Category Archives: Winter

Winter has ended…..

1 March, 20135:39 p.m.

…….at least, according to the meteorological calendar.

Meteorological spring begins on March 1. Yes, that’s not the same as the equinox, but the longer days and warmer temperatures are nonetheless evident by the time March arrives. In fact, high temperatures are expected to jump nearly 20 degrees from Saturday to Sunday.

February was a wet month for Wichita and the surrounding area, thanks to the two heavy snows within the span of a week late in the month. As it is, last month was the snowiest in Wichita history, with 21.2 inches of snow recorded at the National Weather Service.

Here’s an NWS map showing precipitation totals for the month.

It snowed on five days in February and rained on four others. The warmest day of the month was 69 on the 17th, with the lowest high being 28 on the 22nd. So those extremes came less than a week apart.

By Stan Finger | Filed under Rain, Snow, Winter | Comments

Wichita weather: Snow and blowing snow

26 February, 20135:00 a.m.

While new snowfall is expected to end in the Wichita area by mid-morning Tuesday, forecasters say, gusty winds will continue to create headaches for motorists and road crews.

A blizzard warning will remain in effect until noon Tuesday in the Wichita metropolitan area. Highs will top out in the low to mid-30s, with north winds gusting to nearly 40 miles an hour early in the day before easing into the teens.

Skies will remain cloudy overnight, forecasters say, when lows are expected to dip into the low 20s. Winds will be in the teens out of the northwest, but will gust to nearly 25 miles an hour.

Wednesday should offer some sunshine, forecasters say, along with temperatures in the mid-30s. Winds will remain out of the northwest, gusting to almost 25 miles an hour.

For more information on current conditions, go to our weather page.

By Stan Finger | Filed under Forecast, Snow, Winter | Comments

Mid-morning snow forecast for Wichita metropolitan area

25 February, 201312:42 p.m.

The National Weather Service has updated its snow forecast, fueled by radar-based projections. Those are decimal points, not dashes, so for Wichita the prediction is 9.1 inches.

By Stan Finger | Filed under Blizzards, Snow, Winter | Comments

Blizzard warning in effect for Wichita and south-central Kansas

25 February, 20138:31 a.m.

Blizzard warnings are now in effect for 22 Kansas counties, including the Wichita metropolitan area.

The warnings extend until midnight for 14 counties in southwest Kansas – Hodgeman, Pawnee, Stafford, Haskell, Gray, Ford, Edwards, Kiowa, Pratt, Seward, Meade, Clark, Comanche and Barber.

The blizzard warning expires at 6 a.m. Tuesday for Kingman, Reno and Harper counties, and until noon Tuesday for Sedgwick, Butler, Harvey, Sumner and Cowley counties. Strong north winds of 30 to 40 miles an hour – with higher gusts – will create blizzard conditions and make travel extremely difficult.

Here are a series of maps showing snowfall forecasts from various agencies and media outlets. The differences are due to uncertainty about how far south the center of the storm will track, and how soon rain will change to snow.

The first map shows the National Weather Service forecast.

The next map comes from KWCH, which is predicting less snow for Wichita than the weather service.

The third map is from KAKE. You’ll see the notable variances in the forecasts.

By Stan Finger | Filed under Blizzards, Snow, Winter | Comments

Wichita weather: Heavy snow, strong winds by afternoon

25 February, 20135:00 a.m.

The second strong snow storm to hit Wichita in less than a week is likely to have a deceptive opening act, forecasters say.

Overnight rain is expected to change to snow in time for the morning commute, but folks may spend the morning hours thinking it won’t be as bad as weather officials have been warning for a few days now.

But by afternoon, the snow will be heavy and winds will be gusting to more than 40 miles an hour, forecasters say. That will make the evening commute a potential nightmare for those who don’t leave work early.

The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm warning for nine counties in southern and south-central Kansas until noon Tuesday. The Wichita metropolitan area is included in the warning.

Wichita could see up to 14 inches from this storm, according to the National Weather Service. Lesser amounts are expected north of Hutchinson and Newton.

“The strong north winds combined with moderate to heavy snow will cause major blowing and drifting snow that will frequently reduce visibilities to less than one-half mile in many areas,” the agency’s warning stated. “Drifts could reach two or three feet. Travel will be dangerous and is greatly discouraged.”

The snow and strong winds are expected to continue through Monday night into early Tuesday morning forecasters say. Winds will begin to ease Tuesday afternoon, and the rest of the week appears likely to give Wichita a chance to begin digging out from this latest winter salvo.

For the latest information on current conditions, go to our weather page.

By Stan Finger | Filed under Blizzards, Forecast, Snow, Winter | Comments

Updated video briefing on the approaching winter storm

24 February, 20139:12 p.m.

This video reflects the updated outlook as of 3 p.m. Sunday.

By Stan Finger | Filed under Blizzards, Snow, Winter | Comments

Updated forecast for looming winter storm

24 February, 20132:44 p.m.

The National Weather Service has produced a map showing the latest forecast for the major winter storm poised to strike Kansas later tonight through Tuesday. Wichita is again in the cross hairs.

Here’s a link for a video briefing on the coming storm. Click on the black box in the upper left hand corner.

For the latest information on current conditions, go to our weather page.

By Stan Finger | Filed under Blizzards, Snow, Winter | Comments

Briefing about the approaching winter storm

23 February, 20137:40 p.m.

This multimedia briefing takes a look at the winter storm approaching Kansas and Wichita later this weekend.

By Stan Finger | Filed under Blizzards, Snow, Winter | Comments

A second potent snow storm sets its sites on Kansas

23 February, 20137:01 p.m.

For the second time in just a few days, a strong winter storm is poised to bring heavy snow to Wichita and much of Kansas. This time, strong winds will be part of the arsenal, too.

Here’s the latest forecast map issued by the National Weather Service:

By Stan Finger | Filed under Blizzards, Snow, Winter | Comments

Snowfall by the numbers across Kansas

22 February, 20139:07 a.m.

Snowfall accumulations can vary dramatically over even a small area, but perhaps the most impressive aspect of the just-completed storm was how widespread the substantial snowfalls were.

Nashville in Kingman County reported 18 inches of snow. That’s only about 30 miles west of Wichita, where 14.2 inches fell. But Hays, where 17 inches fell, is more than 180 highway miles from Wichita in northcentral Kansas. Hill City, which logged 15, is more than 200 miles from Wichita.

Much of Kansas received more than a foot of snow. Not just most of a county or two – much of the state.

This compiled list of snowfall reports reflects the size of the storm. Keep in mind, more snow fell after some of these reports were made.

INCHES LOCATION COUNTY
—— ———————– ————–
18.00 NASHVILLE KINGMAN
17.30 WILLOWDALE RENO
17.00 HAYS ELLIS
15.00 HILL CITY GRAHAM
14.20 WICHITA MID CONTINENT SEDGWICK
14.20 8 N JETMORE HODGEMAN
14.00 MACKSVILLE STAFFORD
14.00 ROZEL PAWNEE
14.00 SPIVEY KINGMAN
14.00 KINGMAN KINGMAN
14.00 CLEARWATER SEDGWICK
14.00 NORWICH KINGMAN
13.50 HUTCHINSON RENO
13.00 1 W HANSTON HODGEMAN
13.00 8 E KINGMAN KINGMAN
13.00 ELLSWORTH ELLSWORTH
13.00 N LYONS RICE
13.00 MCPHERSON MCPHERSON
12.80 1 E HAYSVILLE SEDGWICK
12.40 5 SE IUKA PRATT
12.20 1 NE DODGE CITY FORD
12.00 NORTON NORTON
12.00 ENSIGN GRAY
12.00 PRATT PRATT
12.00 SHIELDS LANE
12.00 4 ESE MARQUETTE MCPHERSON
12.00 6 ESE GOVE GOVE
12.00 SALINA SALINE
12.00 5 N EL DORADO BUTLER
12.00 ABILENE DICKINSON
11.00 GREAT BEND BARTON
11.00 GOODLAND SHERMAN
11.00 QUINTER GOVE
10.00 W AUGUSTA BUTLER
9.00 DODGE CITY FORD
9.00 OSAGE CITY OSAGE
9.00 WHITE CITY MORRIS

By Stan Finger | Filed under Snow, Winter | Comments