Blizzard — Mitchell, Kansas

2018-11-25 · Mitchell, Kansas

Event narrative

Snowfall amounts across the area ranged from 4 to 8 inches. There was one fatality. A woman had attempted to go to work on Sunday, but due to dangerous conditions, turned back to go home. She was reported missing when she didn't report for work on Monday, and her abandoned car was found in a ditch along Highway 24 near Glen Elder State Park. Her body was found on Tuesday in a field near Waconda Lake, about 3 miles from her car.

Wider weather episode

A blizzard occurred across most of north central Kansas on this Saturday night and Sunday. Saturday afternoon, a narrow band of snow developed, in the shape of an arc, across Nebraska to near Denver. This band formed in the deformation zone of developing low pressure. During the evening, this band expanded and moved southeast. The core of this band crossed north central Kansas between 11 PM CST Saturday and 11 AM CST Sunday, although windy conditions maintained blowing snow a little while after the snow ended. Widespread, frequent wind gusts between 45 and 55 mph were common, which severely reduced the visibility in falling and blowing snow. Near zero visibility was reported at Beloit, Lebanon, Mankato, Osborne, Phillipsburg, Smith Center, and Stockton. The strength of the winds resulted in scattered power outages across all six counties. First responders were busy responding to slide-offs and minor accidents due to slippery roads. Motorists were urged to avoid traveling. Measuring the snowfall was extremely difficult due to the wind, with most locations estimating 3 to 7 inches of accumulation. The highest estimated amounts were 8.0 inches near Hunter, 7.1 at Plainville, and 7.0 at Beloit. Snow drifted to 3 and 4 ft deep in spots. The snow and wind resulted in numerous closed or impassible roads. The Kansas Governor declared a state of emergency. Numerous churches cancelled services. Schools in Beloit, Osborne, Plainville, and Smith Center were closed Monday, and Phillipsburg schools were delayed 2 hours.

A woman lost her life near Cawker City due to the storm. She abandoned her vehicle after it slid off the road and became stuck in a ditch on Highway 24 in Mitchell county. She succumbed from exposure to the cold and was found Tuesday, the 27th, some distance from her vehicle.

During the daytime hours Saturday, an Arctic cold front advanced south across Nebraska. A separate low pressure system moved through Wyoming and Colorado into southwest Kansas. This low and its associated fronts moved east along the Kansas-Oklahoma border Saturday night while the Arctic front continued moving south into Kansas in its wake. The low moved into Missouri Sunday while high pressure over the Canadian Prairies begin building into Kansas. In the upper-levels, amplification was occurring with a building ridge along the West Coast. This resulted in a shortwave trough deepening and becoming a closed low over Nebraska and Kansas.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 791728. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.