Drought conditions persisted across far southern Cheyenne county, mainly south of Highway 40 where Severe Drought conditions were located. 43 below normal for the month.
Every event with a place to put it; 1 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.
Drought conditions persisted across far southern Cheyenne county, mainly south of Highway 40 where Severe Drought conditions were located. Precipitation reports from COOP observers in Cheyenne county ranged 0.03 below normal to 0.43 below normal for the month.
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 31, 10:00 PM MST, 2 hours earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KS 1000 PM MST WED DEC 31 2014 .UPDATE... ISSUED AT 725 PM MST WED DEC 31 2014 UPDATES SENT FOR FIRST AND SECOND PERIODS (TONIGHT AND THURSDAY). CIRRUS SLOWLY MOVING NORTH THIS EVENING WITH RUC/NAM 300MB RH HANDLING IT WELL. CLOUDS WILL CONTINUE TO INCREASE ACROSS ALL BUT THE FAR NORTHWEST PART OF THE AREA DURING THE OVERNIGHT HOURS SO HAD TO INCREASE CLOUDS QUITE A BIT. THESE HIGH CLOUDS WILL START TO MOVE EAST WEDNESDAY MORNING NEARLY EXITING THE AREA BY 15Z BUT NOW WE WILL WATCH INCREASE IN SOME MID CLOUDS NEAR/SOUTH OF TRIBUNE. BY NOON OR SO THESE CLOUDS REACH I-70 WITH 850-700 MOISTURE VERY DRY. WITH THAT IN MIND HAVE PULLED CHANCES OUT PRECIP OUT OF THE FORECAST. CANT RULE OUT A FEW FLURRIES ACROSS THE WESTERN 1/4 OF OUR COLORADO COUNTIES AND MAYBE IN THE HILL CITY AREA WHERE 700-500 MOISTURE IS HIGHEST BUT NOT REAL CONFIDENT THAT EVEN THAT WILL OCCUR. WITH CIRRUS INCREASING ACROSS MUCH OF THE AREA AND SUSTAINED WEST/NORTHWEST WINDS 5 TO 10 MPH OVERNIGHT LOWS FOR MANY MAY NOT DROP TO PREVIOUS FORECAST VALUES. HAVE NUDGED THEM UP A FEW DEGREES. LOCATIONS ALONG/NORTH OF THE KS/NE BORDER AND PARTS OF YUMA COUNTY WILL BE THE COLDEST AND WITH THE WIND WILL FLIRT WITH WIND CHILL READINGS AROUND -15F. WILL WATCH TRENDS AND POSSIBLY ISSUE A WIND CHILL ADVISORY IF IT LOOKS WARRANTED. && .SHORT TERM...(THIS EVENING THROUGH THURSDAY) ISSUED AT 122 PM MST WED DEC 31 2014 ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA THIS AFTERNOON...MOST SPOTS IN THE SINGLE NUMBERS/TEENS ABOVE ZERO. CLOUD COVER FROM THIS MORNING REMAINS OVER MOST SPOTS DUE TO RIDGE OFF TO THE EAST SLOWING ITS EXIT. EXPECTING REMAINING CLOUDS TO SLOWLY CLEAR THE CWA GOING INTO THE EVENING HRS. WITH CLEARING SKIES AND FRESH SNOWPACK OVER AREA...EXPECT TEMPS TO DROP AGAIN...BUT NOT AS LOW AS LAST NIGHT. WNW DOWNSLOPE FLOW WILL AID IN KEEP TEMPS WARMER THAN LAST NIGHT. THAT SAID...EARLY CLEARING WILL PROVIDE REGION WITH EARLY OVERNIGHT LOWS AS MODELS SHIFT UPPER LOW OVER THE SOUTHWEST UP INTO THE ROCKIES. THE EXPECTED INCREASE IN CLOUDS SHOULD HELP TO EASE THE DROP IN TEMPS...ESPECIALLY AFTER MIDNIGHT TONIGHT. GOING INTO THURSDAY WITH INCREASING CLOUDS AND UPPER LOW MOVING CLOSER TO THE CWA...LOOKING FOR LIGHT SNOW TO FALL OVER THE CWA. WITH MODEL QPF 0.01-0.02" OR LESS...THE FURTHER EAST YOU GO INTO THE CWA...WILL KEEP POPS MAINLY AT SLIGHT CHANCE...WITH CHANCE POPS OVER EASTERN COLORADO ZONES WHERE A FEW TENTHS MAY FALL. FOR TEMPS OVERNIGHT AND ON THURSDAY...HAVE GONE CLOSER TO LATEST NAM GUIDANCE FOR OVERNIGHT LOWS BEING THE COLDEST...AND THE NAM AGAIN FOR HIGHS DUE TO EXPECTED CLOUD COVER...ESPECIALLY OVER WESTERN ZONES. OVERNIGHT LOWS WILL RANGE ZERO TO 5 BELOW...AND DAYTIME HIGHS THURSDAY IN THE MID 20S. FOR WIND CHILL PURPOSES...IT LOOKS THAT ONLY A FEW SPOTS FOR A COUPLE HOURS COULD HIT WIND CHILL ADVISORY...SO WITH LIMITED AREAL COVERAGE OF ADVISORY NUMBERS...WILL NOT ISSUE ANY ADVISORY FOR THE OVERNIGHT PERIOD...ALTHOUGH MANY SPOTS WILL SEE READINGS DOWN TO -14 BELOW ZERO AT TIMES. .LONG TERM...(THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY) ISSUED AT 222 PM MST WED DEC 31 2014 FORECAST FOCUS IS ON THE DECREASING POSSIBILITY OF SNOW EARLY THURSDAY NIGHT AND THE NEXT POSSIBILITY OF SNOW ON SATURDAY. TEMPERATURES WILL WARM THROUGH THE END OF THE WEEK AS A PORTION OF THE UPPER LOW THAT HAS BEEN WOBBLING ACROSS THE SOUTHWEST UNITED STATES SHEARS OUT ACROSS THE PLAINS STATES ON THURSDAY NIGHT. THE REMAINING SECONDARY LOW DEEPENS OVER EASTERN ARIZONA AS A JET MAX ROUNDS THE BACK SIDE OF THE TROUGH. THIS LOW THEN LIFTS OUT ACROSS THE SOUTHERN HIGH PLAINS EARLY ON SATURDAY WITH ANOTHER SHORT WAVE TROUGH EMBEDDED IN THE NORTHWEST FLOW TO FOLLOW AND MOVE ACROSS THE CENTRAL AND NORTHERN ROCKIES ONTO THE HIGH PLAINS BY LATE SATURDAY. EXPECT A COLD FRONT TO MOVE THROUGH ON SATURDAY WITH A COLD SURGE BEHIND IT DROPPING TEMPERATURES ON SATURDAY NIGHT AND EARLY SUNDAY MORNING BACK TO NEAR ZERO WITH HIGH ON SUNDAY IN THE 20S. HAVE INCLUDED A CHANCE OF LIGHT SNOW IN THE FORECAST FOR SATURDAY ONLY AS THE PATTERN REMAINS FAIRLY PROGRESSIVE WITH NORTHWEST FLOW ALOFT AHEAD OF THE RIDGE BUILDING OVER THE WEST THAT IS EXPECTED TO MOVE INTO THE ROCKY MOUNTAINREGION BY THURSDAY OF NEXT WEEK. TEMPERATURES SHOULD REMAIN BELOW AVERAGE FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR...WHICH WILL BE AIDED BY THE SNOW COVER THAT IS EXPECTED TO PERSIST ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE FORECAST AREA. && .AVIATION...(FOR THE 06Z TAFS THROUGH 06Z THURSDAY NIGHT) ISSUED AT 1000 PM MST WED DEC 31 2014 VFR CONDITIONS THROUGH THE PERIOD AT KGLD AND KMCK. WINDS FOR BOTH TERMINALS THROUGH THE PERIOD GENERALLY FROM THE WEST OR WEST/NORTHWEST AT SPEEDS UNDER 10KTS. AT THE BEGINNING OF THE TAF PERIOD ONLY SOME HIGH CLOUDS EXPECTED. BY MID TO LATE MORNING THURSDAY MID CLOUDS MOVE IN FROM THE SOUTHWEST CLEARING FROM SOUTHWEST TO NORTHEAST BY 00Z OR SO AS WEATHER DISTURBANCE RESPONSIBLE FOR THEM MOVES THROUGH. AFTER 00Z GENERALLY CLEAR. && .GLD WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... KS...NONE. CO...NONE. NE...NONE. && UPDATE...99 SHORT TERM...JN LONG TERM...LOCKHART AVIATION...99
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KS 217 PM MST WED DEC 31 2014 COZ090>092-KSZ001>004-013>016-027>029-041-042-NEZ079>081-012130- YUMA-KIT CARSON-CHEYENNE CO-CHEYENNE KS-RAWLINS-DECATUR-NORTON- SHERMAN-THOMAS-SHERIDAN-GRAHAM-WALLACE-LOGAN-GOVE-GREELEY-WICHITA- DUNDY-HITCHCOCK-RED WILLOW- 217 PM MST WED DEC 31 2014 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EAST CENTRAL COLORADO... EXTREME SOUTHWEST NEBRASKA AND NORTHWEST KANSAS. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT... LATER TONIGHT WIND CHILL TEMPERATURES WILL DROP TO NEAR 14 BELOW ZERO. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY... LOW WIND CHILL TEMPERATURES WILL BE POSSIBLE THURSDAY MORNING. FROM LATE SATURDAY NIGHT INTO SUNDAY MORNING...WIND CHILL TEMPERATURES OF 15 BELOW TO 20 BELOW ZERO WILL BE POSSIBLE. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 drought. Local standard time, as filed.
Precipitation reports ranged from 0.03 below normal to 0.43 below normal.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Colorado in 2015Every state in 2015This day in weather historyWarnings in Colorado, January 2015
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: 555063.