Just outside Wichita, Kansas (Image courtesy of Wichita Eagle)
The storm which has been tracked all the way from the Gulf of Alaska, brought it’s first batch of rough weather to California and the Southwest during the early and mid part of the week with spells of heavy rain, wind and heavy mountain snow as far south as Los Angeles and San Diego with teacherous driving conditions across routes linking LA-San Diego with the Deserts to the east. Even a tornado was spotted between Red Bluff and Chico.
The storm barreled across the southern Rockies and heading ENE towwards the central plains Wednesday into Thursday. Once the system got out over the plains, Gulf moisture was tapped and pulled north into the storm and arctic air firmly in place across the Heartland. All the right ingredients all same together to produce a record or near record-breaking snowstorm, particularly for Kansas into Missouri. A widespread swath of 8-12 inches of snow was reported from northwest Oklahoma to northern Missouri with a bullseye of 14-18 inches over central Kansas where thundersnow occured widely within the intense bands which produced snow rates of 2-3 inches per hour.
The biggest snow total observed appears to be 18 inches recorded in the Nashville area of Kansas. Other high snow totals include 13.5 inches in Hannibal, Missouri, 12.5 inches in Alva, Oklahoma, 10 inches in Sioux City, Iowa. Kansas City was under a snow emergency as 3 inch per hour snows came down with the International Airport shutdown. According to Mike Siedel of TWC, the 9.2 inches which accumulated was the city’s biggest in 20 years. In Wichita, KS, the 14.2 inches which accumulated was the 2nd biggest snowstorm since 1888. The record of 15 inches set back in 1962 still stands.. Topeka, KS recorded 9.3 inches which makes for the biggest calender day snow since Jan 9, 1993.
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Interestingly Oklahoma actually saw a bigger snow accumulation than anywhere in Nebraska. The largest snow total in Nebraska appears to be in Ayr with 12 inches while Alva, OK reported 12.5 inches. With every major winter storm, there are always surprises.
Speaking of Oklahoma, 1.8 inches of snow accumulated in OKC while 3.1 inches was reported in Tulsa. Both city’s saw thunder along with a sleet and freezing rain mix.
In Missouri, Columbia recorded 10.2 inches. St Louis, MO has a mix of sleet and freezing rain as well as snow so this kept totals down to 5.7 inches for the storm but that’s still a decent amount of snow.
Quarter to half inch accumulations of ice were reported over eastern Oklahoma and parts of northern Arkansas though 6 inches of snow fell in Clarksville, Ark.
Minnesota got 7 inches at Kasson while 5.1 inches of snow fell at New Amsterdam, Wisconson.
Stats are courtesy of weather.com.
Here is the latest snow analysis chart from NOAA.
Courtesy of NOAA
Latest snowdepth chart from NOAA.
Courtesy of NOAA
Here is some video from the storm via YouTube.
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