIFT TO PRODUCE A FEW SHOWERS...MAINLY ALONG AND SOUTH OF THE KANSAS TURNPIKE ON MONDAY NIGHT. WITH THE COLD FRONTAL PASSAGE OCCURRING ON MONDAY NIGHT EXPECT THE TEMPS ON TUESDAY TO COOL OFF QUITE A BIT FROM SUNDAY AND MONDAY HIGHS...HOWEVER TEMPS ARE STILL GOING TO BE WELL ABOVE SEASONAL NORMALS FOR TUES AND WED AS SHORTWAVE MID LEVEL RIDGING AND SOUTHERLY FLOW AT THE SURFACE RETURNS. A MORE SIGNIFICANT LONGWAVE TROUGH WITH ANOTHER COLD FRONTAL BOUNDARY...THIS ONE BEING A BIT COOLER THAN THE MONDAY NIGHT BOUNDARY...WILL PASS THROUGH THE AREA...PERHAPS BRINGING A FEW SHOWERS TO THE AREA THURSDAY NIGHT INTO FRIDAY MORNING. PRELIMINARY THERMAL PROFILE FOR THURSDAY NIGHT INTO FRIDAY MORNING SUGGESTS A POTENTIAL FOR WINTRY PRECIPITATION...RAIN/SNOW MIX...ACROSS THE FAR NORTHWESTERN ZONES...BUT FOR NOW WILL CARRY A CHANCE FOR ONLY RAIN ACROSS OUR ENTIRE FORECAST AREA UNTIL THE THERMAL PROFILE BECOMES A LITTLE CLEARER. JL && .AVIATION... MVFR/IFR STRATUS WILL CONTINUE TO DEVELOP WITH LIFR CIGS/VSBYS IN FOG BY 09Z AT ALL TERMINALS. GRADUAL VEERING LLVL FLOW WITH DECREASING WAA/MOISTURE ADVECTION WILL ALLOW CIGS/VSBYS TO SLOWLY IMPROVE BEYOND 15-17Z TIMEFRAME. VFR STRATOCU EXPECTED BY 20Z AS SUBSIDENCE AND DRYING ADVECT EASTWARD IN THE WAKE OF THE DEPARTING SHORTWAVE TROUGH. && .TOP WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS 936 PM CST FRI NOV 30 2012 KSZ008>012-020>024-026-034>040-054>056-058-059-020345- REPUBLIC-WASHINGTON-MARSHALL-NEMAHA-BROWN-CLOUD-CLAY-RILEY- POTTAWATOMIE-JACKSON-JEFFERSON-OTTAWA-DICKINSON-GEARY-MORRIS- WABAUNSEE-SHAWNEE-DOUGLAS-LYON-OSAGE-FRANKLIN-COFFEY-ANDERSON- 936 PM CST FRI NOV 30 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EAST CENTRAL...NORTH CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST KANSAS. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT. THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED THROUGH TONIGHT.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
23 drought. Local standard time, as filed.
Drought persisted across Anderson County during the month of December. Although some moisture arrived to the area in the form of snow during the latter half of the month D2 to D3 conditions continued into January.
Drought persisted across Brown County during the month of December. Although some moisture arrived to the area in the form of snow during the latter half of the month D2 conditions continued into January.
Drought persisted across Clay County during the month of December. Although some moisture arrived to the area in the form of snow during the latter half of the month D2 to D3 conditions continued into January.
Drought persisted across Cloud County during the month of December. Although some moisture arrived to the area in the form of snow during the latter half of the month D2 conditions continued into January.
Drought persisted across Coffey County during the month of December. Although some moisture arrived to the area in the form of snow during the latter half of the month D3 conditions continued into January.
Drought persisted across Dickinson County during the month of December. Although some moisture arrived to the area in the form of snow during the latter half of the month D2 to D3 conditions continued into January.
Drought persisted across Douglas County during the month of December. Although some moisture arrived to the area in the form of snow during the latter half of the month D2 to D3 conditions continued into January.
Drought persisted across Franklin County during the month of December. Although some moisture arrived to the area in the form of snow during the latter half of the month D2 to D3 conditions continued into January.
Drought persisted across Geary County during the month of December. Although some moisture arrived to the area in the form of snow during the latter half of the month D3 conditions continued into January.
Drought persisted across Jackson County during the month of December. Although some moisture arrived to the area in the form of snow during the latter half of the month D2 to D3 conditions continued into January.
Drought persisted across Jefferson County during the month of December. Although some moisture arrived to the area in the form of snow during the latter half of the month D2 to D3 conditions continued into January.
Drought persisted across Lyon County during the month of December. Although some moisture arrived to the area in the form of snow during the latter half of the month D3 conditions continued into January.
Drought persisted across Marshall County during the month of December. Although some moisture arrived to the area in the form of snow during the latter half of the month D2 conditions continued into January.
Drought persisted across Morris County during the month of December. Although some moisture arrived to the area in the form of snow during the latter half of the month D3 conditions continued into January.
Drought persisted across Nemaha County during the month of December. Although some moisture arrived to the area in the form of snow during the latter half of the month D2 conditions continued into January.
Drought persisted across Osage County during the month of December. Although some moisture arrived to the area in the form of snow during the latter half of the month D3 conditions continued into January.
Drought persisted across Ottawa County during the month of December. Although some moisture arrived to the area in the form of snow during the latter half of the month D2 conditions continued into January.
Drought persisted across Pottawatomie County during the month of December. Although some moisture arrived to the area in the form of snow during the latter half of the month D2 to D3 conditions continued into January.
Drought persisted across Republic County during the month of December. Although some moisture arrived to the area in the form of snow during the latter half of the month D2 conditions continued into January.
Drought persisted across Riley County during the month of December. Although some moisture arrived to the area in the form of snow during the latter half of the month D3 conditions continued into January.
Drought persisted across Shawnee County during the month of December. Although some moisture arrived to the area in the form of snow during the latter half of the month D3 conditions continued into January.
Drought persisted across Wabaunsee County during the month of December. Although some moisture arrived to the area in the form of snow during the latter half of the month D3 conditions continued into January.
Drought persisted across Washington County during the month of December. Although some moisture arrived to the area in the form of snow during the latter half of the month D2 conditions continued into January.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Kansas in 2012Every state in 2012This day in weather historyWarnings in Kansas, December 2012
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: 425938, 425939, 425940, 425941, 425942, 425943, 425944, 425945, 425946, 425947, 425948, 425949, 425950, 425951, 425952, 425953, 425954, 425955, 425956, 425957, 425958, 425959, 425960.