First major winter storm of the season dumped intense snow rates across much of the county warning area. Many of the counties received 6 inches or more of snow within a 2 to 4 hour period.
Every event with a place to put it; 22 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.
First major winter storm of the season dumped intense snow rates across much of the county warning area. Many of the counties received 6 inches or more of snow within a 2 to 4 hour period. Thundersnow was common during the early mornings of Thursday morning February 21st. The snowfall rates of 1 to as much as 3 inches per hour cause widespread travel difficulties. The bulk of the snow fell from around 4am CST through 11am CST. Additional light accumulations of less than 2 inches occurred through the late afternoon when areas of light freezing drizzle also occurred.
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 21, 12:21 AM CST, 3 hours 39 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS 1221 AM CST THU FEB 21 2013 ...UPDATE TO AVIATION... .DISCUSSION... TONIGHT THROUGH TOMORROW... DEEP TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE EVIDENT ON WATER VAPOR IMAGERY CONTINUES TO DIG SOUTH THROUGH SOUTHERN ARIZONA. WEAKER UPPER WAVE MOVING THROUGH NORTHERN KANSAS NOW HAS ALREADY PRODUCED 3+ INCHES OF SNOW IN SOUTH CENTRAL AREAS...BUT THE PERSISTENT DRY AIR IN THE EASTERN PORTION OF THE STATE HAS SO FAR PREVENTED MUCH FROM REACHING THE GROUND FURTHER NORTH AND EAST. THE MAIN SYSTEM WILL BEGIN TO OVERSPREAD THE STATE BY TOMORROW MORNING SETTING UP A RATHER IMPRESSIVE SNOW EVENT FOR A LARGE AREA. PREVIOUS FORECAST DEALT WITH SNOW AMOUNTS WELL. VERY DEEP VERTICAL CIRCULATION WITH STRONG UPPER FORCING OVERSPREADING GOOD LOW AND MID LEVEL FRONTOGENESIS...CENTERED AROUND 700 MB. THIS PUTS THE RESULTING LIFT SQUARELY IN THE PREFERRED SNOW GROWTH TEMPERATURE LAYER FOR AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIME. AS SUCH...SNOWFALL RATES OF 1-2 INCHES PER HOUR BEGINNING AROUND 12 UTC SEEM LIKELY. MAIN CHANGE THIS CYCLE IS THE IMPRESSIVE UNSTABLE LAYER ALOFT ALONG AND JUST NORTH OF A NORTHWARD MOVING WARM LAYER JUST NORTH OF THE DRY SLOT. THIS AREA IS MOSTLY EAST OF I-35...BUT RESULTING HEAVY SNOW BAND COULD MAKE IT AS FAR NORTH AS I-70. GIVEN AMOUNT OF INSTABILITY...THUNDERSNOW APPEARS POSSIBLE. IMPRESSIVE SNOW RATES OF 3 INCHES PER HOUR WERE NOTED IN MANY ENSEMBLE MEMBERS CENTERED AROUND 15-18 UTC THURSDAY. THIS STRONG LIFT AND WARM NOSE ALOFT MAY ALSO LEAD TO SOME SLEET IN MY FAR SOUTHEASTERN COUNTIES. WARM LAYER IS NOT DEEP ENOUGH TO RAISE MY CONCERN FOR FREEZING RAIN. HOWEVER...FREEZING RAIN IS LIKELY FURTHER SOUTH AND THE NORTHERN EXTENT OF THIS ARE WILL NEED TO BE WATCHED VERY CLOSELY. HARDING FOR THURSDAY NIGHT...NAM AND 00Z ECMWF A LITTLE FASTER AND THEREFORE FARTHER EAST WITH LIFT AND ASSOCIATED SURFACE LOW...WHICH WOULD END SNOWFALL IN EASTERN KS EARLIER THURSDAY EVENING...WHILE GEM AND GFS HAVE SURFACE LOW NEAR KS/MO BORDER AT 06Z AND WOULD KEEP POTENTIAL FOR ACCUMULATING SNOWS IN FAR EASTERN KS LONGER...TIL MIDNIGHT OR A LITTLE AFTER. THAT SAID...GFS IN PRETTY GOOD AGREEMENT WITH NAM IN HAVING PV ANOMALY EXITING FAR NORTHEAST KS AROUND 00Z...SO MAIN UPPER LIFT LEAVING WITH THAT. GOING FORECAST IN LINE WITH FASTER OF MODELS AND HAVE NOT CHANGED THIS MUCH FOR THIS PACKAGE. INCREASED SNOW TOTALS A LITTLE DURING THE EVENING IN NORTHEAST/EAST CENTRAL KS. SHOULD SYSTEM MOVE SLOWER THAN CURRENT THINKING...WINTER STORM WARNING MAY NEED TO BE MORE EXPANSIVE THURSDAY EVENING. MORE CONFIDENCE IN TIMING SHOULD BE GAINED WITH ANOTHER MODEL CYCLE. FRIDAY THROUGH SATURDAY...EASTERN KS MAINLY UNDER INFLUENCE OF SOUTHERN PLAINS HIGH PRESSURE FOR FRIDAY AND FRIDAY NIGHT. WITH FRESH...DEEP SNOW COVER...HIGHS ARE ONLY EXPECTED TO RISE TO THE MID TO UPPER 20S FRIDAY...WHILE LOWS FALL TO THE SINGLE DIGITS ABOVE ZERO FOR FRIDAY NIGHT. BY SATURDAY...HIGH IS MOVING OFF TO THE EAST WHILE WESTERLY WINDS ALOFT IMPINGING ON ROCKIES RESULTS IN LEE TROUGHING...AND THEREFORE INCREASING PRESSURE GRADIENT WITH SOUTHERLY WINDS. THIS SHOULD WARM TEMPS UP ON A LITTLE ON SATURDAY...INTO THE LOW TO MID 30S. GDP EXTENDED TERM: SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY... AS THE UPPER LEVEL RIDGE SHIFTS OVER THE CENTRAL CONUS ON SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY AFTERNOON...THE CWA SHOULD EXPECT TO SEE CONTINUED BELOW NORMAL HIGHS IN THE 30S TO LOW 40S. OPTED TO LOWER HIGHS A FEW DEGREES ESPECIALLY OVER THE NORTH CENTRAL AREAS WHERE RESIDUAL SNOWPACK WILL KEEP SURFACE TEMPERATURES DOWN NEAR THE FREEZING MARK. FOCUS THEN TURNS TO THE NEXT POTENTIAL WINTER STORM TO IMPACT THE REGION. TIMING AT THIS POINT AS FAR AS SEEING ANY ACCUMULATING SNOW WOULD BE AFT 00Z MONDAY OR SUNDAY EVENING INTO MONDAY. HIGHER CONFIDENCE AND CONSISTENT AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE GFS AND ECMWF ACROSS NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS NEAR THE NEBRASKA BORDER LEAD TO INCREASING POPS TO LIKELY FOR SNOW DURING THAT TIME FRAME. FOR AREAS FURTHER SOUTH AND EAST THERE IS STILL UNCERTAINTY AS TO PRECIP TYPE. ATTM...A PREDOMINANT RAIN AND/OR SNOW MIX IS EXPECTED AS FORECAST SOUNDINGS SHOW DECENT LAPSE RATES AND TEMPS BELOW -10C IN THE DGZ. HOWEVER SURFACE TEMPERATURES MAY REACH ABOVE FREEZING IN THESE AREAS ON MONDAY. IT IS TOO FAR OUT ATTM TO DETERMINE EXACT SNOWFALL AMOUNTS BUT ACCUMULATING SNOW FOR PORTIONS OF THE AREA APPEARS PROBABLE. THE SYSTEM CLEARS THE AREA BY TUESDAY AS SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE TEMPORARILY SETTLES IN THROUGH WEDNESDAY. TEMPERATURES DURING THIS TIME RANGE IN THE 30S FOR HIGHS AND IN THE 20S FOR OVERNIGHT LOWS. BOWEN && .AVIATION... FORECAST IS STILL ON TRACK FOR SIGNIFICANT SNOW FALL TO OCCUR LATER TODAY THROUGH THE EVENING HOURS. THE HEAVIEST SNOW WILL LIKELY OCCUR BETWEEN 14Z AND 20Z...WITH PERHAPS A PERIOD OF THUNDER AS WELL. LIGHT SNOW WILL CONTINUE AFTER 20Z THROUGH THE REST OF THE EVENING BEFORE TAPERING OFF LATE THURSDAY NIGHT. JL && .TOP WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL MIDNIGHT CST TONIGHT FOR KSZ010>012- 024-026-039-040. WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL 6 PM CST THIS EVENING FOR KSZ008-009- 020>023-034>038-054>056-058-059. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS 1048 PM CST WED FEB 20 2013 KSZ008>012-020>024-026-034>040-054>056-058-059-220500- REPUBLIC-WASHINGTON-MARSHALL-NEMAHA-BROWN-CLOUD-CLAY-RILEY- POTTAWATOMIE-JACKSON-JEFFERSON-OTTAWA-DICKINSON-GEARY-MORRIS- WABAUNSEE-SHAWNEE-DOUGLAS-LYON-OSAGE-FRANKLIN-COFFEY-ANDERSON- 1048 PM CST WED FEB 20 2013 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EAST CENTRAL...NORTH CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST KANSAS. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT. A MAJOR WINTER STORM CONTINUES TO ADVANCE TOWARD THE AREA. SNOWFALL WILL CONTINUE TO INCREASE TOWARD THE DAYLIGHT HOURS AND WILL ACCUMULATE SIGNIFICANTLY AND VERY RAPIDLY IN THE MORNING AND INTO THE EARLY AFTERNOON HOURS ON THURSDAY. TRAVEL WILL BE DIFFICULT IF NOT IMPOSSIBLE AS SNOW FALLS AT RATES OF 1 TO 3 INCHES PER HOUR. STRONG EAST WINDS WILL MAKE FOR VISIBILITY NEAR ZERO AT TIMES IN BLOWING SNOW. SOME SLEET IS POSSIBLE MAINLY AROUND AND SOUTH OF INTERSTATE 35. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY. THE STORM WILL CONTINUE THROUGHOUT THURSDAY...AND A WINTER STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR THE ENTIRE NORTHEAST KANSAS AREA TONIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY. HIGHEST SNOWFALL ACCUMULATIONS DURING THIS STORM WILL GENERALLY OCCUR ALONG AND WEST OF A LINE FROM MARYSVILLE...TO MANHATTAN AND HERINGTON WHERE 11 TO 15 INCHES OF SNOW ARE EXPECTED. AREAS EAST OF THIS LINE WILL GENERALLY SEE SNOWFALL FROM 8 TO 12 INCHES...INCLUDING THE CITIES OF TOPEKA...LAWRENCE AND EMPORIA. THE LOWEST ACCUMULATIONS OF 4 TO 8 INCHES SHOULD OCCUR AROUND AND SOUTH OF I 35. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SNOWFALL AMOUNTS TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TOPEKA.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
22 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.
EM reported 6 to 8 inches of snow county wide. The snow fell mainly in a 6 hour window from 4am through 10am CST.
COOP, trained spotters and EM all provided snowfall measurements and estimates of 6 to 8 inches across Clay County from this snowstorm.
COOP, trained spotters and EM all provided snowfall measurements and estimates of 6 to 8 inches across Cloud County from this snowstorm.
COOP, trained spotters and EM all provided snowfall measurements and estimates of 8 to 12 inches across Coffey County from this snowstorm. Freezing drizzle also occurred for several hours however any ice accumulation was less than one tenth of an inch.
COOP, trained spotters and EM all provided snowfall measurements and estimates of 6 to 12 inches across Dickinson County from this snowstorm.
COOP, trained spotters and EM all provided snowfall measurements and estimates of 8 to 12 inches across Franklin County from this winter storm. Freezing drizzle also occurred for several hours however any ice accumulation was less than one tenth of an inch.
COOP, trained spotters and EM all provided snowfall measurements and estimates of 8 to 12 inches across Lyon County from this winter storm. Freezing drizzle also occurred for several hours however any ice accumulation was less than one tenth of an inch.
COOP, trained spotters and EM all provided snowfall measurements and estimates of 6 to 8 inches across Morris County from this winter storm. Freezing drizzle also occurred for several hours however any ice accumulation was less than one tenth of an inch.
COOP, trained spotters and EM all provided snowfall measurements and estimates of 10 to 13 inches across Osage County from this winter storm. Freezing drizzle also occurred for several hours however any ice accumulation was less than one tenth of an inch.
COOP, trained spotters and EM all provided snowfall measurements and estimates of 6 to 10 inches across Ottawa County from this winter storm.
COOP, trained spotters and EM all provided snowfall measurements and estimates of 8 to 12 inches across Douglas County from this snowstorm. Freezing drizzle also occurred for several hours however any ice accumulation was less than one tenth of an inch.
COOP, trained spotters and EM all provided snowfall measurements and estimates of 8 to 12 inches across Shawnee County from this winter storm. Freezing drizzle also occurred for several hours however any ice accumulation was less than one tenth of an inch.
COOP, trained spotters and EM all provided snowfall measurements and estimates of 8 to 12 inches across Wabaunsee County from this winter storm. Freezing drizzle also occurred for several hours however any ice accumulation was less than one tenth of an inch.
COOP, trained spotters and EM all provided snowfall measurements and estimates of 6 to 8 inches across Geary County from this winter storm.
COOP, trained spotters and EM all provided snowfall measurements and estimates of 8 to 12 inches across Jackson County from this winter storm. Freezing drizzle also occurred for several hours however any ice accumulation was less than one tenth of an inch.
COOP, trained spotters and EM all provided snowfall measurements and estimates of 8 to 12 inches across Jefferson County from this winter storm. Freezing drizzle also occurred for several hours however any ice accumulation was less than one tenth of an inch.
COOP, trained spotters and EM all provided snowfall measurements and estimates of 6 to 10 inches across Pottawatomie County from this winter storm. Freezing drizzle also occurred for several hours however any ice accumulation was less than one tenth of an inch.
COOP, trained spotters and EM all provided snowfall measurements and estimates of 6 to 8 inches across Republic County from this winter storm.
COOP, trained spotters and EM all provided snowfall measurements and estimates of 6 to 10 inches across Riley County from this winter storm.
Public and spotter reports of around 6 inches of snow from the southern half of the county. The snow fell mainly in a 6 hour window from 8am through 2pm CST. The remainder of the northern half of the county received 3 to 6 inches of snow.
COOP, trained spotters and EM all provided snowfall measurements and estimates of 4 to 8 inches across Marshall County from this winter storm. |The heaviest snow occurred across the southern half of the county.
COOP, trained spotters and EM all provided snowfall measurements and estimates of 4 to 8 inches across Washington County from this winter storm.
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, February 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: 425495, 425497, 425498, 425499, 425500, 425502, 425506, 425508, 425509, 425510, 425501, 425514, 425515, 425503, 425504, 425505, 425511, 425512, 425513, 425496, 425507, 425516.