A mixture of freezing rain, sleet and snow developed across eastern Kansas during the early morning hours of Saturday December 21st. Widespread snow, sleet and freezing rain overspread the area during the afternoon of the 21st with the height of the storm occurring between 5pm Saturday and 3am Sunday.
Every event with a place to put it; 18 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 mixture of freezing rain, sleet and snow developed across eastern Kansas during the early morning hours of Saturday December 21st. Widespread snow, sleet and freezing rain overspread the area during the afternoon of the 21st with the height of the storm occurring between 5pm Saturday and 3am Sunday. Freezing rain accumulating to around one quarter inch across parts of the area while snowfall amounts of 6 to 9 inches were common across other areas north of interstate 70 by Sunday morning the 22nd. Impacts were mainly limited to hazardous travel with numerous accidents reported. Only sporadic power outages were noted.
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 21, 5:30 AM CST, 4 hours 30 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS 530 AM CST Sat Dec 21 2013 ...Update to aviation forecast discussion... .SHORT TERM...(Today and Tonight) Issued at 450 AM CST SAT DEC 21 2013 Quite a dynamic setup aloft with 0Z obs showing broad 120kt jet from Mexico northeast to the Great Lakes, with a a narrow 150kt jet diving southeast across Washington and Oregon. Early morning water vapor imagery has the closed low over southern New Mexico beginning to turn east, with a wave associated with the Pacific Northwest jet passing through Idaho. Precipitation overnight has been rather widespread over Oklahoma and southeast Kansas into southern and eastern Missouri where 0Z precipitable water values were just short of an inch, 2-3 times normal. 09Z surface obs indicating a narrow ridge axis over eastern Kansas with temps around 20 and dewpoints mainly in the teens. Precipitation should slowly work its way northwest today as low-mid level flow backs ahead of the southern low. Local observations showing low cloud frequently breaking up, with bouts of frontogenetic precipitation struggling to maintain themselves northwest of I-35. With this in mind, have backed off the timing of the warning for the central and northern counties with the more persistent precip expected later in the day. Precipitation types of a mixed back remain on track...with a rather saturated warm nose over sub-freezing temps keeping freezing rain and sleet in play over the southeastern half of the CWA. Freezing rain should dominate the far southeast with ice accumulations the main concern through the day. By late in the day, the upper low swings in as the northwest trough reaches eastern Colorado for strong Q-vector convergence to occur over negative equivalent potential vorticity and some hints of convective instability. Dynamic cooling should bring all precip to snow by the late evening. With mixing ratios in the 3-6 g/kg range and still evidence of a TROWAL, heavy snows still seem a good bet. Recent NAM runs have shown more impressive frontogenesis in the late afternoon and evening but are also rather quick the system leaving. This also results in slightly far southeast track of the heaviest precip. Given its track record with the system over the past few days, and expected difficulties in how the northern and southern branch energy will come together, it's hard to lean on it too heavily, and have kept the heaviest band fairly similar to the GFS though a bit higher, close to previous levels. Amounts to the northwest are also challenging with the drier air coming in, but feel an advisory was in order at this point. Kept the end time of all headlines at 12Z, but much of the area could be out of accumulating snow several hours earlier. .LONG TERM...(Sunday through Friday) Issued at 450 AM CST SAT DEC 21 2013 The upper trough will continue to move off to the northeast on Sunday. There may be a few flurries Sunday morning lingering in the eastern counties and added flurries through mid morning. Winds will start out around 15 mph and then decrease through the day as a broad surface high moves into central and eastern Kansas. A secondary wave moves southeast across the Plains Sunday night and may bring with it a few snow flurries. Temperatures will remain cold on Sunday with highs only in the lower to middle 20s. Lows Sunday night will fall into the single digits even with clouds. Monday and Tuesday the upper flow transitions from a northwest flow to a zonal pattern as another upper trough moves across the Northern and Central Plains. The surface high will move off into Missouri Monday night with light south winds developing on the back side of the high. With likely snow cover on the ground, light winds and mostly clear skies will temperatures dip below zero in northeast Kansas to near 10 in north central Kansas. With warm advection Tuesday expecting temperatures to rebound into the 20s to near 32 degrees in a few locals near central Kansas. On Christmas day and night another trough will move across the Plains. The better forcing is north across the Northern Plains into Minnesota with energy more sheared across Kansas. May see some light snow or flurries in far eastern Kansas Wednesday night. Broad high pressure settles over eastern Kansas Thursday into Friday. The models bring another wave through Thursday night and early Friday, but airmass is dry and not expecting any precipitation. With snow cover temperatures will be slow to warm much past the lower 30s or perhaps the mid 30s. Another shot of cold air will arrive for Thursday with highs only in the 20s. && .AVIATION...(For the 12Z TAFs through 12Z Sunday Morning) Issued at 530 AM CST SAT DEC 21 2013 MVFR cigs will prevail through much of the morning before becoming IFR with vsbys MVFR with a mix of FZRA and IP this will transition to a mix of snow and sleet by 20Z with all snow at MHK after 22Z and for TOP and FOE expect all snow after 00Z. IFR vsbys in SN are expected and there could be a period between 03Z and 08Z where vsbys and cigs will be LIFR. Conditions will improve after 09Z to MVFR vsbys but expect IFR to LIFR cigs to continue through 12Z. && .TOP WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY from 4 PM this afternoon to 6 AM CST Sunday FOR KSZ009-010-021-034. WINTER STORM WARNING until 6 AM CST Sunday FOR KSZ054>056-058- 059. WINTER STORM WARNING from 9 AM this morning to 6 AM CST Sunday FOR KSZ024-026-037>040. WINTER STORM WARNING from 1 PM this afternoon to 6 AM CST Sunday FOR KSZ011-012-022-023-035-036. && SHORT TERM...65 LONG TERM...53 AVIATION...53
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS 555 AM CST SAT DEC 21 2013 KSZ008>012-020>024-026-034>040-054>056-058-059-221200- REPUBLIC-WASHINGTON-MARSHALL-NEMAHA-BROWN-CLOUD-CLAY-RILEY- POTTAWATOMIE-JACKSON-JEFFERSON-OTTAWA-DICKINSON-GEARY-MORRIS- WABAUNSEE-SHAWNEE-DOUGLAS-LYON-OSAGE-FRANKLIN-COFFEY-ANDERSON- 555 AM CST SAT DEC 21 2013 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EAST CENTRAL...NORTH CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST KANSAS. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. WINTRY PRECIPITATION WILL MAKE A STEADY PUSH NORTHWEST ACROSS EAST CENTRAL AND EVENTUALLY NORTHEAST AND NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS TODAY. EAST CENTRAL KANSAS WILL SEE MAINLY SLEET AND FREEZING RAIN TODAY...WITH SNOW AND SOME SLEET DOMINATING THE PRECIPITATION TYPES IN NORTH CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST KANSAS. SNOW WILL OVERSPREAD THE AREA LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND THIS EVENING...WITH PERIODS OF HEAVY SNOW LIKELY FOR MUCH OF THE AREA INTO THE EARLY MORNING HOURS. ACCUMULATING SNOW WILL END BY DAWN. FREEZING RAIN SOUTH OF INTERSTATE 35 MAY BRING ICE ACCUMULATIONS OF AROUND ONE QUARTER OF AN INCH. SLEET OF UP TO A HALF INCH IS POSSIBLE FROM ALONG INTERSTATE 70 TO NEAR INTERSTATE 35. WIDESPREAD SNOW AMOUNTS OF 4 TO 7 INCHES ARE FORECAST FROM ABILENE TO SENECA AND SOUTH TO NEAR INTERSTATE 35...WITH 2 TO 4 INCHES ANTICIPATED FOR MUCH OF THE REMAINDER OF THE AREA. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY. WIND CHILL READINGS WILL BE NEAR 15 DEGREES BELOW ZERO LATE SUNDAY NIGHT AND EARLY MONDAY MORNING IN PORTIONS OF NORTHEAST KANSAS. WIND CHILLS OF 15 TO 20 DEGREES BELOW ZERO ARE FORECAST LATE MONDAY NIGHT AND EARLY TUESDAY MORNING FOR NORTHEAST AND PORTIONS OF EAST CENTRAL KANSAS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED THROUGH TONIGHT. SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT THE TYPE OF WINTER PRECIPITATION FALLING AND ANY ACCUMULATIONS TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TOPEKA.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
14 winter storm, 4 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
One quarter (0.25) inches of ice was reported at Colony. This was in addition to around one half inch of sleet and a half inch of snow.
One quarter (0.25) inches of ice was reported at Burlington. This was in addition to around one half inch of sleet and one inch of snow.
One quarter (0.25) inch of ice was reported at Lane. This was in addition to around one half inch of sleet and two inches of snow.
Six inches of snow was measured at White City in Morris County.
A cooperative observer reported 5.2 inches of snow along with a light glaze of around one tenth of an inch of ice at Mcfarland.
A cooperative observer measured 8.5 inches of snow at the Kansas State University campus in Manhattan.
A cooperative observer measured 8.0 inches of snow at Blaine.
Nine inches of snow was measured at Enterprise in Dickinson County.
Eight to nine inches of snow was measured 2 miles southwest of Junction City. The actual measurement was 8.5 inches.
A cooperative observer measured 11.0 inches of snow at Baileyville in Nemaha County.
Public reports via facebook measured 7 to 7.5 inches of snow at Hiawatha and Robinson in Brown County.
Public reported 6 inches of snow 2 miles north northwest of Meriden in Jackson County. A light glaze from freezing rain was also reported.
Public reported 6 inches of snow 3 miles southwest of Valley Falls in Jefferson County. A light glaze from freezing rain was also reported but no measurement of ice was provided.
A combination of NWS, spotters and COOP reports provided measurements of 5 to 7 inches of snow across mainly the northern half of Douglas County. Around one tenth of an inch of ice from freezing rain also occurred.
Observer measured 7.7 inches of snow at Axtell. Other measurements and estimates from across Marshall County suggested widespread 5 to 8 inches of snow had fallen from this storm.
Observer measured 9.0 inches of snow at Clay Center. Other measurements and estimates from across Clay County suggested widespread 6 to 9 inches of snow had fallen from this storm.
Observer measured 6.5 inches at Minneapolis with widespread 5 to 7 inch reports across Ottawa County from the storm.
Observer measured 7.0 inches of snow 3 ENE of Greenleaf in Washington County. Another CoCoRaHS observer measured 8.8 inches at Barnes in Washington County.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Kansas in 2013Every state in 2013This day in weather historyWarnings in Kansas, December 2013
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: 481130, 481131, 481132, 481133, 481136, 481137, 481138, 481134, 481135, 481139, 481140, 481141, 481142, 481143, 481148, 481149, 481150, 481151.