Winter Weather — Phillips, Kansas

2025-02-14 to 2025-02-15 · Phillips, Kansas

Event narrative

Snowfall totals across the county generally ranged from a dusting to around 3 inches, with the highest totals located across northern portions of the county.

Wider weather episode

Phillips county was on the south side of a snow band which formed late on Valentine's Day and continued during the early morning hours of the 15th. Snow amounts in the county ranged from a trace to 2-3 up along the Nebraska border. The NWS Cooperative Observer in Phillipsburg reported 1 of snow. Prior the snow falling, a period of freezing drizzle left a light glaze of ice on roads and surfaces.

Unlike the winter event a few days prior, there was a weak surface low in southern Kansas. The 700 MB weather chart depicted a clearly defined, positively-tilted trough moving across the area bringing a mixture of precipitation. As the trough passed, dry air filtered into the mid-levels of the atmosphere. The weak lift overriding the shallower cold air near the surface resulted in a period of freezing drizzle. Eventually, mid-level moisture increased, and when teamed with increasing frontogenesis in the 700 to 500 MB layer, a band of steadier snow formed.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1240472. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.