Very little rainfall fell during the winter months with very little snowfall as well. This led to severe drought conditions creeping into portions of south central Kansas during the month of February 2018.
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.
Very little rainfall fell during the winter months with very little snowfall as well. This led to severe drought conditions creeping into portions of south central Kansas during the month of February 2018. The severe drought conditions worsened during the month, spreading north of Highway 50 and east to the Kansas Turnpike.
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 Jan 31, 11:25 PM CST, 35 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Wichita KS 1125 PM CST Wed Jan 31 2018 .SHORT TERM...(This evening through Saturday) Issued at 212 PM CST Wed Jan 31 2018 Main challenges remain the chances for light snow/flurries on Thursday across central Kansas and then timing of the significant cold frontal passage on Saturday. A strong 150kt upper jet flowing over mid-America will continue to develop the mean upper trof across the eastern CONUS through Thursday night. A secondary push of colder air will sink south across the Plains with temperatures closer to climo on Thursday. Some lift aided by the upper jet along the southward sagging mid-level baroclinic zone could still saturate down into the lower levels enough to support some light snow or flurries across central Kansas. Therefore, plan to maintain a slight chance west of highway 156. Cold surface high pressure ridge will settle across eastern Kansas Thursday night with temperatures still remaining rather chilly on Friday despite the developing return southerly flow during the day. The leading edge of a modified shallow Arctic airmass is still poised to surge south from the northern into the central Plains during Saturday. Latest guidance suggests the timing will be late enough in the day to allow many areas to approach or exceed 50F, especially across south central Kansas. Darmofal .LONG TERM...(Saturday night through Wednesday) Issued at 212 PM CST Wed Jan 31 2018 The medium range still supports a large mean longwave upper trof covering much of eastern NOAM through early next week. Periodic significant shortwave trofs rotating around the main vortex across eastern Canada will drop south and east across the central and eastern CONUS. The result for Kansas looks to be periodic intrusions of modified Arctic air with modest chances for light measurable snow. The first shallow intrusion on Saturday night will deepen across the area during Sunday before being overrun and quickly scouring on Monday. This looks to be followed by another colder surge Monday night or Tuesday. KED && .AVIATION...(For the 06Z TAFS through 06Z Thursday night) Issued at 1124 PM CST Wed Jan 31 2018 VFR conditions expected the next 24 hours. Increasing VFR clouds around 6000-8000 ft AGL will be on the increase late tonight and persist through most of the daytime hours on Thursday, as a subtle weather disturbance and jet streak approaches from the northwest. May see scattered some snow flurries at KRSL-KGBD during the morning hours on Thu, but not expecting any restrictions to vsbys. Ketcham && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... Wichita-KICT 32 41 16 43 / 0 10 0 0 Hutchinson 30 39 15 44 / 0 10 0 0 Newton 31 38 15 42 / 0 10 0 0 ElDorado 32 39 15 42 / 0 10 0 0 Winfield-KWLD 33 43 16 43 / 0 10 0 0 Russell 28 36 16 47 / 10 20 0 0 Great Bend 28 37 15 47 / 10 20 0 0 Salina 30 37 15 44 / 10 10 0 0 McPherson 30 38 14 43 / 10 10 0 0 Coffeyville 34 44 17 42 / 0 0 0 0 Chanute 32 40 15 40 / 0 0 0 0 Iola 32 39 14 39 / 0 0 0 0 Parsons-KPPF 33 43 15 41 / 0 0 0 0 && .ICT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... None. && SHORT TERM...KED LONG TERM...KED AVIATION...Ketcham
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Wichita KS 326 PM CST Wed Jan 31 2018 KSZ032-033-047>053-067>072-082-083-091>096-098>100-012130- 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- 326 PM CST Wed Jan 31 2018 This hazardous weather outlook is for portions of Central Kansas, South Central Kansas and Southeast Kansas. .DAY ONE...Tonight No hazardous weather is expected at this time. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Thursday through Tuesday A few snow flurries are possible in central Kansas on Thursday, however little, if any, snow accumulation is expected. Very high grassland fire danger is possible on Friday afternoon across parts of central Kansas. Areas of light snow are possible late Saturday night and Sunday and again Monday night and Tuesday. Some minor accumulations will be possible with each event. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... 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 drought. Local standard time, as filed.
Severe drought conditions worsened during the month of February, 2018. By the end of the month most of the county had climbed into the extreme drought category.
Severe drought conditions worsened during the month of February, 2018. By the end of the month most of the county had climbed into the extreme drought category.
Severe drought conditions worsened during the month of February, 2018. By the end of the month most of the county had climbed into the extreme drought category.
Severe drought conditions worsened during the month of February, 2018. By the end of the month some western sections of the county had climbed into the extreme drought category.
Severe drought conditions worsened during the month of February, 2018. By the end of the month some western sections of the county had climbed into the extreme drought category.
Severe drought conditions worsened during the month of February, 2018.
Severe drought conditions worsened during the month of February, 2018.
Severe drought conditions worsened during the month of February, 2018.
Severe drought conditions worsened during the month of February, 2018.
Severe drought conditions worsened during the month of February, 2018. The severe drought across the southern portion of the county pushed north across the entire county by months end.
Severe drought conditions worsened during the month of February, 2018.
Severe drought conditions worsened during the month of February, 2018. Most of the county climbed into the severe category by the end of the month.
Severe drought conditions worsened during the month of February, 2018. By the end of the month most of the county had climbed into the severe drought category.
Severe drought conditions worsened during the month of February, 2018. By the end of the month western sections of the county had climbed into the severe drought category.
Severe drought conditions worsened during the month of February, 2018. By the end of the month western sections of the county had climbed into the severe drought category.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Kansas in 2018Every state in 2018This day in weather historyWarnings in Kansas, February 2018
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: 741469, 741470, 741471, 741472, 741473, 741474, 741476, 741477, 741478, 741479, 741481, 741482, 741483, 741484, 741485.