A cold front passed through Kansas during the morning and early afternoon hours on December 28. Strong northerly winds were observed behind this cold front including a couple different instances where wind gusts hit or exceeded 58 mph in Russell.
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.
A cold front passed through Kansas during the morning and early afternoon hours on December 28. Strong northerly winds were observed behind this cold front including a couple different instances where wind gusts hit or exceeded 58 mph in Russell.
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 Dec 28, 2:47 AM CST, 1 hour 33 minutes earlier. Its key messages:
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Wichita KS 247 AM CST Sun Dec 28 2025 .KEY MESSAGES... - A strong cold front arriving today will bring much colder air, windy conditions and low probabilities(20-30%) of a light wintry mix over parts of central KS. - Wind chills Monday morning to be around zero across much of the area. - Moderating temperatures on Tuesday then slightly above average through the remainder of next week. && .DISCUSSION... Issued at 242 AM CST Sun Dec 28 2025 A cold front was bisecting northwest Kansas early this morning. This front will continue moving south and east clearing southeast Kansas during the mid to late morning hours. Strong northwest winds are expected to develop in it's wake. Time/height X-sections of wind/mixing layer height support peak gusts in the 40-45 knot range. Conditions have trended toward a drier scenario for much of the area today as large-scale forcing for subsidence is progged to build over much of the area in the wake of the cold front as we move through the morning hours as we remain on the southern periphery of the mid/upper trough. The column is progged to remain quite dry in the sfc layer allowing for more evaporation/sublimation although some low pops were maintained in parts of central KS early in the day. Any bands of light wintry precipitation are expected to be more transient with minimal impacts anticipated given recent record warmth and light/transient nature of wintry precipitation. We still expect daily highs to occur early in the period for much of the area with falling temperatures as we move through the afternoon hours. Any lingering light precipitation is expected to come to an end as we move through the early to mid afternoon hours. Breezy northwest winds will persist tonight with continued low level cold air advection. As temperatures drop into the teens and 20s early Monday morning, wind chills around zero will be common across much of the area. Below normal temperatures will prevail on Monday as sfc high pressure settles over the area bringing light winds. Most locations will see highs in the 30-35 degree range. Tue-Sat...the cooldown will be short-lived as temperatures begin to moderate on Tue as low level southwesterly flow returns in the wake of the sfc ridge. We start to see more influence from the mid/upper ridge over the Southwest as we move into the middle of the week with above average temperatures returning to the area. Rising temperatures may be hampered on Thu as a cold front backs into the area. Above average temperatures are expected to prevail as we move through the remainder of the week and into the weekend as the mid/upper ridge begins to amplify while translating eastward toward the central CONUS && .AVIATION /06Z TAFS THROUGH 06Z MONDAY/... Issued at 1130 PM CST Sat Dec 27 2025 VFR conditions will continue through much of the overnight hours. A strong cold front will progress through the area after 09Z, shifting winds from the N/NW at 20-30 kt with gusts near 40 kt. An area of MVFR CIGS will move into eastern and southern KS after 12Z. Uncertainty remains whether MVFR CIGS will reach RSL and GBD. In addition, a brief period of -SN is possible Sunday morning, mainly across central and northeast KS. Have maintained a PROB30 mention at RSL, GBD, and SLN to account for the most likely timeframe. HUT, ICT, and CNU were removed as the best chances look to remain north of those terminals. Wind speeds will begin to decrease by mid to late Sunday afternoon but likely to remain gusty into the evening hours. && .FIRE WEATHER... Issued at 242 AM CST Sun Dec 28 2025 Windy conditions are expected in the wake of a cold front today. Northwest winds will increase to 25-35 mph with gusts around 50 mph possible at times, strongest in central Kansas. This will drive the grassland fire danger index into the very high category across much of the area today. && .ICT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Wind Advisory from 6 AM this morning to 6 PM CST this evening for KSZ032-033-047>053-067>072-082-083-091>096-098>100. && DISCUSSION...MWM AVIATION...BRF FIRE WEATHER...MWM
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Wichita KS 338 PM CST Sat Dec 27 2025 KSZ032-033-047>053-067>072-082-083-091>096-098>100-282145- 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- 338 PM CST Sat Dec 27 2025 This hazardous weather outlook is for portions of Central Kansas, South Central Kansas and Southeast Kansas. .DAY ONE...Tonight Isolated thunderstorms are possible late tonight across portions of southern and southeast Kansas. A strong storm producing small hail cannot be ruled out. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Sunday through Friday Isolated thunderstorms are possible over southeast Kansas early Sunday morning. A strong storm producing small hail cannot be ruled out. Strong northwest winds will develop behind a cold front on Sunday with wind gusts over 50 mph possible, strongest in central Kansas. This may drive the grassland fire danger into the very high category at times. Rain and drizzle may transition to a light and brief wintry mix on Sunday for portions of the area before precipitation comes to an end late in the afternoon. Wind chills may be near zero for portions of central Kansas early Monday morning. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation is not anticipated tonight. && For a graphical version of this information, see our webpage at: https://www.weather.gov/erh/ghwo?wfo=ict
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
The ASOS site at Russell Municipal Airport gusted to 63 mph at 4:29 AM CST, and then gusted to 58 mph at 8:16 AM CST.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Kansas in 2025Every state in 2025This day in weather historyWarnings in Kansas, December 2025
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: 1306204.