Kansas, 2023

Winter Weather in Kansas, December 24, 2023

December 24, 2023 · NWS GLD · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

During the overnight hours before daybreak a snow squall slowly marched east across Cheyenne and Sherman counties. Visibility fell to a half mile or less in the blowing and drifting snow.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 2 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
2

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.

What happened

The episode as NWS GLD wrote it up.

During the overnight hours before daybreak a snow squall slowly marched east across Cheyenne and Sherman counties. Visibility fell to a half mile or less in the blowing and drifting snow. Snow amounts ranged from one to three inches after the snow squall had moved through. The snow squall weakened after it moved east of these two counties.

What forecasters said that day

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 Goodland, KS wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Dec 24, 3:06 AM CST, 1 hour 24 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 24, 3:06 AM CST, 1 hour 24 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, Dec 24, 3:19 AM CST, 1 hour 11 minutes before
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In the hours before

Local storm report, Dec 24, 3:53 AM CST, 37 minutes before
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Local storm report, Dec 24, 3:58 AM CST, 32 minutes before
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The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Weather, Cheyenne

When
December 24, 4:30 AM CST to 8:30 AM CST
Where
Cheyenne forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS
Coordinates
39.786, -101.731 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Snow squall. A band of higher snow fall rates and strong winds, gusting up to 40 mph, produced half mile or less visibility. Snow fall amounts ranged from one to three inches across the county.

Key impacts: near zero visibility, icy roadways.

Winter Weather, Sherman

When
December 24, 4:30 AM MST to 8:30 AM MST
Where
Sherman forecast zone
Reported by
ASOS
Coordinates
39.351, -101.720 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Snow squall. A band of higher snow amounts moved east across the county, along with wind gusts up to 45 MPH. The blowing and drifting snow caused visibility to fall to a half mile or less at times. Snow amounts behind the snow squall ranged from one to three inches. Three semis jackknifed between mile markers five and nine on I-70.

Key impacts: near zero visibility, icy roadways.

What these are

Winter Weather
Snow, sleet or freezing rain below warning levels that still caused disruption, damage or casualties.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Kansas in 2023Every state in 2023This day in weather historyWarnings in Kansas, December 2023

Sources

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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 1149862, 1149864.