Drought conditions continued across the region as rainfall remained below seasonal normals. Exceptional drought (D4) or Extreme drought (D3) remained over most of southern Kansas during the month of February 2023.
Every event with a place to put it; 22 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.
Drought conditions continued across the region as rainfall remained below seasonal normals. Exceptional drought (D4) or Extreme drought (D3) remained over most of southern Kansas during the month of February 2023.
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 31, 11:19 PM CST, 41 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Wichita KS 1119 PM CST Tue Jan 31 2023 .SHORT TERM...(This evening through Friday night) Issued at 400 PM CST Tue Jan 31 2023 Highlights: 1) Chilly start to Wednesday 2) Warmer and back above normal by Thursday There is a system over Baja California with a wave from Minnesota to Colorado. This system over Baja California will track into the Southern Plains keeping the precipitation to the south. According to the latest GFS, a slight chance for precipitation could clip right along the KS/OK border in far southeast Kansas on Wednesday evening. However, the general consensus is to leave any mention out for now. Thus this trend was followed. A big highlight is the expected warm up on Wednesday with afternoon highs 10 to 15 degrees higher than today. After a few chilly days, many will probably not complain about it. Thursday should be even warmer with temperatures at and above seasonal normal from the low to mid 40s in north central Kansas with even southern Kansas approaching 50 degrees. Ridging should move in late Thursday/Friday. As mentioned in the previous discussion, a cool air mass will move into the eastern CONUS which could drop temperatures a bit on the western fridge in eastern and southern Kansas for Friday. .LONG TERM...(Saturday through Tuesday) Issued at 400 PM CST Tue Jan 31 2023 Highlights: 1) Near to above normal Friday and much warmer Saturday-Monday 2) Slight chances for precipitation late Monday in SE KS A short wave will track through the Plains on Saturday, but minimal influence is anticipated. It will be a warm weekend with temperatures in the 50s and possibly even the lower 60s in southern Kansas on Monday. The next wave is anticipated to move through on Monday. There is some model variability, but generally the main part of the system stays off to the north. Slight chances for rain exist late Monday into next Tuesday, but the better chances are still well off to the north. If you take a glance to the middle to end of next week, the models are quite different on what could occur. Stay tuned. && .AVIATION...(For the 06Z TAFS through 06Z Wednesday night) Issued at 1119 PM CST Tue Jan 31 2023 VFR conditions are expected for the next 24 hours. Ketcham && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... Wichita-KICT 12 38 21 49 / 0 0 0 0 Hutchinson 9 39 19 46 / 0 0 0 0 Newton 11 38 20 47 / 0 0 0 0 ElDorado 12 37 21 48 / 0 0 0 0 Winfield-KWLD 13 37 22 49 / 0 0 10 0 Russell 5 39 14 41 / 0 0 0 0 Great Bend 6 39 15 43 / 0 0 0 0 Salina 9 40 18 45 / 0 0 0 0 McPherson 9 39 18 45 / 0 0 0 0 Coffeyville 15 35 25 48 / 0 0 10 10 Chanute 13 36 23 48 / 0 0 0 0 Iola 12 36 22 48 / 0 0 0 0 Parsons-KPPF 14 36 24 48 / 0 0 10 0 && .ICT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... None. && SHORT TERM...VJP LONG TERM...VJP AVIATION...Ketcham
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Wichita KS 427 PM CST Tue Jan 31 2023 KSZ032-033-047>053-067>072-082-083-091>096-098>100-012230- 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- 427 PM CST Tue Jan 31 2023 This hazardous weather outlook is for portions of Central Kansas, South Central Kansas and Southeast Kansas. .DAY ONE...Tonight Wind chills from zero to 5 below are possible late tonight across north central Kansas. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Wednesday through Monday Wednesday morning could have a continuation of wind chills from zero to 5 below in north central Kansas. As a system tracks through on Monday, there will be an uptick in the winds with the possibility of very high grassland fire danger along and east of the Flint Hills during the afternoon hours. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation is not anticipated 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.
22 drought. Local standard time, as filed.
Extreme drought (D3) continued across the entire county due to continued below normal rainfall.
Extreme drought (D3) continued across the entire county due to continued below normal rainfall.
Extreme drought (D3) continued across the entire county due to continued below normal rainfall.
Extreme Drought (D3) continued across the southwestern half of the county, due to continued below normal rainfall. Severe drought (D2) was found elsewhere.
Extreme drought (D3) continued across the county, with Exceptional drought (D4) over the southern half of the county.
Severe drought (D2) continued over the southwestern portion of the county.
Severe drought (D2) continued for most of the county, except southwestern sections which saw Extreme drought (D3).
Exceptional Drought (D4) continued across the county.
Exceptional Drought (D4) continued across the county.
Exceptional Drought (D4) continued across the county, with Extreme drought (D3) for northern sections of the county.
Exceptional Drought (D4) continued across the county.
Exceptional Drought (D4) continued across the county.
Exceptional Drought (D4) continued across the county.
Extreme drought (D3) continued across the county, but some improvement occurred in the eastern half of the county to Severe drought (D2). Eisenhower National Airport only reported 1.28 inches of precipitation, which was 0.08 inches above normal.
Extreme drought (D3) continued across the northern half of the county, with Exceptional Drought (D4) across the southern half of the county. There was some improvement to the drought for the northern half of the county to Moderate Drought (D1).
Extreme drought (D3) continued across the northern half of the county, with Exceptional Drought (D4) across the southern half of the county, there was some improvement to northeastern sections of the county, to Moderate drought (D1).
Extreme drought (D3) continued over most of the county. The only exception was over southern portions of the county where Exceptional drought (D4) was found. There was some improvement to the drought by the end of the month, over southern sections.
Exceptional Drought (D4) at the beginning of the month improved to Extreme Drought (D3) by the end of the month, due to much needed rainfall in eastern Kansas.
Extreme Drought (D3) at the beginning of the month improved to Severe Drought (D3) by the end of the month, due to much needed rainfall in eastern Kansas.
Extreme Drought (D3) at the beginning of the month improved to Severe Drought (D3) by the end of the month, due to much needed rainfall in eastern Kansas.
Extreme drought (D3) continued across the region.
Severe Drought (D2) at the beginning of the month improved to Moderate Drought (D1) by the end of the month, due to much needed rainfall in eastern Kansas.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Kansas in 2023Every state in 2023This day in weather historyWarnings in Kansas, February 2023
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: 1079869, 1079870, 1079871, 1079872, 1079873, 1079874, 1079875, 1079876, 1079877, 1079878, 1079879, 1079880, 1079881, 1079882, 1079883, 1079884, 1079885, 1079886, 1079887, 1079888, 1079889, 1079890.