A winter weather advisory was issued for much of the area effective from 6am Monday December 31st through 6am Jan 1st. Snow began to fall around 6am on December 1st and accumulated to between 5 and 7 inches across Cloud and Republic Counties.
Every event with a place to put it; 2 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 winter weather advisory was issued for much of the area effective from 6am Monday December 31st through 6am Jan 1st. Snow began to fall around 6am on December 1st and accumulated to between 5 and 7 inches across Cloud and Republic Counties. The remainder of the area receive between 2 and 5 inches of snow. Winds were not particularly strong and averaged 10 to 15 mph and visibilities also ranged from one half to one mile at most times during the snowfall. However, the snow did accumulate to around 6 inches within 12 hours and thus those two counties will be listed as enduring heavy snow for this event.
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 31, 5:25 AM CST, 35 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS 525 AM CST MON DEC 31 2012 ...UPDATE TO AVIATION... .DISCUSSION... LIGHT TO MODERATE SNOW EXPECTED THROUGHOUT THE DAY MONDAY INTO EARLY TUESDAY MORNING. GENERALLY 2 TO 4 INCHES OF SNOW ARE EXPECTED...WITH THE HIGHER AMOUNTS OCCURRING ALONG INTERSTATE 70 IN CENTRAL KANSAS. SHORT TERM FORECAST (MONDAY AND TUESDAY)... WATER VAPOR IMAGERY AT 09Z SHOWS A PLUME OF MOISTURE ADVECTING NORTHWARD THROUGH THE SOUTHERN AND CENTRAL PLAINS AHEAD OF AN AMPLIFIED MID LEVEL TROUGH...WHICH IS CURRENTLY POSITIONED ROUGHLY OVER THE FOUR CORNERS REGION. THIS SOUTHERN STREAM TROUGH IS EXPECTED TO EJECT EASTWARD INTO THE HIGH PLAINS LATER THIS AFTERNOON AND COME INTO PHASE WITH THE NORTHERN STREAM TROUGH...FORMING A WEAKENING OPEN WAVE. ALTHOUGH THIS WAVE WILL BRING SOME MID/UPPER SUPPORT FOR ASCENT THE PV ANOMALY SEEMS TO BE RATHER WEAK WITH THIS SYSTEM...AND THAT WILL LIKELY MITIGATE A PORTION OF THE ASCENT. CONFIDENCE IS PRETTY HIGH THAT THE ENTIRE FORECAST AREA CONSISTING OF NORTH CENTRAL...NORTHEAST...AND EAST CENTRAL KANSAS WILL SEE ACCUMULATING SNOW BETWEEN 12Z MONDAY AND 12Z TUESDAY. THIS FORECAST PACKAGE CONTAINS A FEW MINOR CHANGES...NAMELY A SLIGHT ADJUSTMENT DOWN IN OVERALL SNOW TOTALS AND THE INCLUSION OF PERIODS OF FREEZING DRIZZLE ACROSS AREAS SOUTH OF INTERSTATE 70 THIS AFTERNOON. 00Z SOUNDINGS FROM TOP/DDC/OUN SHOW A VERY DRY LAYER OF AIR BELOW 10 KFT AND ALTHOUGH A FEW ECHOES ARE SHOWING UP ON RADAR IN CENTRAL AND EASTERN KANSAS THE ASSOCIATED PRECIP WILL LIKELY NOT MAKE IT TO THE SURFACE UNTIL THE ATMOSPHERIC COLUMN CAN SATURATE. MODEL SOUNDINGS INDICATE THAT THIS SATURATION WILL LIKELY OCCUR FROM TOP TO BOTTOM BY AROUND 14Z...AT WHICH TIME SNOW WILL BEGIN TO FALL. THE MAIN CONCERN WITH THE GOING FORECAST IS A LAYER OF VERY DRY AIR WHICH IS EXPECTED TO MOVE INTO THE AREA ALONG THE SOUTHEASTERN FLANK OF THE MID LEVEL WAVE. 00Z ECMWF IS THE MOST AGGRESSIVE MODEL WITH RESPECT TO THIS DRY AIR WORKING ITS WAY INTO THE MID LEVELS...HOWEVER THE NAM/GFS INDICATE THE SAME DRY LAYER OF AIR IN CROSS SECTIONS AND SOUNDINGS. EXPECT THE ATMOSPHERIC COLUMN TO COMPLETELY SATURATE THROUGH THE -10 C TO -15 C DENDRITIC GROWTH LAYER EARLY IN THE DAY...HOWEVER THE AFOREMENTIONED DRY AIR ALOFT WILL EAT AWAY AT SOME OF THAT SATURATION IN THE DGZ. NAM/GFS INDICATE THAT THE DGZ SHOULD STAY SATURATED THROUGHOUT THE DAY...MEANING THE PREDOMINANT PRECIP TYPE WILL BE SNOW...HOWEVER SHOULD THE DRY AIR WORK ITS WAY A LITTLE LOWER INTO THE ATMOSPHERIC COLUMN AS THE ECMWF SUGGESTS THEN A GOOD PORTION OF CENTRAL AND EAST CENTRAL KANSAS COULD SEE A PERIOD OF FREEZING DRIZZLE LATER THIS AFTERNOON. THE CURRENT FORECAST LEANS MORE IN THE DIRECTION OF THE DGZ STAYING SATURATED MOST OF THE DAY...HOWEVER DID CUT THE GOING SNOW AMOUNTS A BIT TO ALLOW FOR THE FACT THAT THE SNOW MAY BE INTERRUPTED FOR A PERIOD OF THE DAY ON MONDAY. MESOSCALE FEATURES ASSOCIATED WITH THIS SYSTEM CONTINUE TO LOOK RATHER WEAK AS CROSS SECTIONS INDICATE VERY LITTLE IN THE WAY OF CONVECTIVE INSTABILITY OR CONVECTIVE SLANTWISE INSTABILITY IN THE SATURATED LAYER. SOME LOW LEVEL FRONTOGENESIS WILL LIKELY OCCUR IN PORTIONS OF CENTRAL AND NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS SO A PERIOD OF MODERATE SNOW WILL BE POSSIBLE DURING THE DAY TIME HOURS. OTHERWISE WITH THE MESOSCALE AND SYNOPTIC SCALE LIFTING FEATURES BEING RELATIVELY WEAK THE UPWARD MOTION OF PARCELS WILL BE GENERALLY UNIMPRESSIVE. THE AFOREMENTIONED FACTORS SHOULD LEND ITSELF TO AN EVENT WITH PROLONGED LIGHT SNOW LASTING FROM 12Z MONDAY THROUGH AROUND 12Z TUESDAY MORNING. REGARDING QPF DID NOT MAKE ANY SIGNIFICANT CHANGES TO THE GOING FORECAST. TOTAL QPF REFLECTS A GENERAL CONSENSUS AMONG THE MODELS AS BETWEEN A QUARTER AND A THIRD OF AN INCH OF LIQUID EQUIVALENT IS EXPECTED FROM THIS SYSTEM. SNOW AMOUNTS WERE GENERATED USING THE QPF TOTALS AND INTRODUCING THEM TO A 10 TO 1 RATIO SOUTH OF INTERSTATE 70 AND AROUND 13 TO 1 ALONG AND NORTH OF INTERSTATE 70. DID NOT MAKE A LARGE CHANGE TO THE PREVIOUSLY FORECAST SNOW AMOUNTS...BUT GIVEN THE POTENTIAL FOR THE DRY AIR ALOFT TO WORK ITS WAY INTO THE DGZ SNOW AMOUNTS WERE LOWERED A BIT. NO CHANGE IS EXPECTED TO THE ONGOING WINTER WEATHER HAZARDS. LIGHT SNOW IS EXPECTED TO MOVE OFF TO THE EAST BY 12Z TUESDAY...ALTHOUGH A FEW FLURRIES MAY LINGER THROUGH THURSDAY AFTERNOON. JL WED-FRI...LARGE UPPER TROF CONTINUES TO DROP SOUTHWARD ACROSS THE PLAINS STATES THROUGH THE DAY WEDNESDAY. MAY BE ENOUGH WARM AIR ADVECTION UNDER ZONAL FLOW AHEAD OF THE APPROACHING TROF TO KEEP HIGH TEMPERATURES IN THE UPPER 20S BEFORE THE NEXT COLD FRONT MOVES IN WED NIGHT INTO THURSDAY. HIGHS THURSDAY ONLY EXPECTED IN THE LOW TO MIDDLE 20S. OVERNIGHT LOWS GENERALLY IN THE SINGLE DIGITS TO TEENS. MIGHT BE AN OUTSIDE CHANCE FOR FLURRIES THURSDAY AS THE COLD POOL ALOFT MOVES OVERHEAD BUT NOT CONFIDENT ENOUGH TO ADD ANYTHING AT THIS TIME. LOWS DROP A FEW MORE DEGREES THURSDAY NIGHT. AS TROF PASSES FRIDAY...MAY HAVE ENOUGH SUN AND WAA TO GET HIGHS BACK NEAR FREEZING...BUT IF SNOW COVER IS IN PLACE COULD BE A FEW DEGREES TOO HIGH THIS FORECAST. SAT/SUN...DESPITE SOME CONSIDERABLE DIFFERENCES IN HOW THE EC AND GFS HANDLE THE WESTERN RIDGE AND THE SHORTWAVES THAT MOVE THROUGH THE PLAINS...BOTH GENERALLY BRING A WARMER TREND FOR THE WEEKEND. SOME OF THE HEATING MAY NEED TO GO INTO MELTING SNOW...BUT MIDDLE TO UPPER 30S APPROPRIATE AT THIS TIME GIVEN UNCERTAINTY. 67 && .AVIATION... KEPT TAFS SIMILAR TO LAST ISSUANCE WITH MVFR CONDITIONS DEVELOPING BY 13Z AND QUICKLY BECOMING IFR BY 15Z. CON CENSUS OF GUIDANCE IS TO KEEP THESE CONDITIONS THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF THE TAF PERIOD...ALTHOUGH WOULD EXPECT SOME FLUCTUATIONS IN VISIBILITY AND POSSIBLY A MIX OF FREEZING DRIZZLE THIS AFTERNOON THAT WILL NEED TO BE MONITORED FOR AS CONDITIONS DEVELOP. 67 && .TOP WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 6 AM CST TUESDAY FOR KSZ008>012- 020>024-026-034>040-054>056-058-059. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS 355 AM CST MON DEC 31 2012 KSZ008>012-020>024-026-034>040-054>056-058-059-011000- REPUBLIC-WASHINGTON-MARSHALL-NEMAHA-BROWN-CLOUD-CLAY-RILEY- POTTAWATOMIE-JACKSON-JEFFERSON-OTTAWA-DICKINSON-GEARY-MORRIS- WABAUNSEE-SHAWNEE-DOUGLAS-LYON-OSAGE-FRANKLIN-COFFEY-ANDERSON- 355 AM CST MON DEC 31 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EAST CENTRAL...NORTH CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST KANSAS. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. ACCUMULATING SNOW IS EXPECTED TO OCCUR EARLY MONDAY MORNING AROUND 6AM AND CONTINUE THROUGH THE REST OF THE DAY INTO LATE MONDAY NIGHT. PERIODS OF MODERATE SNOW WILL BE POSSIBLE THROUGHOUT THE DAY...MAINLY ALONG AND JUST NORTH OF INTERSTATE 70 IN CENTRAL AND NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS. AS FOR SNOW TOTALS...ROUGHLY 2 TO 4 INCHES ARE EXPECTED ACROSS THE OUTLOOK AREA WITH THE HIGHEST AMOUNTS ALONG THE I-70 CORRIDOR. SNOWFALL AMOUNTS AROUND 2 INCHES ARE EXPECTED NEAR THE NEBRASKA BORDER AND SOUTH OF INTERSTATE 35. PATCHY FREEZING DRIZZLE IS POSSIBLE ALONG AND SOUTH OF INTERSTATE 35 MONDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY. THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO PERIODICALLY REPORT SNOW AMOUNTS AND REPORT TOTAL SNOW FALL WHEN THE SNOW HAS ENDED.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
2 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
Spotters and COOP observers measured between 5 and 7 inches of snow across Cloud and Republic Counties by Monday evening December 31st. The snow began falling around 6 am that day and accumulated to around 6 inches around 12 hours later.
Spotters and COOP observers measured between 5 and 7 inches of snow across Cloud and Republic Counties by Monday evening December 31st. The snow began falling around 6 am that day and accumulated to around 6 inches around 12 hours later.
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: 418272, 418274.