A Kansas town recorded 9 inches of snow as Wichita broke rain record with freeze coming
A winter storm on Monday largely spared Wichita of snow, but another round of wintry weather could hit the city on Tuesday.
Meteorologists predict the second round will hit harder in north-central Kansas, just like the stronger storm on Monday.
Forecasters with National Weather Service had always predicted the worst of Monday’s “powerful winter storm” would mostly miss Wichita. The highest snowfall amounts were predicted farther north, with some counties near the Nebraska border bracing for up to a foot of snow.
Early Monday morning, the Phillips County Sheriff’s Office asked people to avoid driving because of the inclement weather.
“Do us a favor and stay home,” the department wrote in a Facebook post. “Always better to be part of the solution than the problem.”
In Jewell County, the sheriff’s office reported that U.S. 36 was covered with snow by 7:30 a.m. About four and a half hours later, a jackknifed semi was blocking the intersection of U.S. 36 and K-14 south.
Local storm reports from the National Weather Service showed the town of Jewell had the highest snowfall total in the state, as of Monday afternoon. There had been 9 inches of snow by 1:45 p.m.
The Kansas Highway Patrol investigated a wreck that happened at around 10:30 a.m. on I-70 about a mile west of the I-135 junction near Salina. Troopers determined the vehicle “was traveling to(o) fast on the icy roadway and lost control,” entering the ditch. A passenger was injured when the SUV crashed into a road sign.
At around 1:45 p.m., the Nemaha County Sheriff’s Office reported: “All paved roadways are covered in several inches of slush, ice and snow. Proceed with extreme caution!!”
The storm didn’t completely pass by Wichita, dropping enough rain to break a 123-year-old record. The NWS reported 0.74 inches of rain as of 6 a.m., surpassing the mark of 0.58 inches set on Jan. 25, 1898.
By 5 p.m., the rain gauge at Eisenhower National Airport had recorded 1.24 inches.
With NWS Wichita forecasting an overnight low temperature of around 22 degrees, that record-setting rainfall could make for slippery roads. Wichita snowplows are already out treating city roads.
“The forecast includes up to 40% chance of snow 6 p.m. tomorrow through 6 a.m. Wednesday,” the city of Wichita said in a Monday afternoon tweet. “Today’s rain endured longer than expected, and with temps expected to reach freezing, responders will begin treating primary emergency route bridges at 5:30 p.m.”
The NWS forecast for Wichita stipulates that the 40% chance of snow will be primarily after midnight Wednesday. The overnight low temperature will be around 19 degrees with wind speeds of up to 10 mph. The daytime high temperature on Wednesday will be right around the freezing point at 32 degrees.
The weather service predicts a chance of light snow across central and eastern Kansas with Tuesday’s second round of storms. Snowfall accumulations are expected to be less than an inch for most areas. However, some north-central Kansas counties that are under the Hasting, Nebraska, branch of the weather service could get 1-2 inches of snow, according to NWS hazardous weather outlooks.
Prior to Tuesday’s second round of storms, Monday’s storm is expected to continue with a mix of drizzle, freezing drizzle and snow flurries through the evening across the region. Untreated roads could be slick and hazardous.
This story was originally published January 25, 2021 at 6:29 PM.