A strong upper level weather system raced eastward across the |central plains on March 3rd, 2019. This system brought widespread |snow to the region, with accumulating snowfall of 1 to 7 |inches.
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 ICT wrote it up.
A strong upper level weather system raced eastward across the |central plains on March 3rd, 2019. This system brought widespread |snow to the region, with accumulating snowfall of 1 to 7 |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 Wichita, KS wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Mar 2, 5:45 PM CST, 1 hour 20 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Wichita KS 545 PM CST Sat Mar 2 2019 .SHORT TERM...(This evening through Tuesday night) Issued at 237 PM CST Sat Mar 2 2019 Water vapor imagery continues to indicate a compact shortwave trough moving across the Central Great Basin area during the early afternoon hours. This trough will race eastward bringing a period of snow to the region tonight and early on Sunday. Most of the snow will accumulate between midnight and 6 AM with a narrow 3-5 hour window when the heaviest activity is anticipated. Much like the previous forecast, the best potential for more organized activity where a brief period of coupled forcing is progged should lie across our central Kansas counties where an average of 6 inches is still anticipated. We will continue to forecast snowfall accumulations on the upper end of such a progressive system due to the following reasons: 1. Given the very deep isothermal layer progged through the favorable dendritic snow growth zone. 2. Low static stability above the transient mid-level frontal zone. 3. Seasonably high snow to liquid ratios. 4. Above normal moisture availability with PWATs around 75% of the moving average Further south across the winter weather advisory area where the period of coupled forcing remains more in question, the updated snowfall amounts will look much like the previous forecast with an average of around 4 inches expected. The latest runs of the HRRR/RAP have trended a bit further south with their qpf axis. If this trend persists we may end up adding another row of counties to the winter storm warning. Low level cold air advection will ramp up in the wake of the system on Sunday with steady and/or falling temperatures likely. This was handled well with little changes anticipated. It'll be hard to rule out some record lows Sun night into Mon morning, but there remains some question as to the extent of mid-lvl clouds which may be overdone in some of the model data. I did maintain low pops weighted in the southwest as a subtle pv anomaly impacts the area late Sun night into early Mon where we could see a few flurries. A wind chill advisory will be in effect from Sunday afternoon through Monday morning for all of our central KS counties with wind chills falling into the 15 below or lower range.Temperatures may begin to slowly moderate on Tue but we could still be too fast warming things up. .LONG TERM...(Wednesday through Saturday) Issued at 237 PM CST Sat Mar 2 2019 Moderating temperatures are likely on Wed as a mid/upper ridge translates eastward across the central CONUS and we transition to a southwest mid/upper flow through the end of the week. This will help steer multiple shortwave troughs across the Central Plains leading to an active period with multiple opportunities for beneficial moisture. There appears to be reasonable agreement in amplitude/phase between the various deterministic runs with another potent mid/upper trough impacting the Central Plains states over the weekend. && .AVIATION...(For the 00Z TAFS through 00Z Sunday evening) Issued at 545 PM CST Sat Mar 2 2019 A rather intense, yet relatively short-lived period of moderate to heavy snowfall with LIFR conditions expected to progress overnight from central into southeast Kansas. Even after the snow diminishes Sunday morning, brisk/gusty north to northeast winds will reduce visibilities with a period of blowing snow. Steady improvement to MVFR by midday and VFR later in the afternoon on Sunday, though north winds will remain gusty. KED && .FIRE WEATHER... Issued at 237 PM CST Sat Mar 2 2019 Accumulating snow and well below normal temperatures will keep any fire concerns at a minimum through early next week. && .CLIMATE... Issued at 404 PM CST Fri Mar 1 2019 As arctic high pressure builds south across the region on a fresh snowpack there remains some potential for record or near-record low temperatures Monday (March 4) morning. Forecast Low Record Low Chanute 4 -3 2002 Wichita 4 1 1960 Russell -5 -2 1978 Salina -1 -3 1978 && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... Wichita-KICT 17 18 4 20 / 100 80 10 10 Hutchinson 13 15 1 18 / 100 80 10 10 Newton 11 14 3 18 / 100 80 10 10 ElDorado 14 16 4 20 / 100 90 10 10 Winfield-KWLD 19 20 6 21 / 100 80 10 10 Russell 7 9 -6 14 / 100 80 10 10 Great Bend 9 11 -5 16 / 100 80 10 10 Salina 11 13 -1 16 / 100 80 0 10 McPherson 12 14 1 17 / 100 80 10 10 Coffeyville 22 22 6 22 / 100 90 10 10 Chanute 21 21 4 20 / 100 90 10 10 Iola 20 21 3 19 / 100 90 0 10 Parsons-KPPF 22 22 5 20 / 100 90 10 10 && .ICT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Winter Weather Advisory until noon CST Sunday for KSZ082-083- 091>096-098>100. Winter Storm Warning until noon CST Sunday for KSZ032-033- 047>053-067>072. Wind Chill Advisory from noon Sunday to 9 AM CST Monday for KSZ032-033-047>053. && SHORT TERM...MWM LONG TERM...MWM AVIATION...KED FIRE WEATHER...MWM CLIMATE...MWM
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Wichita KS 447 PM CST Sat Mar 2 2019 KSZ032-033-047>053-067>072-082-083-091>096-098>100-032300- 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- 447 PM CST Sat Mar 2 2019 This hazardous weather outlook is for portions of Central Kansas, South Central Kansas and Southeast Kansas. .DAY ONE...Tonight A winter storm will bring accumulating snow and areas of blowing snow to the entire area late this evening and tonight. The heaviest snow is expected from around midnight tonight through 5am Sunday morning. See the winter storm warning and winter weather advisory for more details. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Sunday through Friday Snow will end from west to east during the morning hours on Sunday but will be followed by multiple days of well below normal temperatures. Dangerous wind chills can be expected Sunday night through Monday morning across much of the area, especially across central Kansas where values may fall to around 20 below at times. See the latest wind chill advisory for more details. There may be another opportunity for wintry precipitation Thursday through Thursday night. .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.
4 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.
A 6 inch snow depth was reported by the COOP observer.
Reports of snow around 6 inches in depth were noted on Cocorahs.
A 6 inch snow depth ws reported by the COOP observer.
A 6 inch snow depth was reported by the COOP observer.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Kansas in 2019Every state in 2019This day in weather historyWarnings in Kansas, March 2019
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: 815986, 815982, 815985, 815984.