The southern edge of a swath of heavy wet snow fell across parts of Cloud, Republic and Washington counties during the day on January 25th. There was a sharp cut off from those that received around 6 inches or more of snow and those that didn't receive much snow at all.
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 TOP wrote it up.
The southern edge of a swath of heavy wet snow fell across parts of Cloud, Republic and Washington counties during the day on January 25th. There was a sharp cut off from those that received around 6 inches or more of snow and those that didn't receive much snow at all. In addition, prior to the snow, there was a period of freezing rain and sleet however most areas only received around one tenth of an inch or less of ice and no impacts from any ice accumulation were reported.
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 Topeka, KS wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jan 25, 3:56 AM CST, 4 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Topeka KS 356 AM CST Mon Jan 25 2021 .DISCUSSION... Issued at 355 AM CST Mon Jan 25 2021 A well-advertised, potent, and complex winter storm has started and will continue to exert its influence on the region through tonight. Early morning water vapor imagery depicts a rapidly maturing extratropical cyclone lifting through the central CONUS ahead of a negatively-tiled H300 wave centered along the TX/OK/CO border region. At the surface, a 1002-mb low was centered between Oklahoma City and Dallas-Fort Worth in the Red River Valley with ample Gulf moisture overrunning the lower tropospheric baroclinic zone/warm front and producing a large shield of precipitation over the eastern half of Kansas. While the bulk of the convection has remained over southeastern Kansas and Oklahoma, lightning strikes have been detected up into east-central Kansas where CAM forecast soundings show an elevated wedge of upright instability. Regional radar imagery at 09Z shows the main snow band starting to materialize aloft from north-central Kansas into southeastern Nebraska. These echoes should fill in during the next hour or so, with snow reaching the ground shortly thereafter. CAM profiles show downright impressive lift in the middle troposphere/DGZ throughout the morning and early afternoon in north central Kansas, with low static stability or even narrow windows of upright instability likely leading to localized enhancements in snowfall rates. The convection and lightning just to the south is also a telltale sign of the potential instability that could be realized within the snow band. Snowfall rates of 1-2 inches per hour are not out of the question from Concordia on to the northeast and will make it difficult to keep roadways clear. The overall snowfall amount forecast has changed little across the winter storm warning, with totals of 6-11 inches likely. Even with the event unfolding, there remains modest uncertainty in where *EXACTLY* the rain/wintry mix/snow line will set up. Recent deterministic model solutions are still trending ever so slightly poleward with the placement of the H700 low and attendant dry slot, which wraps along and south of the I-70 corridor during the late morning to early afternoon, transitioning the moderate to heavy rain in southern Kansas into more of a light drizzle. The warm nose placement further complicates matters--with a region of +1 to +3 C air arching along and south of a line from Ottawa to Brown counties by 12Z. These temperatures slowly cool through the course of the day as the cyclone lifts northeastward, but still pose a precipitation type challenge through the morning hours. As the afternoon rolls onward, the near surface thermal profiles and degree of ice introduction in the profile will play a larger role in precipitation type. After a careful analysis of deterministic soundings from various models, have tightened the ProbIce gradient during the afternoon and maintained higher values into the evening hours on the backside of the cyclone--with profiles steadily cooling towards the ice nucleation zone from northwest to southeast during the evening. Based on the combination of the warmer surface temperature profiles this morning, have pushed the start time for the far southeastern portion of the advisory, including Topeka, until after noon today. The H700 low and attendant FG forcing push into Nebraska by 21Z, resulting in a steady decrease in precipitation during the late afternoon. Weak lower tropospheric lift ahead of a backdoor H850 wave rotating around the departing low should keep light snow or freezing drizzle going well into the overnight hours. Did extend the current winter weather advisories and warnings through 06Z to account for this possibility. Moisture profiles towards east- central Kansas would initially support a freezing drizzle precipitation type, transitioning to light snow as the profiles cool to the ice nucleation temperature. Confidence in the degree of impacts southeast of the current advisory is not the highest at the present time, but it is possible that a short-lived advisory for slick roads may be needed along the Turnpike this evening. The upper level deformation zone looks to linger along the Kansas/Nebraska border through the overnight hours and possibly even into Tuesday morning. While sensible impacts would be low, some light snow flurries may occur. Fast on the heals of today's storm, the main longwave pattern begins to shift eastward and pull another PV lobe through the region late Tuesday into Tuesday night. The lack of any moisture return ahead of this system will limit snowfall amounts, with current projections showing an inch or less across the region. After a cold start to the week, temperatures start to rebound by late in the week as upper level ridging builds to the west and induces a warm southwest flow. How fast temperatures warm will be dictated by the amount of snow on the ground. A fast moving wave may bring precipitation for next weekend, but the details on this system are low at the present time. && .AVIATION...(For the 06Z TAFS through 06Z Monday night) Issued at 1131 PM CST Sun Jan 24 2021 Messy TAF period with impactful system moving over terminals. Moderate and heavy precip is moving in from the south and will pick up at sites around 08Z. Precip looks to be primarily RA at KTOP & KFOE, with a mix expected at KMHK until midday when a switch to SN is likely at KMHK. Topeka sites could see a mix during the afternoon. Either way, CIGS and VSBY will be low-end IFR, if not LIFR for a time. Precip may lighten up during the afternoon but flight categories really don't improve until after this period. && .TOP WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Winter Storm Warning until midnight CST tonight for KSZ008>012- 020-021-034. Winter Weather Advisory from noon today to midnight CST tonight for KSZ026-037>039. Winter Weather Advisory until midnight CST tonight for KSZ022>024-035-036. && DISCUSSION...Skow AVIATION...Teefey
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Topeka KS 308 AM CST Mon Jan 25 2021 KSZ008>012-020>024-026-034>039-260915- Republic-Washington-Marshall-Nemaha-Brown-Cloud-Clay-Riley- Pottawatomie-Jackson-Jefferson-Ottawa-Dickinson-Geary-Morris- Wabaunsee-Shawnee- 308 AM CST Mon Jan 25 2021 This hazardous weather outlook is for east central...north central and northeast Kansas. .DAY ONE...Today and Tonight. Multiple winter weather warnings and advisories are in effect for today and tonight. Please reference these products for additional information. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Tuesday through Sunday. There is another chance for light snow late Tuesday and Tuesday night. Snow amounts generally look to be around an inch or less. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotters are encouraged to report the type of winter precipitation falling and any accumulations to the National Weather Service in Topeka. && More detailed information can be accessed at... http://www.weather.gov/top/sitrep KSZ040-054>056-058-059-260915- Douglas-Lyon-Osage-Franklin-Coffey-Anderson- 308 AM CST Mon Jan 25 2021 This hazardous weather outlook is for east central...north central and northeast Kansas. .DAY ONE...Today and Tonight. An isolated thunderstorm is possible this morning. A light mixture of snow and freezing drizzle is possible after sunset tonight, but confidence in such a scenario is not high at the present time. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Tuesday through Sunday There is another chance for light snow late Tuesday and Tuesday night. Snow amounts generally look to be around an inch or less. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotters are encouraged to report the type of winter precipitation falling and any accumulations to the National Weather Service in Topeka. && More detailed information can be accessed at... http://www.weather.gov/top/sitrep KDS
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
3 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.
A COOP observer in western Republic county near Courtland reported 10 inches of wet snow.
The official NWS snow observer in Concordia measured 6 inches of snow. The heaviest snow fell across the northwest half of the county with lower amounts across the southeast half of the county.
The Washington County EM reported 8 inches of snow in the city of Washington. They also reported a period of freezing rain and sleet before it changed to all snow. Ice amounts were less than one tenth of an inch and no impacts were reported from any ice.
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: 930082, 930083, 930084.