April 8th marks the anniversary of two extreme winter events in Kansas. On that day in 1938, the worst April blizzard on record ended in Dodge City. Light to moderate snow whipped by strong winds completely blocked all streets in Dodge City. From the evening of the 7th until midday of the 9th, traffic in all directions from town were completely blocked. Drifts up to eight and ten feet were piled over the streets, walks and yards. In 1956, winter weather again struck in Southwest Kansas. After daytime highs in the 60s, snow along with thunder and lightning occurred across the region. Over 5 inches of snow fell at Dodge City with 4 inches at Garden City. Winds gusted to over 70 mph in the Texas panhandle with zero visibility and blowing dust. Ahead of the cold front, a strong tornado hit near Enid OK.
Mary Knapp, Weather Data Library
mknapp@ksu.edu