A batch of strong winds moved across central and south central Kansas during the nighttime hours of December 22nd-23rd with speeds ranging from 50-55mph. Another round of strong winds occurred during the afternoon at a few sites with speeds peaking at 58 mph.
Every event with a place to put it; 3 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 batch of strong winds moved across central and south central Kansas during the nighttime hours of December 22nd-23rd with speeds ranging from 50-55mph. Another round of strong winds occurred during the afternoon at a few sites with speeds peaking at 58 mph.
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 Dec 23, 3:20 PM CST, 12 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Wichita KS 320 PM CST Wed Dec 23 2020 .SHORT TERM...(This evening through Sunday night) Issued at 318 PM CST Wed Dec 23 2020 Areas of light snow showers and flurries will impact locations mainly along and west/northwest of the Flint Hills corridor through late afternoon, in response to cold advection and steepening low- level lapse rates associated with an anomalously deep upper trough across the region. Any accumulation will likely be a dusting at best. Otherwise, strong/gusty northwest winds will gradually subside this evening, although should remain breezy much of the night. Thinking the wind advisory and high wind warning expiration time of 6 PM should work out well. Otherwise, another chilly day is expected Thursday, as the influence of the expansive Mid-America upper trough will still be felt across Kansas. It will still be fairly breezy, but not nearly as windy as today. Quiet weather is expected Friday-Sunday, as shortwave upper ridging moves over Mid-America. Forecast highs will climb into the 50s Friday generally along/west of I-135, with 50s to near 60 degrees Saturday. A modest cold front looks to move through early Sunday, supporting a 5-10 degree cool down for Sunday. .LONG TERM...(Monday through Wednesday) Issued at 318 PM CST Wed Dec 23 2020 Deterministic and ensemble consensus between the GFS, ECMWF, and GEM models continue to support a potentially significant system to impact the region and adjacent Mid-America sometime next Tuesday- Thursday timeframe. There is still quite a bit of run-to-run variability surrounding the timing, depth/strength, and placement of associated synoptic features. This will play a big role in temperatures, precipitation-type, amount of precipitation, etc. Those with travel plans mid next week are encouraged to keep an eye on the forecast, as details should become clearer by late this weekend. && .AVIATION...(For the 18Z TAFS through 18Z Thursday afternoon) Issued at 1132 AM CST Wed Dec 23 2020 Strong NW gradient winds will be the main concern for the first 12- 18 hours, with some locations across central KS possibly seeing NW wind gusts of 45 to 50 Kts. Steep lapse rates and cyclonic curvature on the SW side of the departing system may also lead to a few widely scattered snow showers across central KS during peak heating this afternoon. So will include this mention as well. Elsewhere expect VFR conditions, with diminishing winds for the evening and overnight hours. Ketcham && .FIRE WEATHER... Issued at 318 PM CST Wed Dec 23 2020 Given chilly temperatures, marginal humidities, and snow flurries impacting the region, may allow the current red flag warning in effect for much of central and southeast KS to expire soon, as grassland fire danger values are having a tough time reaching the "extreme" category. Very high grassland fire danger should impact the region through about 6 PM. Dense clouds will likely impede satellite-based hot spot notifications the rest of the day. Very high grassland fire danger should impact the region again Thursday afternoon, due to stout/gusty northwest winds. However, fire danger should remain well below critical/red flag conditions, due to chilly temperatures and winds not nearly as strong as today. After Thursday, fire danger concerns appear on the lower side through the next 7-10 days. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... Wichita-KICT 21 39 20 49 / 10 0 0 0 Hutchinson 20 38 19 52 / 0 0 0 0 Newton 19 36 18 49 / 10 0 0 0 ElDorado 21 36 19 47 / 10 0 0 0 Winfield-KWLD 22 40 21 48 / 10 0 0 0 Russell 18 39 18 56 / 0 0 0 0 Great Bend 18 39 20 56 / 0 0 0 0 Salina 19 36 18 53 / 0 0 0 0 McPherson 18 37 18 51 / 0 0 0 0 Coffeyville 22 38 18 44 / 10 0 0 0 Chanute 21 35 16 43 / 10 0 0 0 Iola 20 33 15 43 / 10 0 0 0 Parsons-KPPF 21 37 18 43 / 10 0 0 0 && .ICT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Red Flag Warning until 5 PM CST this afternoon for KSZ032-033- 047>053-067>072-082-083-091>096-098>100. Wind Advisory until 6 PM CST this evening for KSZ033-048>053- 067>072-082-083-091>096-098>100. High Wind Warning until 6 PM CST this evening for KSZ032-047. && SHORT TERM...ADK LONG TERM...ADK AVIATION...Ketcham FIRE WEATHER...ADK
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Wichita KS 410 AM CST Wed Dec 23 2020 KSZ032-033-047>053-067>072-082-083-091>096-098>100-241015- 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- 410 AM CST Wed Dec 23 2020 This hazardous weather outlook is for portions of Central Kansas, South Central Kansas and Southeast Kansas. .DAY ONE...Today and Tonight Very strong northwest winds are expected area wide today with many locations seeing gusts around or even above 50 mph. See latest wind advisories and warnings for additional information. Strong winds will elevate the grassland fire danger into the very high to extreme category today. Outdoor burning is highly discouraged. See latest red flag warning for additional information. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Thursday through Tuesday Gusty northwest winds will elevate the grassland fire danger into the very high category for parts of southern Kansas on Thursday afternoon. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation is not anticipated today or tonight. && For a graphical version of this information, see our webpage at: https://weather.gov/crh/ghwo?sid=ict
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
3 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
The ASOS at Salina Regional Airport reported a peak wind gust of 58 mph.
A mesonet site located 7 SSW of Westfall measured a peak wind gust of 58 mph.
The ASOS at Hutchinson Regional Airport measured a peak wind gust of 58 mph.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Kansas in 2020Every state in 2020This day in weather historyWarnings in Kansas, December 2020
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: 934874, 934877, 934876.