A moderate snow event occurred across parts of the region as a strong upper storm moved out of the southwest states. Snow amounts were as high as 4 1/2 inches.
Every event with a place to put it; 17 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 DDC wrote it up.
A moderate snow event occurred across parts of the region as a strong upper storm moved out of the southwest states. Snow amounts were as high as 4 1/2 inches.
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 Dodge City, KS wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jan 4, 11:23 PM CST, 37 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Dodge City KS 1123 PM CST Wed Jan 4 2017 ...UPDATE TO AVIATION... .SYNOPSIS... Issued at 935 PM CST Wed Jan 4 2017 WV imagery indicates a fairly zonal flow aloft prevailing across the Western High Plains. Meanwhile, a weak upper level shortwave trough of low pressure is moving southeast across the Northern Plains of North and South Dakota. Near the surface, a broad area of high pressure is sinking southward across the Northern Plains into the high plains of western Kansas. && .SHORT TERM...(This evening through Thursday) Issued at 250 PM CST Wed Jan 4 2017 For as close in time as the anticipated snow event is (late tonight and tomorrow), there is an unusually low degree of confidence in how much snow will fall due to continued disagreement among various model solutions on QPF. This is not all that unexpected, in this particular meteorological setup with such an intense 700mb thermal gradient and only subtle convergence/deformation of the flow field. Because the thermal gradient is so intense (20-degree C gradient over about 350 miles), it will not take much in the way of convergence/deformation of the flow field to generate fairly intense/focused frontogenesis. The ECMWF and Canadian are still more aggressive with frontogenesis at 700mb and hence continue to show more QPF than any of the NCEP models (GFS and WRF/NAM). A blend of all models NOT including ECMWF and Canadian would support very light snowfall amounts of generally one-half inch or less over much of western Kansas. A blend of ONLY ECMWF and Canadian would give widespread 2 to 4 inches of snow west of Highway 283 given a 17 or 20:1 ratio...and closer to 5 inches across far southwest Kansas. This blended solution would necessitate a winter weather advisory for accumulating snow (using a loose 2- inch criteria). The official forecast reflects just a little bit more of the wetter solution, with a general 2-3 inches just across far southwest Kansas generally along/west of Highway 25. Per collaboration with PUB, AMA, and GLD, we will not issue a winter weather advisory this shift, despite grids showing 2-3 inches of snow in the far southwest. This may need to be addressed again later, but since this would be over a fairly small area (and the fact that PUB and GLD generally issue winter weather advisories for snow starting at higher amounts than 2 inches), and the continued uncertainties due to mentioned model spread in QPF, we will hold off on a headline. The 700mb zone of frontogenesis will push through much of the southwest Kansas region by late tomorrow afternoon, however the zone will become quasi-stationary near Elkhart, and we may see snow continuing down in Elkhart well past 00z Friday into the nighttime hours. Temperature forecast remains unchanged, with temperatures slowly rising through the teens during the day, perhaps touching 20 southeast of a Meade to Bucklin to Pratt line, but most areas will see highs in the mid to upper teens tomorrow. .LONG TERM...(Thursday night through Wednesday) Issued at 250 PM CST Wed Jan 4 2017 The storm system responsible for our snow will finally pull out of the southern High Plains region Friday. The cold air will stick around Friday and Saturday, although slowly moderating without any additional cold frontal passage. There will be large scale ridge building across the western CONUS over the Rockies late weekend into early next week, with southwest momentum resuming over the central and southern Rockies by late Monday. This will allow very mild downslope conditions to resume with lee trough development back in force along with strengthening south winds. A couple of warm days are forecast Monday and Tuesday next week before the next cold front pushes south Tuesday Night. && .AVIATION...(For the 06Z TAFS through 06Z Thursday night) Issued at 1107 PM CST Wed Jan 4 2017 Bands of light snow developing across northwest and north central Kansas will shift slowly southward overnight producing potential periods of MVFR vsbys at KHYS and eventually at KGCK and KDDC later Thursday morning. Brief periods of IFR vsbys associated with possible heavier snow bands cannot be ruled out. Additionally, MVFR cigs will be possible at all TAF sites as low level stratus associated with snow moves southward across western and central Kansas through Thursday afternoon. Again, brief periods of IFR cigs cannot be ruled out. Primarily VFR conditions will return to all TAF sites by early Thursday afternoon as surface high pressure moves into the region. Northerly winds 10 to 20kt will persist across western Kansas through late Thursday afternoon as the aforementioned surface high moves from the Northern Plains southward into the high plains of western Kansas during the period. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... DDC 8 18 4 26 / 10 40 20 10 GCK 8 17 3 25 / 20 70 10 10 EHA 8 17 5 21 / 10 60 60 40 LBL 9 18 5 23 / 10 50 50 30 HYS 8 17 0 25 / 60 60 0 0 P28 13 22 7 25 / 10 20 10 10 && .DDC WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && SYNOPSIS...JJohnson SHORT TERM...Umscheid LONG TERM...Umscheid AVIATION...JJohnson
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DODGE CITY KS 411 AM CST WED JAN 4 2017 KSZ030-031-043>046-061>066-074>081-084>090-051015- TREGO-ELLIS-SCOTT-LANE-NESS-RUSH-HAMILTON-KEARNY-FINNEY-HODGEMAN- PAWNEE-STAFFORD-STANTON-GRANT-HASKELL-GRAY-FORD-EDWARDS-KIOWA- PRATT-MORTON-STEVENS-SEWARD-MEADE-CLARK-COMANCHE-BARBER- 411 AM CST WED JAN 4 2017 /311 AM MST WED JAN 4 2017/ THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL...SOUTH CENTRAL...SOUTHWEST AND WEST CENTRAL KANSAS. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. DAY 1 DISCUSSION ---------------- WIND CHILL FACTORS OF 0 TO -10 ARE EXPECTED THIS MORNING. AFTERNOON TEMPERATURES WILL REMAIN BELOW FREEZING, EXCEPT THE FAR SOUTHWEST COUNTIES. LIGHT SNOW IS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP ALONG THE I-70 CORRIDOR LATE TONIGHT. LIGHT ACCUMULATIONS NEAR AN INCH OR LESS ARE POSSIBLE BY SUNRISE. DAY 1 HAZARDS ------------- * EXCESSIVE COLD: ELEVATED RISK * SNOW: LIMITED RISK .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY. DAYS 2-7 DISCUSSION ------------------- COLD ARCTIC AIR WILL PREVAIL THURSDAY. WIND CHILLS WILL BE IN THE SINGLE DIGITS BELOW ZERO THURSDAY MORNING, AND IN THE SINGLE DIGITS ABOVE ZERO THURSDAY AFTERNOON. AFTERNOON AIR TEMPERATURES WILL REMAIN IN THE TEENS. LIGHT SNOW IS LIKELY THURSDAY, WITH THE HIGHEST COVERAGE AND GREATEST AMOUNTS FAVORING THE WEST/SOUTHWEST COUNTIES. GREATEST ACCUMULATIONS OF 2 TO 4 INCHES ARE EXPECTED NEAR SYRACUSE...JOHHSON...ELKHART...ULYSSES...HUGOTON AND LIBERAL. LESSER AMOUNTS OF 1 TO 2 INCHES WEST OF A DIGHTON-DODGE CITY- ASHLAND LINE. NORTH WINDS OF 10 TO 20 MPH WILL RESULT IN LIMITED BLOWING SNOW. COLD TEMPERATURES WILL CONTINUE THROUGH FRIDAY. SUBZERO AIR TEMPERATURES ARE POSSIBLE BOTH FRIDAY AND SATURDAY MORNINGS. DAYS 2-7 HAZARDS ---------------- * THURSDAY - EXCESSIVE COLD: ELEVATED RISK - SNOW: ELEVATED RISK * FRIDAY - EXCESSIVE COLD: ELEVATED RISK - SNOW: LIMITED RISK * SATURDAY - EXCESSIVE COLD: ELEVATED RISK * SUNDAY - EXCESSIVE COLD: LIMITED RISK * MONDAY NO HAZARDS. * TUESDAY NO HAZARDS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED THROUGH TONIGHT. && FOR MORE DETAILS VISIT OUR WEBPAGE HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/DDC/EHWO TURNER
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
17 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.
Snowfall of 2.5 inches was observed at a location 5 miles west of Scott State Lake.
Snowfall of 3.5 inches was observed at a location 2 miles north of Garden City.
Snowfall of 4.5 inches was observed at a location 9 miles south of Lakin.
Snowfall of 3.5 inches was observed at a location 4 miles WSW of Friend.
Snowfall of 5.0 inches was observed at a location 19 miles SW of Modoc.
Snowfall of 4.0 inches was observed at a location 13 miles WSW of Friend.
Snowfall of 4.0 inches was observed at a location 6 miles southwest of Plymell.
Snowfall of 3.5 inches was observed at a location 3 miles NNE of Ulysses.
Snowfall of 3.5 inches was observed at a location in Ulysses.
Snowfall of 4.0 inches was observed at a location 10 miles northwest of Johnson City.
Snowfall of 4.0 inches was observed at a location 8 miles north of Manter.
Snowfall of 4.0 inches was observed at a location in Cimarron.
Snowfall of 4.5 inches was observed at a location 12 miles south of Lakin.
Snowfall of 2.5 inches was observed at a location 3 miles east of Dodge City.
Snowfall of 4.3 inches was observed at a location 7 miles north of Copeland.
Snowfall of 4.0 inches was observed at a location in Charleston.
Snowfall of 3.0 inches was observed at a location in Liberal.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Kansas in 2017Every state in 2017This day in weather historyWarnings in Kansas, January 2017
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: 677996, 677997, 677999, 678000, 678002, 678003, 678005, 678006, 678007, 678008, 678009, 678010, 678011, 678013, 678014, 678016, 678018.