Freezing drizzle developed causing a thin layer of ice to build up on outdoor surfaces. Multiple automobile accidents were reported on I-70 as well as a couple on Highway 83 in Logan county due to the slick road conditions.
Every event with a place to put it; 4 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 GLD wrote it up.
Freezing drizzle developed causing a thin layer of ice to build up on outdoor surfaces. Multiple automobile accidents were reported on I-70 as well as a couple on Highway 83 in Logan county due to the slick road conditions. The slick roads also caused one area school to release early.
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 Goodland, KS wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Dec 17, 4:05 AM CST, 3 hours 25 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KS 305 AM MST WED DEC 17 2014 .SHORT TERM...(TODAY THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT) ISSUED AT 300 AM MST WED DEC 17 2014 TODAY-TONIGHT...UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE CURRENTLY OVER SOUTHWEST ARIZONA FORECAST TO LIFT NORTHEAST REACHING SOUTHEAST COLORADO BY 00Z THEN ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA THROUGH MIDNIGHT THEN EXIT THE AREA BY SUNRISE THURSDAY MORNING. CLOSER TO THE SFC SATURATED BOUNDARY LAYER MOISTURE WILL CREATE A DECK OF LOW CLOUDS FOR MUCH OF THE AREA TODAY AND ALL OF THE AREA TONIGHT WITH AN EASTERLY COMPONENT TO THE WIND. SOME FOG ALSO POSSIBLE THIS MORNING. MAY BE A LITTLE FAST IN INTRODUCING POPS BUT RIGHT NOW HAVE SOME LIGHT SNOW STARTING AROUND 22Z-23Z FOR AREAS FROM MCCOOK TO GOODLAND AND FLAGLER...IN THE HEART OF 850-500 MOISTURE. PRECIPITATION CHANCES INCREASE ACROSS ALL BUT THE NORTHWEST 1/2 OF THE AREA THROUGH MIDNIGHT WITH A DECREASE FROM NORTHWEST TO SOUTHEAST AFTER MIDNIGHT AS DRIER AIR IN THE 850-500 LAYER MOVES DOWN. HAVE SNOWFALL AMOUNTS TOTALING A HALF INCH AT BEST BUT A FEW LOCATIONS MAY SEE UP TO AN INCH. HIGH TEMPERATURES IN THE MID/UPPER 20S TO AROUND 30 ALONG AND NORTH OF THE INTERSTATE (UNDER COLDER 850MB TEMPERATURES AND STRATUS) WITH LOW 30S TO AROUND 40 SOUTH...WARMEST IN THE TRIBUNE AND LEOTI AREAS. LOWS IN THE TEENS NORTH AND NORTHWEST WITH MID 20S FAR EAST-SOUTH. THURSDAY-THURSDAY NIGHT...MAY SEE A BRIEF WINDOW OF LIGHT SNOW IN THE MORNING FROM NORTON TO NEAR LEOTI AND POINTS EAST WITH DRY CONDITIONS MID TO LATE MORNING AS MID LEVEL DRY AIR CONTINUES MOVING SOUTHEAST CUTTING OFF PRECIPITATION POTENTIAL. ANOTHER BATCH OF MID LEVEL CLOUDS ASSOCIATED WITH UPPER TROUGH MOVES ACROSS DURING THE NIGHT WITH NO PRECIPITATION EXPECTED. WILL HAVE CONSIDERABLE LOW CLOUDS HOWEVER. HIGH TEMPERATURES IN THE 30S EXCEPT AROUND 40 IN TRIBUNE. LOWS IN THE UPPER TEENS TO MID 20S. FRIDAY-FRIDAY NIGHT...UPPER TROUGH MOVES ACROSS DURING THE DAY WITH SOME UPPER RIDGING MOVING IN DURING THE NIGHT. SHOULD SEE AFTERNOON TEMPERATURES IN THE 40S EXCEPT OVER SNOWPACK AREAS OF KIT CARSON AND YUMA COUNTIES WHERE MID 30S EXPECTED. LOWS IN THE MID TEENS TO LOW 20S. .LONG TERM...(SATURDAY THROUGH TUESDAY) ISSUED AT 300 AM MST WED DEC 17 2014 WESTERLY QUASI ZONAL FLOW ALOFT WILL BEGIN THE LONG TERM FORECAST PERIOD AS AN UPPER LEVEL TROUGH SLIDES ALONG THE ROCKIES INTO THE SOUTH CENTRAL PLAINS...WHICH WILL KEEP ACTIVE WEATHER OUTSIDE OF THE IMMEDIATE TRI STATE REGION FOR THE WEEKEND. PARTLY TO MOSTLY CLEAR SKIES WILL BE PRESENT WITH HIGH TEMPERATURES IN THE MID TO UPPER 40S. WITH THE LACK OF CLOUD COVER TO BLANKET IN WARMTH...LOW TEMPERATURES SHOULD DIP BACK INTO THE LOW TO MID 20S. THE NEXT WEATHER SYSTEM WILL APPROACH THE HIGH PLAINS REGION MONDAY. SOUTHWEST SURFACE FLOW WILL ALLOW HIGH TEMPERATURES REACH THE UPPER 40S TO LOWER 50S AHEAD OF A CLIPPER SYSTEM THAT WILL MOVE ACROSS THE NORTHERN PLAINS AND UPPER MIDWEST TO BRING A COLD FRONT THROUGH THE AREA EARLY MONDAY MORNING. MOISTURE ORIGINATING IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST WILL FILTER BEHIND THE FRONTAL PASSAGE AS AN UPPER LEVEL RIDGE OVER THE WESTERN THIRD OF THE CONUS PUSHES PRECIPITATION TOWARDS THE FORECAST AREA. THE ECMWF AND GFS40 HAVE SOME DIFFERENCES IN WET BULB ZERO HEIGHTS AND 850-700 CRITICAL THICKNESS PLACEMENTS...HOWEVER EXPECTING ANY CHANCES FOR PRECIPITATION TO BE RAIN DURING THE DAYLIGHT HOURS MONDAY. AS COLDER AIR CONTINUES TO FLOW INTO THE AREA...THE RAIN/SNOW LINE WILL GENERALLY POSITION ALONG INTERSTATE 70 WITH RAIN SHOWERS TO THE SOUTH AND RAIN/SNOW MIXES TO THE NORTH OF THE INTERSTATE AFTER SUNDOWN. PRECIPITATION WILL TRANSITION TO SNOW INTO THE LATE EVENING HOURS. THE LATEST ECMWF IS FORECASTING BETWEEN ONE AND TWO INCHES OF SNOW FOR EASTERN COLORADO...BUT A LOT OF THE SNOW ACCUMULATION WAS COMING IN PERIODS OF RAIN AND RAIN/SNOW MIXES BASED ON 700-850 CRITICAL THICKNESS LINES AND WET BULB ZERO HEIGHTS. THEREFORE...ALIGNED SNOW FORECAST MORE WITH GFS40 FORECAST WITH SMALLER ACCUMULATIONS AT THIS TIME. THE UPPER LEVEL TROUGH BASE WILL SLIDE THROUGH THE AREA EARLY TUESDAY MORNING...WHICH WILL END PRECIPITATION CHANCES FOR THE REST OF THE DAY. BASED ON ADVECTION AT 850 MB BRINGING IN TEMPERATURES BELOW FREEZING...DECIDED TO BUMP THE BLEND TEMPERATURES DOWN A BIT ON TUESDAY INTO THE LOW TO MID 40S. MOS GUIDANCE IS TRENDING COOLER...SO TEMPERATURE FORECAST MAY NEED TO BE ADJUSTED LOWER IN FUTURE FORECASTS. && .AVIATION...(FOR THE 12Z TAFS THROUGH 12Z THURSDAY MORNING) ISSUED AT 300 AM MST WED DEC 17 2014 KGLD...IFR/VLIFR CIGS THROUGH THE PERIOD. WEATHER DISTURBANCE WILL MOVE OVER THE TERMINAL FROM THE SOUTHWEST AROUND 00Z BRINGING SOME SNOW NEAR THE TERMINAL. LIGHT SNOW WITH VIS IN THE 1-3NM RANGE EXPECTED FROM 03Z-09Z WITH WINDS FROM THE EAST AROUND 7KTS. FROM 10Z-12Z SNOW WILL EXIT THE TERMINAL WITH IFR/VLIFR CIGS CONTINUING. KMCK...IFR/VLIFR CIGS THROUGH THE PERIOD. WEATHER DISTURBANCE WILL MOVE OVER THE TERMINAL FROM THE SOUTHWEST AROUND 01Z BRINGING SOME LIGHT SNOW TO THE TERMINAL THEN EXITING TO THE SOUTHEAST AROUND 10Z. LOWER VISIBILITY IN SNOW POSSIBLE FROM 04Z-08Z. WINDS FROM THE EAST 4-7KTS. && .GLD WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... KS...NONE. CO...NONE. NE...NONE. && SHORT TERM...99 LONG TERM...MK AVIATION...99
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KS 410 AM MST WED DEC 17 2014 COZ090>092-KSZ001>004-013>016-027>029-041-042-NEZ079>081-181230- YUMA-KIT CARSON-CHEYENNE CO-CHEYENNE KS-RAWLINS-DECATUR-NORTON- SHERMAN-THOMAS-SHERIDAN-GRAHAM-WALLACE-LOGAN-GOVE-GREELEY-WICHITA- DUNDY-HITCHCOCK-RED WILLOW- 410 AM MST WED DEC 17 2014 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EAST CENTRAL COLORADO... EXTREME SOUTHWEST NEBRASKA AND NORTHWEST KANSAS. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT... A WEATHER DISTURBANCE WILL BRING SOME LIGHT SNOW TO MUCH OF THE AREA VERY LATE THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH THE OVERNIGHT HOURS. SNOWFALL AMOUNTS WILL GENERALLY BE UNDER ONE INCH. LOCATIONS FROM TRIBUNE TO LEOTI MAY SEE A ONE TO TWO HOUR WINDOW OF LIGHT SNOW MIXED WITH SOME FREEZING DRIZZLE EARLY THIS EVENING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY... LIGHT SNOW WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE SOUTHEAST AND AWAY FROM THE AREA THURSDAY MORNING. ANY ADDITIONAL ACCUMULATION WILL BE UNDER ONE HALF INCH. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
4 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.
Freezing drizzle caused a thin layer of ice to build up on area roadways. The slick roads contributed to a vehicle rolling over while on I-70.
Freezing drizzle caused a thin layer of ice to build up on area roadways. The slick roads contributed to drivers of several vehicles losing control on I-70.
The freezing drizzle caused a thin layer of ice to built up on area roadways. The slick road conditions lead to a vehicle accident as it was crossing a bridge on Highway 83.
Freezing drizzle caused a thin layer of ice to build up on area roadways. The slick roads contributed to a vehicle rolling over as it was exiting I-70.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Kansas in 2014Every state in 2014This day in weather historyWarnings in Kansas, December 2014
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: 549698, 549723, 549696, 549697.