The Drought status for February improved during the first part of the month from D2 Severe Drought (with the far east in D3 Extreme Drought), to D1 Moderate Drought (with the D3 improving to D2). Precipitation ranged from one to two inches across the county.
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 GLD wrote it up.
The Drought status for February improved during the first part of the month from D2 Severe Drought (with the far east in D3 Extreme Drought), to D1 Moderate Drought (with the D3 improving to D2). Precipitation ranged from one to two inches across the county.
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 Jan 31, 10:57 PM CST, 1 hour 3 minutes earlier. Its key messages:
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Goodland KS 957 PM MST Wed Jan 31 2024 .KEY MESSAGES... - Above normal temperatures continue through the end of the week. - Widespread fog, possibly dense, will develop Thursday night and continue through Friday morning. - Rain chances begin Friday night and continue through Sunday. A rain/snow mix is possible Saturday night and Sunday morning in northeast Colorado, but little, if any, accumulation is expected. && .UPDATE... Issued at 957 PM MST Wed Jan 31 2024 No changes to going forecast at this time. Region still seeing a veil of high clouds impact portions of the area, otherwise light winds prevail. For fog potential Thursday night into Friday morning, current short term guidance (RAP13TL, NamDNG, NamNest, etc) all continue to show the potential for fog to develop in Nebraska and push into the CWA from the northeast. Guidance does differ on timing/areal coverage going into Friday morning, but looks like at least areas along/east of Highway 25 are leaning towards a potential Advisory. Could see something even up to Highway 27. && .SHORT TERM /THROUGH SATURDAY/... Issued at 115 PM MST Wed Jan 31 2024 Mild temperatures continue through Thursday with a weak shortwave trough bringing an increase in high clouds. Lows tonight will be in the 30s and highs on Thursday in the lower 60s. Backdoor front moves through Thursday night bringing slightly cooler temperatures, but also low clouds and fog with upslope low level winds. Models strongly suggesting the fog will be widespread and dense during the overnight hours and well into Friday morning before slowly dissipating. Temperatures will be in the lower 30s, so cannot rule out some patchy freezing fog as well. Temperatures on Friday will be dependent on morning clouds and fog clearing enough to allow some surface heating, but also will see clouds starting to increase as the next upper system approaches. So lowered high temperatures to the lower 50s but might end up slightly cooler. Widely scattered showers will be possible as early as Friday afternoon as the upper low moves into the southern Rockies and a broad, moist low level southeasterly flow develops ahead of it in the plains. Rain chances increase significantly Friday night, especially in eastern areas, as the upper low organizes over southeast Colorado and moisture continues to be pumped into the area ahead of it. The upper low moves little through Saturday with an arc of precipitation expected to continue as it wraps around the low in Colorado. ECMWF is considerably wetter compared to the GFS at this time, with rainfall amounts approaching one inch in eastern areas by 00z Sunday, while the GFS keeps totals generally below a quarter of an inch. The GFS also has a dry slot over western areas with little to no precipitation while the ECMWF does not show that feature. The Canadian is similar to the ECMWF, if even a bit more widespread with the higher rainfall totals. So there is still some uncertainty, especially with regards to precipitation amounts. Temperatures on Saturday will be limited by clouds and precipitation with highs somewhat optimistically reaching the upper 40s to lower 50s. && .LONG TERM /SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY/... Issued at 1259 PM MST Wed Jan 31 2024 Saturday night and into Sunday, the upper low is forecasted to push south east across the area and bring the surface low further southeast of the area with it. The timing could still vary a bit, but the heavier rain should begin to taper off Saturday night with light precipitation lingering through Sunday morning. The precipitation could last through the day Sunday, but current ensemble spreads favor the faster track and precipitation ending faster. In regard to precipitation types, current forecast keeps most of the precipitation as rain. Some snow should mix in early Sunday as the colder air begins to advect into the area. However, the colder air would likely bring drier air and the system would be moving away from the area, both which will limit additional accumulations. Eastern Colorado would be the favored area for any snow accumulations, but it is unlikely that accumulations would be anything hazardous. The likely case is a few areas with a dusting of snow. Going into next week, the pattern is forecasted to change a bit with ridging moving over the area. As the ridges moves in, dry conditions and above average temperatures should return to the area with some locales potentially seeing the 60's by Tuesday or Wednesday. However, the warm up may be short lived as there is a chance for another trough and system to move into the area around the mid part of the week. && .AVIATION /06Z TAFS THROUGH 06Z FRIDAY/... Issued at 937 PM MST Wed Jan 31 2024 VFR conditions will continue for both terminals through the forecast period. Winds for KGLD, about an hour of light/ variable gives way to a west-northwest flow around 10kts. By 16z Thursday, northwest around 10kts. Winds for KMCK, light/ variable through about 14z Thursday, then northwest 5-10kts. By 19z, shifting to the northeast. && .GLD WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... KS...None. CO...None. NE...None. && UPDATE...JN SHORT TERM...CC LONG TERM...KAK AVIATION...JN
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Goodland KS 606 PM MST Wed Jan 31 2024 COZ090>092-KSZ001>004-013>016-027>029-041-042-NEZ079>081-020115- Yuma-Kit Carson-Cheyenne-Rawlins-Decatur-Norton-Sherman-Thomas- Sheridan-Graham-Wallace-Logan-Gove-Greeley-Wichita-Dundy-Hitchcock- Red Willow- 606 PM MST Wed Jan 31 2024 /706 PM CST Wed Jan 31 2024/ This hazardous weather outlook is for extreme southwest Nebraska... northwest Kansas and east central Colorado. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT... No hazardous weather is expected at this time. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY... Widespread fog, possibly dense, will develop Thursday night and continue through Friday morning. Rain may mix with or change to snow Saturday night and Sunday in northeast Colorado. However, little, if any, accumulation is expected at this time. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation is not expected tonight.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 drought. Local standard time, as filed.
Precipitation for the month ranged from one to two inches. This was a half inch to two inches above the normal amount of a half inch to one inch of precipitation.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Kansas in 2024Every state in 2024This day in weather historyWarnings in Kansas, February 2024
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: 1164275.