A shallow cold front pushed south into southeast Kansas during the early morning hours of February 10th, 2018. As the front pushed south, low level moisture saturation increased enough for light freezing drizzle to develop as temperatures fell below freezing.
Every event with a place to put it; 5 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 shallow cold front pushed south into southeast Kansas during the early morning hours of February 10th, 2018. As the front pushed south, low level moisture saturation increased enough for light freezing drizzle to develop as temperatures fell below freezing. The light freezing drizzle led to very slick roadways across most of the Flint Hills and southeast Kansas during the morning hours and again in the evening hours.
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 Feb 9, 11:45 PM CST, 3 hours 15 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Wichita KS 1145 PM CST Fri Feb 9 2018 .SHORT TERM...(This evening through Sunday night) Issued at 256 PM CST Fri Feb 9 2018 Currently have zonal flow from the Mississippi Valley into the northeast CONUS with water vapor imagery showing some shortwave energy stretching from sw Canada into the northern Rockies. At the surface, strong cold front extends from central MO into the TX Panhandle. Cold front will continue pushing slowly south tonight as shortwave tracks toward the Great Basin. As this occurs, isentropic lift just off of the surface will increase allowing rapid saturation in the 900-850mb layer over southeast KS. Any precip that is able to fall tonight would fall as mostly liquid, as temps don't get cold enough for ice generation. So feel that some freezing drizzle will be possible over southeast KS tonight. The main factor that should keep ice accumulation to just a glaze is surface winds remaining out of the north which will continue to pump-in drier air in the lowest 1,000ft. However, even just a glaze of ice will cause travel issues tonight into Sun morning over southeast KS. Snow chances Sat into Sat night will be the result of mid level frontogenesis as shortwave approaches from the northwest. This band of snow will affect southern Nebraska into far northern and especially northwest KS during the day Sat. Our central KS counties look to start being affected very late Sat afternoon and especially early Sat evening. At this time, the highest snow amounts Sat night into Sun morning look to be along and north of I-70 where 1-3 inches will be possible, with lighter amounts to the south. May end up needing an advisory for parts of central KS for the Sat evening time frame. The good news is that the precip type with this band should remain all snow. By early Sun afternoon snow should be exiting southeast KS. .LONG TERM...(Monday through Friday) Issued at 256 PM CST Fri Feb 9 2018 Good model agreement between GFS and ECMWF on digging an impulse over northern CA Mon and very slowly tracking it south. This will keep broad southwest flow aloft in place over the Plains which will promote a warming trend to start the work week. Best precip chances through Wed should be southeast of the forecast area where low level moisture advection will be maximized. Medium range models start to diverge for the end of the week with the GFS more agressive in bringing through another shot of cold air Thu night with the ECMWF keeping this over the northern Plains. && .AVIATION...(For the 06Z TAFS through 06Z Saturday night) Issued at 1145 PM CST Fri Feb 9 2018 Widespread MVFR CIGS primarily from 2,000-2,500ft are likely in most throughout the night although a few areas may experience CIGS ~1,500ft such as KGBD. N/NE winds sustained from 15-20kts with ~25kt gusts would prevail areawide til 10-12Z as strong, but weakening, surface high pressure settles SE across Nebraska. Areas of -FZDZ remain possible in SE KS ~09Z & although -FZDZ hasn't been inserted into the KCNU TAF be alert for updates early Sat morning. Areas of -SN that'll spread E/SE across KS on Sat should reach the C KS terminals late Sat afternoon (~21Z onward) with coverage & intensity greatly increasing ~11/00Z. As such, CIGS & vsbys would both deteriorate considerably Sat evening. Since this is in the final 6 hours of the 10/06Z TAF cycle have opted to defer details to the 10/12Z issuance. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... Wichita-KICT 16 25 15 37 / 10 10 50 10 Hutchinson 13 22 13 37 / 10 20 50 10 Newton 12 23 12 35 / 10 20 50 10 ElDorado 16 25 14 35 / 10 10 50 20 Winfield-KWLD 19 27 16 37 / 10 10 30 20 Russell 8 18 8 38 / 10 60 90 0 Great Bend 9 21 9 38 / 10 40 70 0 Salina 13 20 11 36 / 10 40 80 10 McPherson 12 21 11 36 / 10 30 60 10 Coffeyville 23 28 18 34 / 50 30 30 20 Chanute 19 26 16 33 / 30 20 40 30 Iola 18 25 15 33 / 30 20 40 30 Parsons-KPPF 22 27 17 33 / 40 20 30 20 && .ICT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Winter Weather Advisory until 9 AM CST Saturday for KSZ096-099- 100. && SHORT TERM...RBL LONG TERM...RBL AVIATION...EPS
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Wichita KS 415 PM CST Fri Feb 9 2018 KSZ032-033-047>053-067>072-082-083-091>096-098>100-101600- 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 Fri Feb 9 2018 This hazardous weather outlook is for portions of Central Kansas, South Central Kansas and Southeast Kansas. .DAY ONE...Tonight Light freezing drizzle is expected late tonight across southeast Kansas where some minor icing of roads and walks is possible. See latest winter weather advisory for additional details. Sub-zero wind chills are expected across central Kansas late tonight. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Saturday through Thursday Sub-zero wind chills are expected across central Kansas Saturday morning and again Sunday morning. Light freezing drizzle will be possible across southeast Kansas Saturday morning. See latest winter weather advisory for additional details. Snow will become likely across central Kansas by late Saturday afternoon through Saturday night. 1 to 3 inches of snow accumulation is possible, with the highest totals expected along and north of I- 70. Some light snow could also affect parts of south central and southeast Kansas late Saturday night into Sunday morning, though accumulations are expected to be less than an inch. There is a slight chance of snow or rain mixed with snow across the area Thursday night into Friday morning. .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/ Lawson
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
5 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.
Light freezing drizzle led to slick roadways in Oswego, Kansas.
Light freezing drizzle was reported in Coffeyville, Kansas.
Light freezing drizzle was reported in Iola, Kansas.
Light freezing drizzle was reported across the entire county, causing very slick roadways.
A mixture of freezing rain and freezing drizzle made roadways very slick in Coffeyville, Kansas and across the entire county. The Coffeyville ASOS reported ice accumulation of 0.06 inches.
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: 741463, 741464, 741465, 741466, 741468.