As a system with a tight gradient moved through the Plains, this resulted in strong wind gusts with peak gusts around 60 mph.
Every event with a place to put it; 1 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.
As a system with a tight gradient moved through the Plains, this resulted in strong wind gusts with peak gusts around 60 mph.
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 Mar 16, 5:32 AM CST, 3 hours 26 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Wichita KS 632 AM CDT Thu Mar 16 2023 .SHORT TERM...(Today through Saturday night) Issued at 305 AM CDT Thu Mar 16 2023 Bottom Line Up Front: A strong cold front today will bring temperatures crashing down to well below normal levels. Rain/snow is still a possibility across the region but accumulations remain in the trace amounts. Satellite shows the main storm system for today moving through Colorado and into the Kansas this morning. Strong WAA with good moisture transport is prevalent ahead of the system. This forecast cycle, the short term ensembles have pushed the main moisture axis further to the east and as such, the chances for thunderstorms in the CWA been significantly reduced. At this time, expecting showers or more stratiform rain ahead of the front. Timing on the front still remains in the early afternoon for most of the CWA. Hi resolution short term models like the RAP/SREF/FV3 are indicating a slightly faster progression but more importantly, a "double structure" to the front with two rounds of light precipitation. The first will be with the main front and then a second with the main push of cold air that looks to trail the main front by a few hours. The short term CAMS (HRRR/ARW/NAMNest) also indicate this possibility. The second shot of precipitation could produce a quick dusting in areas where temperatures are cold enough to support snow. As such, stretched the POPs out a little to compensate but still end the precipitation by the early evening tonight for most areas of the CWA. Either way, temperatures will take quite a tumble once the front passes and will be well below normal across the CWA by night fall. Winds ahead of this front will remain rather strong in the advisory category for the morning. As the front comes through during the day and the afternoon, expect winds to drop for a while until the front passes then the winds will shift to the north and west and pick up again in the hours after frontal passage. Due to the short time the winds drop off, will keep the advisory in effect through tonight to cover the higher winds behind the front. Friday and Saturday, the winds will be much lighter but the temperatures will be much cooler. Friday, temperatures will hover in the mid and upper 40s, possibly a 50 or two in Southern and Southeast Kansas but this "cooler" air is only a prequel to the much colder air that will be arriving late Friday afternoon and into the overnight. This air is arctic in origin with 1000-500mb thickness in the 520mb-517mb range. This indicates this air will be very shallow in the atmosphere and once in the region, it will take a few days to get out, even in March. As such, Saturday's temperatures will be even colder and many areas are likely to struggle to reach 40. Metzger .LONG TERM...(Sunday through Wednesday) Issued at 305 AM CDT Thu Mar 16 2023 The extended range will start out quiet and very cold for this time of year. Sunday morning lows are expected to begin in the teens CWA wide with a few areas in North Central Kansas getting into the single digits for a brief period. While this may approach records, record temperatures are not expected to be reached. By Sunday night, all the long range ensembles start to diverge and struggle with the timing of the cold air departing. Most ensembles are overly optimistic on the departure of shallow cold air that is arctic in origin. As such, confidence in the temperatures for Monday and Tuesday is low. The ECMWF/GEM families are showing a fairly thick cloud deck over the CWA with the potential for drizzle while the GFS families are much faster and bring in low level WAA into the CWA by Monday afternoon and evening. This indicates there is the potential for temperatures Monday and Tuesday to be colder than currently forecast. Metzger && .AVIATION...(For the 12Z TAFS through 12Z Friday morning) Issued at 627 AM CDT Thu Mar 16 2023 A strong cold front will surge across the region today with gusty south winds ahead of the front, and very strong northwest winds behind the front. A brief period of rain showers will develop and move across southeast Kansas this afternoon. Meanwhile a brief period of rain mixing with snow will occur in the colder air over central/south central Kansas for this afternoon. Low clouds will erode and scatter out from west to east tonight as drier air overspreads the region. && .FIRE WEATHER... Issued at 305 AM CDT Thu Mar 16 2023 Strong winds today may dry out fuels this afternoon after the rain. Areas that do not get much precipitation today are the most likely areas to reach very high fire danger today. Metzger && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... Wichita-KICT 56 26 48 22 / 80 20 0 0 Hutchinson 53 24 47 20 / 80 10 0 0 Newton 55 24 47 20 / 90 20 0 0 ElDorado 58 25 47 22 / 80 30 0 0 Winfield-KWLD 60 26 50 24 / 70 30 0 0 Russell 44 20 46 16 / 60 10 0 0 Great Bend 47 20 47 17 / 50 0 0 0 Salina 52 23 46 19 / 80 10 0 0 McPherson 53 23 47 18 / 80 10 0 0 Coffeyville 60 27 48 25 / 90 30 0 0 Chanute 60 26 47 24 / 100 40 0 0 Iola 60 25 46 23 / 100 40 0 0 Parsons-KPPF 59 26 47 24 / 100 40 0 0 && .ICT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Wind Advisory until 1 AM CDT Friday for KSZ032-033-047>053- 067>072-082-083-091>096-098>100. && SHORT TERM...Metzger LONG TERM...Metzger AVIATION...CDJ FIRE WEATHER...Metzger
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Wichita KS 435 AM CDT Thu Mar 16 2023 KSZ032-033-047>053-067>072-082-083-091>096-098>100-170945- 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- 435 AM CDT Thu Mar 16 2023 This hazardous weather outlook is for portions of Central Kansas, South Central Kansas and Southeast Kansas. .DAY ONE...Today and Tonight A few thunderstorms are possible across southeast Kansas today. This activity is not expected to be strong or severe. Strong southerly winds will continue across the area ahead of a southward surging cold front. The winds will quickly shift to the northwest as the cold front passes and remain quite strong. See latest wind advisory for additional details. Very high fire danger is possible during the morning and early afternoon ahead of the cold front, mainly for areas along and east of the Flint Hills. Areas that get rain during this time will have lower fire risk. A brief period of rain mixing with snow or changing over to snow is possible this afternoon into tonight. There is a chance for very light snow accumulations, mainly on elevated and grassy surfaces in central and parts of south central Kansas. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Friday through Wednesday 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
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS
924 AM CDT THU MAR 16 2023
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0858 AM NON-TSTM WND GST RUSSELL AIRPORT 38.87N 98.82W
03/16/2023 M59 MPH RUSSELL KS ASOS
&&PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS
931 AM CDT THU MAR 16 2023
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0921 AM NON-TSTM WND GST RUSSELL AIRPORT 38.87N 98.82W
03/16/2023 M62 MPH RUSSELL KS ASOS
&&The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Wind gusts were measured around 60 mph during the morning hours with a peak of 62 mph.
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, March 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: 1089156.