A deep surface low moved across the area and produced a tight pressure gradient resulting in strong winds.
Every event with a place to put it; 4 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 deep surface low moved across the area and produced a tight pressure gradient resulting in strong winds.
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 22, 1:32 AM CST, 2 hours 28 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Dodge City KS 132 AM CST Mon Jan 22 2018 ...UPDATE TO LONG TERM... .SHORT TERM...(Today and tonight) Issued at 115 AM CST Mon Jan 22 2018 Snow and blowing snow conditions will linger across central Kansas through mid to late morning as the core of the upper level system across eastern Kansas lifts northeast through the Central Plains, effectively bringing an end to precip chances across western Kansas this afternoon through the remainder of the period. Strong northwest winds will gradually subside through this afternoon and evening as a deepening surface low shifts east-northeast out of eastern Kansas, in turn relaxing the pressure gradient across western Kansas. Limited to elevated fire weather conditions will exist this afternoon due in part to the gusty northwest winds and lowering relative humidity. Cold air surging into western Kansas today will result in much lower high temperatures today. Expect highs only into the 30s(F) across central Kansas this afternoon, especially with cloud cover holding on the longest here. Highs in the 40s(F) are more likely further south and southwest. Look for lows down into the teens(F) across west central Kansas to the 20s(F) in south central Kansas under mostly skies with much lighter winds. .LONG TERM...(Tuesday through Sunday) Issued at 130 AM CST Mon Jan 22 2018 A much drier pattern will prevail across western Kansas through at least Thursday as ridging aloft building across the Intermountain West shifts out into the Central Plains during the week. A west- northwest downslope flow will help erode the cold air mass across the Western High Plains Tuesday, allowing H85 temperatures to push up near to slightly above 0C in the afternoon. Widespread highs in the 40s(F) can be expected under plenty of sunshine. The gradual warming trend will continue through Thursday as lee side troughing develops and strengthens across eastern Colorado in response to the ridging aloft moving across the Western High Plains. This will easily push highs well above normal Thursday afternoon. && .AVIATION...(For the 06Z TAFS through 06Z Monday night) Issued at 1117 PM CST Sun Jan 21 2018 A strong winter storm will move eastward across the Western High Plains into the Central Plains overnight. Snow and blowing snow conditions are likely in the vicinity of KHYS generally after 03Z resulting in IFR cigs/vsbys through mid to late morning. Although to a lesser degree, KGCK and KDDC will be effected with MVFR cigs and possible MVFR vsbys due to snow and blowing snow conditions. VFR conditions will return to all TAF sites by early to mid afternoon Monday. A strengthening surface low will move east- northeast out of eastern Kansas into the Great Lakes Region through this afternoon. As a result, strong northwest winds 30 to 40kt will persist across western Kansas overnight with gusts upward of 50kt toward daybreak. The winds will then gradually subside through late Monday afternoon as the surface low moves out of eastern Kansas. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... DDC 43 22 49 21 / 30 0 0 0 GCK 40 20 46 19 / 20 0 0 0 EHA 48 21 48 20 / 0 0 0 0 LBL 47 20 49 19 / 0 0 0 0 HYS 37 20 43 19 / 90 0 0 0 P28 45 24 51 23 / 10 0 0 0 && .DDC WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Winter Weather Advisory until noon CST /11 AM MST/ today for KSZ043>046-061>066. Winter Storm Warning until noon CST today for KSZ030-031. && SHORT TERM...JJohnson LONG TERM...JJohnson AVIATION...JJohnson
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
4 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
The winds were observed at the Dodge City airport at 550 AM.
The winds were observed at the Garden City airport at 735 AM.
The winds were observed in Garden City at 735 AM.
The winds were observed at the Medicine Lodge airport at 258 PM.
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, January 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: 738408, 738409, 738410, 738411.