During the previous night a band of light to moderate snowfall moved across the north half of Northwest Kansas, producing one to three inches of snowfall. The morning of Christmas Eve, numerous slide-offs were reported on I-70 between Oakley and Mingo.
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.
During the previous night a band of light to moderate snowfall moved across the north half of Northwest Kansas, producing one to three inches of snowfall. The morning of Christmas Eve, numerous slide-offs were reported on I-70 between Oakley and Mingo. One injury was also reported near Oakley at mile marker 69.
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 24, 9:47 AM CST, 3 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KS 847 AM MST THU DEC 24 2015 .UPDATE... ISSUED AT 845 AM MST THU DEC 24 2015 SNOWFALL AMOUNTS OF 2-3 INCHES HAVE BEEN REPORTED NORTH OF HIGHWAY 24. THE LATEST DATA INDICATES LOWER TEMPERATURES FOR THAT PART OF THE TRI-STATE AREA TOO...SO HAVE LOWERED HIGHS FOR TODAY A FEW DEGREES OVER THE NORTHERN HALF OF THE AREA. && .SHORT TERM...(TODAY THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT) ISSUED AT 217 AM MST THU DEC 24 2015 UPPER FLOW WILL BE WESTERLY TODAY AND THEN BECOME SOUTHWESTERLY TONIGHT. FLOW WILL REMAIN SOUTHWEST THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT. SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE WILL CONTINUE OVER THE CENTRAL PLAINS TODAY AND TONIGHT. LOW PRESSURE WILL MOVE INTO EASTERN COLORADO FRIDAY. THE LOW WILL MOVE SOUTH FRIDAY NIGHT WITH HIGH PRESSURE BUILDING INTO THE AREA SATURDAY/SATURDAY NIGHT. SUBSIDENCE WILL MOVE INTO THE FA THIS MORNING BEHIND THE EXITING WAVE. POPS WILL BE NIL TODAY. SHORTWAVE RIDGING TONIGHT SHOULD PRECLUDE ANY MEASURABLE PRECIPITATION. HOWEVER SOME QPF OVER THE FAR NORTHWEST FA SUGGESTS THE POSSIBILITIES OF FLURRIES. POPS WILL BE NIL OVER MOST OF THE FA TONIGHT. DYNAMICS START EJECTING OUT OF THE LOW FRIDAY NIGHT BUT MOISTURE IS STILL LACKING EXCEPT THE NORTHWEST FA. CONSEQUENTLY POPS WILL BE CHANCE OVER THE NORTHWEST WITH SLIGHT CHANCE OVER THE REST OF THE AREA GENERALLY NORTH OF INTERSTATE 70. POPS WILL LOWER TO SLIGHT CHANCE SATURDAY/SATURDAY NIGHT DUE MOISTURE AND DYNAMICS SHIFTING WELL TO THE SOUTH OF THE FA. MAX TEMPERATURES TODAY SHOULD RANGE FROM 35 TO AROUND 40. SLIGHTLY WARMER READINGS ARE EXPECTED FRIDAY RANGING FROM AROUND 35 TO AROUND 45. MUCH COOLER READINGS ARE IN STORE FOR SATURDAY BEHIND THE COLD FRONT. DAYTIME TEMPERATURES SHOULD RANGE FROM THE MID TEENS TO NEAR 30 IN THE FAR SOUTHEAST FA. MIN TEMPERATURES TONIGHT SHOULD RANGE FROM THE UPPER TEENS TO THE LOWER 20S. SLIGHT WARMER READINGS ARE EXPECTED FRIDAY NIGHT RANGING FROM 15 TO THE UPPER 20S. MIN TEMPERATURES SATURDAY NIGHT SHOULD FALL TO THE UPPER SINGLE DIGITS IN THE NORTHWEST TO THE MID TEENS IN THE SOUTHEAST. .LONG TERM...(SUNDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY) ISSUED AT 217 AM MST THU DEC 24 2015 THE FOCUS FOR THE EXTENDED PERIOD WILL BE THE IMPACT ON THE CWA FROM A CLOSED LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM MOVING OVER THE SOUTHERN STATES AND MEXICO INTO THE CENTRAL PLAINS. IN THE BEGINNING OF THE EXTENDED PERIOD BOTH THE GFS AND EUROPEAN ARE IN VERY GOOD AGREEMENT ON THE PLACEMENT OF THE CLOSED LOW...HAVING IT LOCATED IN NORTHERN MEXICO RIGHT BELOW NEW MEXICO. THE MODELS DON'T START TO DIFFER UNTIL MONDAY. THE GFS IS SHOWING TO HAVE A SLIGHTLY SLOWER PROGRESSION AS WELL AS A MORE SOUTHERN TRACK...SHOWING TO BE IN CENTRAL TEXAS AT 12Z MONDAY. WHEREAS THE EUROPEAN HAS THE LOW IN NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS AT THE SAME TIME. WITH THE CURRENT MODEL RUNS THE GFS IS CONTINUING TO TRACK THE LOW MUCH MORE SOUTH THAN THE EUROPEAN THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE PERIOD...AND IS NOT BRINGING ANY POPS TO THE CWA. THE EUROPEAN ON THE OTHER HAND HAS THE CENTER OF THE LOW PUSHING NORTHEAST MUCH MORE PROGRESSIVELY...PLACING IT OVER EASTERN KANSAS AT 00Z TUESDAY...THE GFS HAS IT OVER SOUTHWESTERN ARKANSAS. WITH THIS TRACK...VIA THE EUROPEAN...THE CWA COULD SEE SOME SNOW OVER THE SOUTHEASTERN AND EASTERN PORTIONS OF THE REGION. BECAUSE OF THE DIFFERENCE IN THE LOW PRESSURE PLACEMENT BETWEEN THE TWO MODELS AND PRECIPITATION...DECIDED TO KEEP POPS IN THE FORECAST WHICH ARE MORE IN LINE WITH THE EUROPEAN...THE CR EXTENDED FORECAST BLEND ALSO SEEMS TO MATCH UP BETTER WITH THE EUROPEAN. WILL CONTINUE TO KEEP AN EYE ON THIS SYSTEM AS IT COULD IMPACT TRAVEL AFTER THE HOLIDAY. HIGH TEMPERATURES SUNDAY WILL BE IN THE 20S WITH TEMPERATURES SLIGHTLY INCREASING EACH DAY. WEDNESDAY WILL HAVE THE HIGHEST TEMPS OF THE PERIOD IN THE LOW TO UPPER 30S AS A BRIEF RIDGE MOVES INTO THE CWA. && .AVIATION...(FOR THE 12Z TAFS THROUGH 12Z FRIDAY MORNING) ISSUED AT 446 AM MST THU DEC 24 2015 VFR CONDITIONS HAVE RETURNED TO KGLD AND KMCK AND SHOULD PERSIST THROUGH THE NEXT 24 HOURS. NO PRECIPITATION IS EXPECTED AND WIND SHOULD BE WEST SOUTHWEST. && .GLD WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... KS...NONE. CO...NONE. NE...NONE. && UPDATE...JTL SHORT TERM...FS LONG TERM...CLT AVIATION...FS
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KS 308 AM MST THU DEC 24 2015 COZ090>092-KSZ001>004-013>016-027>029-041-042-NEZ079>081-251015- YUMA-KIT CARSON-CHEYENNE CO-CHEYENNE KS-RAWLINS-DECATUR-NORTON- SHERMAN-THOMAS-SHERIDAN-GRAHAM-WALLACE-LOGAN-GOVE-GREELEY-WICHITA- DUNDY-HITCHCOCK-RED WILLOW- 308 AM MST THU DEC 24 2015 /408 AM CST THU DEC 24 2015/ THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EAST CENTRAL COLORADO... EXTREME SOUTHWEST NEBRASKA AND NORTHWEST KANSAS. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT... NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY... THERE IS SOME POTENTIAL FOR LIGHT SNOW ACROSS TRI STATE AREA FROM FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY. SNOWFALL AMOUNTS SHOULD BE LIGHT BUT IF THE STORM TRACK CHANGES...THE STORM COULD HAVE MORE SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS ON THE AREA. STAY TUNED TO THE LATEST UPDATES AND FORECASTS CONCERNING THIS STORM. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED TODAY OR TONIGHT.
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KS
822 AM MST THU DEC 24 2015
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0810 AM SNOW 7 NW ATWOOD 39.88N 101.13W
12/24/2015 M3.0 INCH RAWLINS KS TRAINED SPOTTER
AVERAGE OF 3 INCHES FROM TEN MEASUREMENTS.
0810 AM SNOW 4 E VERNON 39.93N 102.24W
12/24/2015 M3.0 INCH YUMA CO CO-OP OBSERVER
0810 AM SNOW OBERLIN 39.82N 100.53W
12/24/2015 M3.0 INCH DECATUR KS CO-OP OBSERVER
0810 AM SNOW DRESDEN 39.62N 100.42W
12/24/2015 M3.0 INCH DECATUR KS CO-OP OBSERVER
0810 AM SNOW YUMA 40.12N 102.72W
12/24/2015 M3.0 INCH YUMA CO CO-OP OBSERVER
0810 AM SNOW BURLINGTON 39.31N 102.27W
12/24/2015 M1.6 INCH KIT CARSON CO CO-OP OBSERVER
0810 AM SNOW GOODLAND 39.35N 101.71W
12/24/2015 M1.5 INCH SHERMAN KS OFFICIAL NWS OBS
0810 AM SNOW CULBERTSON 40.23N 100.84W
12/24/2015 M2.0 INCH HITCHCOCK NE CO-OP OBSERVER
0810 AM SNOW MCCOOK 40.20N 100.62W
12/24/2015 M2.5 INCH RED WILLOW NE CO-OP OBSERVER
0810 AM SNOW 4 W BREWSTER 39.36N 101.45W
12/24/2015 M1.5 INCH SHERMAN KS CO-OP OBSERVER
0810 AM SNOW NORTON 39.84N 99.89W
12/24/2015 M4.0 INCH NORTON KS COCORAHS
0810 AM SNOW 6 SW ST. FRANCIS 39.71N 101.88W
12/24/2015 M2.0 INCH CHEYENNE KS COCORAHS
0810 AM SNOW 13 NNW EDSON 39.50N 101.63W
12/24/2015 M2.5 INCH SHERMAN KS NWS EMPLOYEE
0810 AM SNOW STRATTON 39.30N 102.60W
12/24/2015 M1.0 INCH KIT CARSON CO COCORAHS
&&
JLUNDQUISTThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.
Numerous slide-offs were reported between Mingo and Oakley on I-70. One injury near Oakley at mile marker 69 was also reported. Estimated time of report.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Kansas in 2015Every state in 2015This day in weather historyWarnings in Kansas, December 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: 607029.