A strong winter storm located over central Texas, took an unusual path straight north-northeast into southern Kansas during the early morning hours of January 1st, 2021. This New Years Day storm led to a swath of heavy snow falling along or just west of the Kansas Turnpike.
Every event with a place to put it; 12 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 winter storm located over central Texas, took an unusual path straight north-northeast into southern Kansas during the early morning hours of January 1st, 2021. This New Years Day storm led to a swath of heavy snow falling along or just west of the Kansas Turnpike. The heaviest snow axis, with 5 to 7 inches went from Harper, Kansas to the eastern half of Wichita to Cottonwood Falls, Kansas. Further to the east over portions of the Flints Hills and southeast Kansas, warm air spread north over the shallow cold air, to produce freezing rain on trees and power lines. The glazing from the freezing rain, ranged from three tenths of an inch to a tenth of an inch.
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 1, 2:59 AM CST, 2 hours 1 minute earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Wichita KS 259 AM CST Fri Jan 1 2021 .SHORT TERM...(Today through Saturday) Issued at 259 AM CST Fri Jan 1 2021 Main challenge/concern is changeover from liquid/freezing to frozen precip this morning across the headline areas. Moisture laden system with rather classic deformation zone and trowal across south central and eastern Kansas, though thermal profile relatively warm at the onset for this Winter storm. Latest short term models support mainly rain/freezing rain with light to moderate ice accums for areas southeast of the turnpike through 12z. However, as the upper low spins northeastward across eastern Oklahoma later this morning, dynamic cooling aloft is expected to support a changeover to snow. It is possible that we could hear some thunder this morning in far southern Kansas, as lightning has been noted in northern Oklahoma. The area along and just east of the I-35 corridor still seems most favorable for the heaviest snow accums in the 3 to 6 inch range, though dropping off markedly further west with little if any accums expected west of McPherson, Hutchinson and Kingman. Ice accums will likely be most problematic through about sunrise with some locations of southeast Kansas and the southern Flint Hills exceeding one- quarter inch with additional snow accums on top of the ice by late morning. Most of the wintry precip will end by mid-afternoon as the trailing back edge of the deformation zone pulls northeast away from the region. The upper low now over northern Mexico is still progged to lift northeastward across the southern Plains tonight before moving into the Ozarks on Saturday. While rather starved for moisture, this feature could bring a brief bout of light snow to southeast Kansas Saturday morning. Darmofal .LONG TERM...(Sunday through Thursday) Issued at 259 AM CST Fri Jan 1 2021 Sun A upper level wave will race southeast across Kansas during the day on Sunday, however dry weather will prevail due to moisture being shoved well east of Kansas from the previous two systems. Daytime highs will be above normal mainly for locations without any snowpack across central Kansas. Mon-Thur High confidence for a dry weather pattern to continue on Monday/Tuesday with warmer than normal temperatures as short wave upper ridging/zonal flow becomes established. Long range models show another upper level wave moving across the region on Wednesday. Precipitation signal is on the weaker side at this juncture with this system, and we will continue to monitor trends for possible later changes. Colder air looks to spread southward across Kansas in the wake of this mid-week system. Jakub && .AVIATION...(For the 06Z TAFS through 06Z Friday night) Issued at 1120 PM CST Thu Dec 31 2020 Aviation concerns will continue to be wintry precip along with lowering ceilings. Upper low is currently spinning over northeast TX and about to cross the Red River. Overrunning precip has overspread southeast KS is moving into the Flint Hills. This precip is expected to remain freezing rain for the next several hours before snow mixes in. So for KCNU, expect freezing rain through around 10-12z, before some snow starts to mix-in. For KICT, precip should start in a few hours as a mix of freezing rain and light snow, going to all snow an hour or two before daybreak. Of our TAF sites, KICT has the best chance to see accumulating snow with a very sharp cutoff, with KHUT not expected to see much accumulation. Confidence is high that KICT and KCNU will see at least MVFR ceilings with IFR levels becoming more likely as the early morning hours approach. Precip and low clouds are expected to start moving off to the northeast after 18z Fri with clouds lingering the longest at KCNU. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... Wichita-KICT 35 24 39 23 / 100 10 10 0 Hutchinson 39 22 43 24 / 60 0 0 0 Newton 35 24 40 23 / 90 10 10 0 ElDorado 34 22 38 22 / 100 10 10 0 Winfield-KWLD 35 23 38 22 / 100 10 10 0 Russell 39 22 44 24 / 10 0 0 0 Great Bend 39 21 45 24 / 10 0 0 0 Salina 38 22 43 24 / 30 0 0 0 McPherson 38 22 42 24 / 60 0 0 0 Coffeyville 35 25 37 23 / 100 10 20 0 Chanute 34 23 36 21 / 100 10 20 0 Iola 33 22 35 20 / 100 10 20 0 Parsons-KPPF 34 24 36 22 / 100 10 20 0 && .ICT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Winter Weather Advisory until 3 PM CST this afternoon for KSZ051- 052-067-068-082-083-091-098>100. Winter Storm Warning until 3 PM CST this afternoon for KSZ053- 069>072-092>096. && SHORT TERM...KED LONG TERM...CDJ AVIATION...RBL
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Wichita KS 339 AM CST Fri Jan 1 2021 KSZ032-033-047>053-067>072-082-083-091>096-098>100-020945- 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- 339 AM CST Fri Jan 1 2021 This hazardous weather outlook is for portions of Central Kansas, South Central Kansas and Southeast Kansas. .DAY ONE...Today and Tonight A Winter storm will impact south central and southeast Kansas today. Heavy snowfall and freezing rain will result in slick and hazardous travel. Please refer to the Winter Storm Warning and Winter Weather Advisory for details on snow and ice accumulations. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Saturday through Thursday No hazardous weather is expected at this time. .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.
9 winter storm, 3 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.
Heavy snow blanketed most of the county, with the heaviest snowfall occurring in the western sections of the county. The heaviest snow axis of 4 to 7 inches occurred from Rose Hill, Kansas to Andover, Kansas to Towanda, Kansas. Rose Hill, Kansas reported the highest snowfall amount during the storm of 7 inches.
Heavy snow blanketed most of the county during the morning hours, with the heaviest snowfall occurring over the north and northwest portions of the county from Argonia, Kansas to Conway Springs to Mulvane, Kansas, with 4 to 7 inches of snow occurring.
Heavy snow blanketed the county during the morning hours with 3 to 6 inches. The heaviest snow occurred near Anthony, Harper and Bluff City, Kansas. The Bluff City, Kansas, Co-op observer reported 5.7 inches.
Freezing rain fell across most of the county, during the morning hours. Most of the freezing rain fell on elevated surfaces with glazing ranging from one eighth of an inch to almost three tenths of an inch. The ASOS in Chanute, Kansas reported 0.27 inches of ice accumulation.
A mixture of freezing and light snow fell across the county during the morning hours. Freezing rain amounts were around a tenth of an inch. Snowfall amounts were one to two inches.
Freezing rain fell across most of the county during the morning hours. Ice accumulation amounts ranged from a tenth to a quarter of inch mainly on elevated surfaces. Some slick spots were also noted on some sidewalks.
A mixture of freezing rain and light snow fell across the county. Ice accumulation was about a tenth of an inch. Snowfall amounts were around an inch.
Freezing rain fell across the county. Ice accumulation ranged from a tenth to just over a quarter of an inch. Some power lines were reported down.
Heavy snow blanketed a good portion of the county during the morning hours. The heaviest snow occurred in the northwest part of the county near Udall, Kansas, where 6 to 7 inches occurred. Most of the heaviest snow occurred to the northwest of Winfield, Kansas, with 3 to 7 inches. Areas in the southeast part of the county picked up one to three inches.
A mixture of freezing rain and snow fell across the county during the morning hours. The storm began as freezing rain, with two tenths to a quarter of an inch of glazing on elevated surfaces. Power outages were reported due to the freezing rain on power lines in Iola and La Harpe, Kansas. Law enforcement in Iola reported a quarter of an inch of ice on elevated surfaces. Snowfall amounts were around one inch.
Heavy snow blanketed most of Sedgwick county, Kansas, with snowfall amounts ranging from 4 inches in northwest Wichita to close 6.5 inches in east Wichita. The heaviest axis of snow, ran from Viola Kansas to northeast Wichita, just to the west of the Kansas Turnpike. The National Weather Service office at the Eisenhower National Airport officially measured 6.5 inches of snowfall. Due to reduced traffic on New Years Day, the number of accidents across the city were low.
Snowfall across the county was estimated at three to four inches. The city of Cottonwood Falls reported 3 inches.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Kansas in 2021Every state in 2021This day in weather historyWarnings in Kansas, January 2021
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: 928385, 928387, 928389, 928391, 928392, 928393, 928527, 928528, 928386, 928390, 928384, 928388.