Although Spring has arrived, that doesn’t mean winter weather has been banished. In fact, March 27th marks the anniversary of three major winter storms. In 1931, the blizzard which struck western Kansas and adjoining states was called the "worst since January eighteen eighty-eight". The low temperature of 3 degrees below zero stands as the coldest recorded so late in the season. Jump forward to 1987, when March 27th saw the second blizzard in less than a week to hit southwest Kansas. North winds of 35 to 45 mph with peak gusts to 50 mph were recorded. The blizzard finally ended during the early afternoon on March 29th after shutting down the entire Southwest part of Kansas. Some roads were still closed on the 31st. The most recent extreme example fell on March 27-28, 2009 when widespread amounts of 20 to 30 inches of snow were seen. The cooperative observer in Pratt reported 30 inches of snow in 24 hours which established a state record, replacing the previous record of 24 inches at Norcatur on October 26, 1996.
Mary Knapp, Weather Data Library
mknapp@ksu.edu