Winter Storm in Jewell, Kansas

An autumn snowstorm dumped an early surprise on north central Kansas the final weekend of October. Wind driven snow amounts totaled in excess of one foot by storms' end.The storms' origin began in the southwest United States with a strong upper level low pressure riding along the southern jet stream. As the storm turned northeast, rainfall began in north central Kansas Friday night. Two to three inches of rain fell on the area before beginning the changeover to snow late Saturday afternoon..The snow became heavy Saturday night, and as low pressure intensified, north winds increased to 30 to 45 mph causing near blizzard conditions. Many roads west of Smith Center and Osborne became impassable at the height of the storm. The heaviest snow fell in a path from Rooks and Phillips counties, then east across northern Smith and Jewell counties. As much as fifteen inches of snow paralyzed some areas. The weight of the snow caused a roof to collapse at an auto dealership in Smith Center. The wind, precipitation and cold temperatures were to blame for some cattle freezing to death. Many schools and businesses were closed for several days while the cleanup work was completed. Record cold was recorded the morning the 26th, as temperatuers dropped to single digits in some areas.