A deep, intense, cyclone that moved east across primarily Texas that weekend lifted northeast across Northeast Texas and Arkansas. The cyclone spread a wintry mix of freezing rain and sleet across South-Central and Southeast Kansas during the Christmas Weekend.
Every event with a place to put it; 15 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 ICT wrote it up.
A deep, intense, cyclone that moved east across primarily Texas that weekend lifted northeast across Northeast Texas and Arkansas. The cyclone spread a wintry mix of freezing rain and sleet across South-Central and Southeast Kansas during the Christmas Weekend. Many areas were coated with 1/4 inch of glaze that no doubt made travel hazardous, if not dangerous. Late in the event, the light freezing rain and sleet changed to light snow with 2-4 inch accumulations resulting.
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 Wichita, KS wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Dec 26, 5:47 PM CST, 13 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS 547 PM CST SAT DEC 26 2015 ...UPDATED FOR 00Z AVIATION DISCUSSION... .SHORT TERM...(THIS EVENING THROUGH TUESDAY) ISSUED AT 333 PM CST SAT DEC 26 2015 THE MAIN FORECAST PROBLEM WILL ONCE AGAIN WILL BE THE PRECIPITATION TYPE AND HOW MUCH ACCUMULATES. ALL THREE OF THE MAIN MODELS HAVE THE SAME TRACK FOR THE UPPER LOW. THE ISSUE IS TIMING...AS THE GFS IS THE FASTEST AND THE NAM IS THE SLOWEST. I WILL KEEP USING MORE OF A NAM SOLUTION FOR THIS RUN. AS IN PREVIOUS COUPLE OF FORECASTS...A WARM POCKET OF MID LEVEL WARM AIR WILL EXIST ALONG THE TURNPIKE CORRIDOR TONIGHT AND MOST OF SUNDAY BEFORE BECOMING MORE SNOW CONDUCIVE ON MONDAY. THIS SCENARIO CONTINUES TO PLACE THIS AREA IN THE TRANSITION ZONE BETWEEN RAIN FREEZING RAIN AND SLEET. THE WINTRY MIX WILL TRANSITION TO SNOW MONDAY MORNING. ICE AMOUNTS UP TO ONE QUARTER INCH ARE POSSIBLE IN THIS REGION WITH SNOW ACCUMULATING ON TOP. POSSIBLY IN A 3 TO 6 INCH RANGE. THE PREVIOUS FORECAST HINTED AT THE LOWER AMOUNTS. IN NC KANSAS...THE COLD AIR LOOKS TO BE IN PLACE FOR MAINLY A SNOW EVENT. THOUGH THE MAIN MOISTURE WILL RESIDE FURTHER SE...AMOUNTS MAY BE LIMITED FROM PREVIOUS FORECASTS. THE MAIN ISSUE WILL BE THE PLACEMENT OF THE TROWAL AND HOW FAST IT EXITS THE REGION. WE WILL LOOK CLOSELY AT THIS. IN SE SECTIONS...COPIOUS AMOUNTS OF MOISTURE EXISTS THROUGHOUT THE EARLY PORTIONS OF THIS FORECAST. WARM AIR ALOFT IS PRESENT FOR THE MAJORITY OF THE EARLY FORECAST ALONG WITH ABOVE FREEZING SURFACE TEMPERATURES. THIS ALONG WITH RAPID AND STRONG ASCENT AHEAD OF THE COLD FRONT WILL LEAD TO A HEAVY RAIN EVENT. A TRANSITION TO A WINTRY MIX AND THEN SNOW WILL OCCUR ON MONDAY MORNING. THEREFORE...THE ICE AND SNOW ACCUMULATIONS WILL BE LIMITED DUE TO THE LACK OF MOISTURE AVAILABILITY DURING PEAK LIFTING FROM THE UPPER SYSTEM. .LONG TERM...(WEDNESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY) ISSUED AT 333 PM CST SAT DEC 26 2015 WEDNESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY: A LONGWAVE UPPER TROUGH WILL TRANSLATE SLOWLY EASTWARD FROM THE CENTRAL CONUS TO THE EASTERN CONUS DURING THIS EXTENDED FORECAST PERIOD...AS UPPER RIDGING BUILDS NORTHWARD INTO FAR WESTERN CANADA AND EASTERN ALASKA. THIS WILL PROMOTE FLOW COMING SOUTHWARD OUT OF CANADA...STRONGLY SUGGESTING BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES FOR MUCH OF THE PERIOD. A FAST MOVING SHORTWAVE AT THE BASE OF THE UPPER TROUGH...WILL MOVE EAST-NORTHEASTWARD ACROSS KANSAS/OKLAHOMA TUESDAY NIGHT. THIS WAVE MAY HAVE ENOUGH LIFT/MOISTURE FOR A DUSTING UP TO 1 INCH OF ACCUMULATION AS IT MOVES ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA. JMC && .AVIATION...(FOR THE 00Z TAFS THROUGH 00Z SUNDAY EVENING) ISSUED AT 546 PM CST SAT DEC 26 2015 WIDESPREAD PRECIPITATION WILL CONTINUE ACROSS PORTIONS OF SOUTHERN AND EASTERN KANSAS AT LEAST THROUGH THE EVENING. BRUNT OF PRECIPITATION TYPE WILL BE RAIN...ALTHOUGH SHOULD SEE A TRANSITION TO FREEZING RAIN/SLEET/SNOW THIS EVENING AT HUT AND ICT...WITH SOME LIGHT ICE/SLEET ACCUMULATIONS MAINLY ON ELEVATED SURFACES. ACCORDING TO MANY HI-RES MODELS...PRECIPITATION MAY SHUT OFF FOR A TIME AFTER ABOUT 06Z FOR ALL AREAS EXCEPT FAR SOUTHERN/SOUTHEAST KS. ANOTHER AREA OF PRECIPITATION SHOULD EXPAND NORTHWARD ACROSS THE AREA SUNDAY MORNING...WITH AREAS OF SLEET...FREEZING RAIN AND SNOW LIKELY. ADK && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... WICHITA-KICT 30 31 25 29 / 70 80 90 80 HUTCHINSON 26 29 22 26 / 50 60 80 80 NEWTON 27 31 24 27 / 60 60 80 80 ELDORADO 30 32 27 30 / 80 80 90 80 WINFIELD-KWLD 32 34 29 33 / 80 90 100 70 RUSSELL 21 27 18 24 / 30 20 60 70 GREAT BEND 21 27 19 24 / 30 30 60 70 SALINA 25 29 21 26 / 40 30 70 80 MCPHERSON 26 29 21 26 / 50 50 80 80 COFFEYVILLE 36 39 34 37 / 100 100 100 70 CHANUTE 34 37 33 36 / 100 90 90 70 IOLA 33 36 33 36 / 100 90 90 80 PARSONS-KPPF 35 38 34 37 / 100 90 100 70 && .ICT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... FLASH FLOOD WATCH THROUGH MONDAY AFTERNOON FOR KSZ071-072-095- 096-098>100. WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL 6 PM CST MONDAY FOR KSZ067-068-082- 083-091-092. WINTER STORM WATCH THROUGH MONDAY AFTERNOON FOR KSZ032-033- 047>053-069>071-093>095-098. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS 415 PM CST SAT DEC 26 2015 KSZ032-033-047>053-067>072-082-083-091>096-098>100-272215- RUSSELL-LINCOLN-BARTON-ELLSWORTH-SALINE-RICE-MCPHERSON-MARION-CHASE- RENO-HARVEY-BUTLER-GREENWOOD-WOODSON-ALLEN-KINGMAN-SEDGWICK-HARPER- SUMNER-COWLEY-ELK-WILSON-NEOSHO-CHAUTAUQUA-MONTGOMERY-LABETTE- 415 PM CST SAT DEC 26 2015 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL KANSAS... SOUTH CENTRAL KANSAS AND SOUTHEAST KANSAS. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS WILL AFFECT SOUTHERN KANSAS TONIGHT...WHICH COULD LEAD TO SOME MINOR FLOODING PROBLEMS WITH LOCAL RISES ON AREA CREEKS AND RIVERS POSSIBLE. PONDING OF WATER ON ROADS WILL ALSO BE AN ISSUE WHICH COULD CAUSE HYDROPLANING IF TRAVELING TO FAST FOR THE CONDITIONS. SEE LATEST FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR MORE DETAILS. RAIN IS EXPECTED TO CHANGE OVER TO A WINTRY MIX ACROSS CENTRAL KANSAS AND PORTIONS OF SOUTH CENTRAL KANSAS TONIGHT...WITH SOME LIGHT ACCUMULATIONS POSSIBLE. SEVERE WEATHER IS NOT ANTICIPATED. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY THE MORE HAZARDOUS WINTER WEATHER WILL BEGIN TO IMPACT THE AREA SUNDAY THROUGH MONDAY...WITH PERIODS OF FREEZING RAIN AND SLEET LIKELY OVER SOUTH CENTRAL KANSAS. ACCUMULATING SNOW WILL BE POSSIBLE ACROSS CENTRAL KANSAS AND PORTIONS OF SOUTH CENTRAL KANSAS. THE SNOW COULD BE HEAVY AT TIMES ALONG WITH SIGNIFICANT BLOWING AND DRIFTING REDUCING VISIBILITIES TO LESS THAN ONE QUARTER OF A MILE...PLEASE SEE LATEST WINTER STORM WARNING AND WATCH FOR MORE DETAILS IF YOU HAVE TRAVEL PLANS THIS WEEKEND INTO MONDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SKYWARN SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED TONIGHT. && FOR A GRAPHICAL VERSION OF THIS INFORMATION...SEE OUR WEBPAGE AT HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/WICHITA/HWO/
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
15 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.
Around 1/4 inch of glaze was reported on all surfaces along with a trace of snow.
In far southern parts of the county in and around Moundridge, multiple vehicles slid off I-135 and into ditches.
Up to 1/4 inch of ice was reported 5 miles east of Murdock. Highway 54 and Kansas Route 14 were icy while other roads and highways were reportedly slick in spots.
Light freezing rain that produced 1/2 inch of glaze continued to cause problems with downed power lines and power poles across the county. No doubt there were widespread power outages.
A significant number of accidents were reported on I-135 from Newton south to the Sedgwick County Line.
Light glazing figured in a multi-vehicle accident that occurred at the Kellogg/Meridian Intersection in downtown Wichita. There were also reports of numerous accidents along other segments of Kellogg with an unspecified number of minor injuries.
Nearly 1/4 inch (0.20 inch) of glaze was reported in Rose Hill.
There were reports of vehicles that slid off the turnpike across the county.
The CO-OP observer in Chautauqua measured 1/4 inch of ice from sleet and freezing rain. The observer also reported that there were power outages in Chautauqua, Sedan, and Cedarvale.
Several accidents were reported across the county as well as some power outages. Power outages were reported in Arkansas City between Kansas and Madison Avenues west of B Street that affected around 3,050 customers. Power outages were also reported in Dexter from a downed power line at U.S. Route 160 and 131st Road.
All surfaces were ice-covered causing significant travel issues. Power was lost in Yates Center.
In Fredonia, the dispatcher reported that roads and highways were ice rinks. There was damage to trees of unknown sizes along with reportedly downed power lines. Vehicles slid off roads and highways across the county along with some power outages.
The Emergency Manager measured 1/2 inch of ice from freezing rain and sleet. The extent of damage was unknown.
Numerous accidents were reported across the county. It was reported that a handful of which resulted in indirect injuries. The number of indirect injuries due to the slick roads and vehicle accidents was not reported.
The CO-OP observer located 1 mile north of Grenola measured 1/2 inch of ice. A CO-OP observer located in Howard reported power outages across the county, but especially in Longton, Howard and Moline.
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: 610202, 610201, 610204, 610206, 610203, 610210, 610216, 610213, 610228, 610218, 610229, 610232, 610233, 610226, 610227.