Persistent afternoon snow showers have hoisted the storm total to 14.2 inches in Wichita.
That means only one snow event has delivered more in the city’s history: the 15 inches dumped on Jan. 17-18, 1962.
Local meteorologists say scattered flurries could add a tenth or two to the total, but the top spot won’t be threatened.
Still, this was an impressive snow storm indeed, and the widespread reports of a foot or more will be welcome news for a state shackled by a long-term drought. It’s a wet snow, meaning 10 inches of snow equals about 1 inch of rain.
Translated, that means Wichita has received the equivalent of about 1.4 inches of rain.
This storm now ranks among the five worst in Wichita history, according to the National Weather Service.
The official snowfall at the agency’s office in west Wichita was 12.5 inches early Thursday afternoon, supplanting a 1909 storm as the fifth-worst in the city’s history.
But snow is still falling, and it would only take another .04 of an inch to lift this storm event into the top three.
This video from the National Weather Service office in Wichita provides an emphatic answer to that question. Thundersnow typically delivers snowfall rates of 2 inches an hour, and Thursday morning was no exception.
A band of heavy snow is moving into the Wichita area as noon arrives. The National Weather Service says it could have snowfall rates of 1.5 inches an hour.
Wichita had recorded 11.4 inches as of about 10 a.m., with more accumulation expected.
Snow fell at the rate of 2 inches an hour during a thundersnow event early Thursday morning. CNN captured video of the storm. I may be wrong, but it looks like they were shooting in Old Town.
