Extreme Cold/Wind Chill — Sedgwick, Kansas

2021-02-06 to 2021-02-18 · Sedgwick, Kansas

Event narrative

Consecutive days below 32 degrees.

12 consecutive days of temps below 32 in Wichita (ended 02/18). This was the longest stretch since 1983(18 days). The longest on record is 24 days in 1895.

Consecutive days below 20 degrees.

9 consecutive days of temps below 20 in Wichita (ended 02/16). This was the longest stretch since 1983(9 days). The longest on record is 11 days in 1899.

Consecutive days with a low temp below zero.

The final stretch was 3 days for Wichita (ended 02/16). This was the longest stretch since 1996. The longest stretch on record for Wichita is 8, back in 1983.

Consecutive days with 1 inch or more of snow on the ground.

The final stretch for Wichita was 13 days (ended 02/19). The longest stretch since 1993 and 8th longest on record. Longest stretch was 28 days, back in 1988.

Wider weather episode

A historic cold outbreak overspread all of the Plains on February 6th and lasted through February 18th. A persistent Arctic airmass like this hasn't affected the region since the 1980s. There were days where the high temperature did not make it out of the single digits. The Arctic surge made it all the way down to south Texas, where snow was observed on the beaches of Galveston.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 944502. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.