Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Kansas, January 18 to 19, 2023

Name: Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Kansas, January 18 to 19, 2023
Start: 2023-01-18T12:00
End: 2023-01-19T00:00
Location: Kansas

January 18 to 19, 2023 · NWS GID · 4 events in 4 counties and zones

On Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2023, a significant winter storm impacted the NWS Hastings coverage area, bringing heavy snow accumulations to many places along with some freezing rain.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 4 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 4

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 GID wrote it up.

On Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2023, a significant winter storm impacted the NWS Hastings coverage area, bringing heavy snow accumulations to many places along with some freezing rain. Much of the area saw snowfall accumulations of at least 6-10 inches with the highest totals of 15-17 occurring in portions of south central Nebraska. For north central Kansas, precipitation began as freezing rain and sleet, with overall light icing/limited impacts. Mixed precipitation transitioned to snow from west to east throughout the day. While the highest snow rates (2-3 per hour) remained further north in Nebraska, at least brief periods of moderate snow occurred near the NE/KS state line. Snow began to let up after sunset on the 18th, and accumulations came to an end for most locations by sunrise on Thursday the 19th.|While lingering falling snow ended early on the 19th, impacts from snowfall accumulations across the area led to slick roadways into the daytime hours on the 19th. Additional impacts included school, civic, business, and church closings on both Wednesday (the 18th) and Thursday (the 19th), though again, the most severe impacts remained further north.

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 Hastings, NE wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jan 17, 5:33 PM CST, 18 hours 27 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 17, 5:33 PM CST, 18 hours 27 minutes before

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Hazardous weather outlook, Jan 17, 3:25 PM CST, 20 hours 35 minutes before

Hazardous Weather Outlook
National Weather Service Hastings NE
325 PM CST Tue Jan 17 2023

KSZ005>007-017>019-NEZ039>041-046>049-060>064-072>077-082>087-
181200-
Phillips-Smith-Jewell-Rooks-Osborne-Mitchell-Valley-Greeley-Nance-
Sherman-Howard-Merrick-Polk-Dawson-Buffalo-Hall-Hamilton-York-
Gosper-Phelps-Kearney-Adams-Clay-Fillmore-Furnas-Harlan-Franklin-
Webster-Nuckolls-Thayer-
325 PM CST Tue Jan 17 2023

This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for south central Nebraska and
portions of north central Kansas.

.DAY ONE...Tonight.

A winter storm system will move into the region tonight,
especially after midnight, resulting in accumulating snow and ice
prior to dawn in many locations. Winter Storm Warnings and Winter
Weather Advisories are in effect for the local area beginning at
midnight tonight. Please refer to the latest warning and advisory
products for additional details.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Wednesday through Monday.

Significant winter weather impacts are expected across the region
on Wednesday. Snowfall amounts will vary considerably, from as a
much as a foot or more of snow across areas northwest of a Dawson
to Greeley county line, to less than 1 inch across portions of
Osborne and Mitchell counties in north central Kansas. However,
counties south and southeast of the Tri Cities, where snowfall is
expected to be lighter, will also be more prone to seeing some
freezing rain and sleet, with up to a quarter of an inch of ice
accumulation possible south of highway 6 and east of highway 281.

Please refer to the latest warning and advisory products for
additional details.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

Spotters are encouraged to report snowfall and ice amounts to the
National Weather Service.

&&

More information may be obtained at the following web page:
   https://www.weather.gov/hastings

Rossi/Thies

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 storm, 2 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, Phillips

When: January 18, 12:00 PM CST to January 19, 12:00 AM CST
Where: Phillips forecast zone
Reported by: COOP Observer
Coordinates: 39.785, -99.347 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Storm total snowfall amounts ranged from 2 to 6 inches across the county. A few of the highest amounts included the following: 4 inches, measured by the NWS Cooperative Observer located in Logan; 3.3 inches, measured by a CoCoRaHS observer located six miles east of Phillipsburg; 2 inches, measured by the NWS Cooperative Observer located in Kirwin.

Winter Storm, Smith

When: January 18, 12:00 PM CST to January 19, 12:00 AM CST
Where: Smith forecast zone
Reported by: COOP Observer
Coordinates: 39.785, -98.785 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Storm total snowfall amounts ranged from 1 to 5 inches across the county, with the highest amounts across far northern portions. A snow total of 1.5 inches was measured by NWS Cooperative Observers located in Lebanon and Smith Center.

Winter Weather, Jewell

When: January 18, 12:00 PM CST to January 19, 12:00 AM CST
Where: Jewell forecast zone
Reported by: COOP Observer
Coordinates: 39.785, -98.218 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Storm total snowfall amounts ranged from a trace to around 3 inches, with the highest amounts across far northern portions of the county. A total of one inch of snow was measured by the NWS Cooperative Observer located in Ionia. Along with the snow, there were reports of a light glaze of ice and sleet.

Winter Weather, Rooks

When: January 18, 12:00 PM CST to January 19, 12:00 AM CST
Where: Rooks forecast zone
Reported by: COOP Observer
Coordinates: 39.350, -99.325 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Storm total snowfall amounts ranged from a trace to around 3 inches, with the highest amounts across far northern portions of the county. A total of one inch of snow was measured by the NWS Cooperative Observer located four miles west-northwest of Plainville. Along with the snow, there were reports of a light glaze of ice and sleet.

What these are

Winter Storm: A storm that brought snow, sleet or freezing rain at warning levels, usually over several hours or days.
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

Every storm in Kansas in 2023 Every state in 2023 This day in weather history Warnings in Kansas, January 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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 1075752, 1075754, 1075757, 1075758.