Winter in Kansas has been fairly mild this year. However, in 2011 on February 1st much of southeastern KS was seeing one of the worst winter storms in recent memory. A massive winter storm of historic proportions affected the region from the early morning hours January 31st through the evening hours February 1st. Precipitation started out as freezing drizzle on the 31st, with snow expanding across the area during the evening and overnight hours. The highest accumulations occurred generally southeast of the Kansas Turnpike corridor, where accumulations exceeded 6 inches. However, far southeast Kansas saw the very highest accumulations, with amounts exceeding one foot. Sustained north to northwest winds of 25 mph, with gusts up to 45 mph, produced near-blizzard conditions at times, along with extensive drifts, some of which exceeded 4 feet tall. Additionally, temperatures in the single digits and teens in concert with the strong winds resulted in wind chill readings as cold as -30 degrees, coldest over central Kansas. The governor issued an emergency declaration for 53 counties, including most areas along and east of I-135.
Mary Knapp, Weather Data Library
mknapp@ksu.edu