Wildfire — Wichita, Kansas

2021-12-15 · Wichita, Kansas

Event narrative

High winds knocked over power lines near the towns of Marienthal and Lydia, sparking two large fires. The fire near Marienthal began around 14:30 PM CST burning fields and one home. The Marienthal fire burned approximately 1200 acres and was put out around 22:30 PM CST. The Lydia fire began around 13:50 PM CST burning fields, two homes, and several vehicles over a span of 8300 acres. This fire injured one non-hospitalized person and another person died the next day due to burns and a collapsed lung from protecting his home. The Lydia fire was extinguished around 22:06 PM CST.

Wider weather episode

During the morning to mid-afternoon hours, an intense low pressure system moved away from the Colorado Front Range and across the Central High Plains. This system was responsible for generating two rounds of high winds in Northwest Kansas. The high winds gusted between 58 to 120 mph over a period of approximately 6.5 hours, creating high wind damage across majority of Northwest Kansas.

The two rounds of high winds were able to generate dust storms; one ahead of the cold front, and another round as the cold front moved east-northeast across South-Central Colorado into Northwest Kansas. The high winds and blowing dust created hazardous travel conditions across the Central High Plains, prompting a several hour closure of I-70 from the Colorado state line to Salina, Kansas and numerous state highways in Western Kansas. Numerous accidents were reported on roadways across the area prior to the closures due to reduced visibility and/or blow overs due to the winds. The high winds were also able to spark several fires across Northwest Kansas causing damages to three homes, several vehicles, power poles, outbuildings, fences, and fields while also causing one fatality. As the front moved into Central Kansas, showers and a few thunderstorms developed along the front producing penny sized hail in Sheridan County.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 997495. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.