D2 severe drought continued for locations from Sherman to Thomas county south. 30 inches below normal across Northwest Kansas.
Every event with a place to put it; 6 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.
D2 severe drought continued for locations from Sherman to Thomas county south. Precipitation during the month ranged from 0.87 inches below normal to 1.30 inches below normal across Northwest Kansas.
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 Feb 28, 11:38 PM CST, 22 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KS 1038 PM MST SAT FEB 28 2015 .SHORT TERM...(THIS EVENING THROUGH SUNDAY) ISSUED AT 240 PM MST SAT FEB 28 2015 CURRENT THINKING IS FOR THE AREA OF LIGHT SNOW THAT OCCURRED THIS MORNING (PER 850-700MB RH AND BETTER DENDRITIC LAYER TEMPS NEAR THE SFC) WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE EAST AND OUT OF THE AREA BY 00Z SUNDAY AS SLIGHTLY DRIER AIR IN THE LOW LEVELS (AND CONSIDERABLY DRIER AIR IN THE MID LEVELS). COULD SEE SOME LIGHT SNOW OR FLURRIES MOVE IN TO THE SOUTH AND SOUTHERN PART OF THE AREA AS THE NEXT SYSTEM STARTS TO MOVE IN FROM THE SOUTHWEST. THIS SYSTEM MOVES OVER THE AREA THROUGH MIDNIGHT BEFORE DRIER AIR MOVES IN BEHIND IT DECREASING LIGHT SNOW CHANCES CONSIDERABLY FROM SOUTHWEST TO NORTHEAST. A GENERAL LULL IN PRECIP CHANCES CONTINUES FOR MUCH OF THE DAY SUNDAY BEFORE ANOTHER SYSTEM TOUCHES THE FAR SOUTHWESTERN CORNER OF OUR FORECAST AREA BY 00Z MONDAY. ANY SNOWFALL ACCUMULATION THROUGH SUNDAY SHOULD BE UNDER ONE HALF INCH. LOW TEMPERATURES TONIGHT IN THE 8F-13F RANGE IN FAR EASTERN COLORADO WITH MID TEENS EAST OF THE CO/KS BORDER. HIGHS SUNDAY ABOUT 6-9F WARMER AT 850MB SUPPORTING MOS/BIAS CORRECTED GRID MAXES IN THE MID 20S TO AROUND 30 IN FAR EASTERN COLORADO...LOW TO MID 30S EAST OF THE CO/KS BORDER. HAVE CONCERN ABOUT FAR EASTERN COLORADO MAX TEMPS. NAM/GFS BOUNDARY LAYER RH VERY HIGH SUGGESTING EITHER A LAYER OF STRATUS/MIST/FOG OR ITS FEEDBACK FROM SOME SNOW COVER. IF THE LATTER TURNS OUT TO BE TRUE TEMPS OUT THERE COULD BE A FEW DEGREES WARMER. .LONG TERM...(SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY) ISSUED AT 150 PM MST SAT FEB 28 2015 ALTHOUGH A WEAK 500 MB RIDGE WILL DEVELOP OVER THE HIGH PLAINS EARLY IN THE PERIOD AS A WEST COAST TROUGH DEEPENS OFF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA...A SERIES OF WEAK SHORT WAVE TROUGHS WILL MOVE ACROSS THE AREA. MODELS ARE IN GENERAL AGREEMENT THAT THE FIRST WAVE MOVES ACROSS CENTRAL COLORADO AFTER 06Z MONDAY. BY 12Z MONDAY MORNING...WEAK CYCLONIC DIFFERENTIAL VORTICITY ADVECTION AND WARM AIR ADVECTION WILL PRODUCE LIGHT SNOW. AS THE SHORTWAVE TROUGH MOVES NORTHEAST DURING THE DAY...EXPECT SNOW TO END FROM SOUTHWEST TO NORTHEAST. THE BEST CHANCE OF SNOW WILL BE NORTH OF INTERSTATE 70...BUT ACCUMULATIONS WILL BE LIGHT...GENERALLY LESS THAN ONE INCH. WARM AIR ADVECTION WILL CONTINUE THROUGH MUCH OF MONDAY NIGHT UNTIL THE NEXT ARCTIC FRONT ARRIVES. EXPECT THE FRONT WITH ASSOCIATED STRONG WINDS AND MUCH COLDER AIR TO BE ALONG THE KANSAS/NEBRASKA BORDER BY 12Z TUESDAY. IT WILL MOVE THROUGH THE ENTIRE FORECAST AREA BY 18Z. EXPECT FALLING TEMPERATURES THROUGH THE DAY. THE WARMER AIR MONDAY NIGHT PRESENTS A CHALLENGE FOR PRECIPITATION TYPE MONDAY NIGHT/EARLY TUESDAY MORNING. MODEL SOUNDINGS DO NOT REALLY SATURATE UNTIL 15Z TUESDAY MORNING...BUT THERE WILL A LOW LEVEL WARM LAYER FROM 12Z-18Z...ESPECIALLY SOUTH OF INTERSTATE 70. SO...THERE MAY BE A FEW HOURS TUESDAY MORNING FOR FREEZING DRIZZLE. HOWEVER...EXPECT THE COLD AIR TO BE FAST MOVING AND WARM LAYER WILL NOT LAST LONG...SO CONFIDENCE IS NOT HIGH ENOUGH TO INTRODUCE FREEZING DRIZZLE TO THE FORECASTS YET. OTHERWISE...SNOW AMOUNTS WILL AGAIN BE LIGHT...LESS THAN ONE INCH. TUESDAY NIGHT AND WEDNESDAY...CYCLONIC FLOW WILL DEVELOP OVER THE FORECAST AREA TUESDAY NIGHT. A STRONG SHORTWAVE TROUGH WILL MOVE ACROSS THE AREA IN NORTHWEST FLOW WEDNESDAY. THIS WILL AGAIN BRING A CHANCE OF SNOW...VERY SIMILAR TO THE PAST SEVERAL DAYS WITH LIGHT ACCUMULATIONS. ALTHOUGH SEVERAL SHORTWAVE TROUGHS WILL MOVE ACROSS THE AREA THURSDAY THROUGH SATURDAY...THE AIR MASS WILL ALSO BE DRY. WARMER AIR WILL ALSO ADVECT ACROSS WESTERN KANSAS THURSDAY...SO EXPECT AFTERNOON TEMPERATURES TO REACH INTO THE 50S BY THE WEEKEND. && .AVIATION...(FOR THE 06Z TAFS THROUGH 06Z SUNDAY NIGHT) ISSUED AT 1035 PM MST SAT FEB 28 2015 MODELS HAVE COME INTO MUCH BETTER AGREEMENT AND ARE MUCH DRIER THAN EARLIER OUTPUT. LITTLE IF ANY SNOW IS EXPECTED AND IF ANY DOES OCCUR...THERE WILL NOT BE ANY SIGNIFICANT VISIBILITY RESTRICTION. ALSO MODELS ARE PRODUCING LESS FOG AS WELL. FOR KGLD...MVFR TO OCCASIONAL IFR CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED THROUGH 12Z AND THEN SHOULD BECOME VFR. VFR CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED THROUGH THE REST OF THE PERIOD. FOR KMCK...MVFR CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED AT THE BEGINNING AND THEY SHOULD RISE VFR BY 09Z. VFR CONDITIONS ARE THEN EXPECTED THROUGH THE REST OF THE PERIOD. && .GLD WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... KS...NONE. CO...NONE. NE...NONE. && SHORT TERM...99 LONG TERM...MENTZER AVIATION...BULLER
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KS 419 AM MST SAT FEB 28 2015 COZ090>092-KSZ001>004-013>016-027>029-041-042-NEZ079>081-011130- YUMA-KIT CARSON-CHEYENNE CO-CHEYENNE KS-RAWLINS-DECATUR-NORTON- SHERMAN-THOMAS-SHERIDAN-GRAHAM-WALLACE-LOGAN-GOVE-GREELEY-WICHITA- DUNDY-HITCHCOCK-RED WILLOW- 419 AM MST SAT FEB 28 2015 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EAST CENTRAL COLORADO... EXTREME SOUTHWEST NEBRASKA AND NORTHWEST KANSAS. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT... LIGHT SNOW WILL FALL ACROSS OF THE TRI STATE REGION TODAY. WITH WINDS IN THE 15 TO 20 MPH RANGE...SOME PATCHY BLOWING SNOW WILL OCCUR. WHEN IT DOES DRIVING CONDITIONS WILL DROP TO A MILE AT TIMES. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY... AN ACTIVE AND COLD PATTERN WILL REMAIN IN PLACE THROUGH EARLY NEXT WEEK. LIGHT SNOW ACCUMULATIONS WILL BE POSSIBLE...WITH THE BEST CHANCE FOR MEASURABLE SNOW SUNDAY MORNING. ANOTHER ONE OR TWO INCHES ARE POSSIBLE...MAINLY SOUTH OF INTERSTATE 70. WIND CHILLS NEAR 15 BELOW ZERO MAY DEVELOP WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY MORNINGS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED TODAY OR TONIGHT.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
6 drought. Local standard time, as filed.
Precipitation during the month ranged from 0.92 inches below normal to 1.00 inch below normal across the county.
Precipitation during the month ranged from 0.88 inches below normal to 1.30 inches below normal across the county.
D2 severe drought continued across the county.
Precipitation during the month ranged from 0.94 inches below normal to 1.05 inches below normal across the county.
Precipitation during the month ranged from 1.02 inches below normal to 1.10 inches below normal across the county.
Precipitation during the month ranged from 0.87 inches below normal to 1.07 inches below normal across the county.
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, March 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: 566041, 566043, 566045, 566040, 566042, 566044.