Impressive Snow Storm February 2011 - NWS Topeka, KS

Impressive Snow Storm Strikes Northeast Kansas

Environmental Setup

An intense upper level storm system developed and moved southeast towards the Southern Plains on Tuesday bringing light to heavy snow to Northeast Kansas. Enough moisture was in place along with adequate lift from a frontal boundary positioned across the region. As a result, moderate to heavy snow bands developed early Tuesday afternoon over East Central Kansas and continued on throughout the afternoon and evening hours. Further north in the Topeka and Lawrence areas, the snowfall did not begin until later in the evening and continued across the area Wednesday morning before dissipating.

Snowfall Totals

There was a tight snowfall gradient across Northeast Kansas depicted in the figure below. The heaviest snowfall bands were seen south of an Abilene to Garnett line. It was in this area where 8 to 16 inches of snowfall was reported. Snowfall reports of 4 to 6 inches was reported along a Topeka to Manhattan to Concordia line while most areas further north received only 1 to 2 inches. To put in perspective, there was over a foot difference between Marshall and Lyon counties in Northeast Kansas.

Here is the total Snowfall Map as of 12 PM CST on Wednesday generated by spotter and observer reports. Note that this map may be updated to account for additional reports.

The Local Storm Report (in order of report time, most recent at the bottom):

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
1002 AM CST WED FEB 09 2011

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0234 AM     SNOW             JAMESTOWN               39.60N 97.86W
02/08/2011  E2.0 INCH        CLOUD              KS   LAW ENFORCEMENT

0330 AM     SNOW             CONCORDIA               39.57N 97.66W
02/08/2011  E2.0 INCH        CLOUD              KS   LAW ENFORCEMENT

            ESTIMATED ABOUT 2 TO 3 INCHES IN CONCORDIA. BLOWING SNOW
            AS WELL.

0330 AM     SNOW             GLASCO                  39.36N 97.84W
02/08/2011  E3.0 INCH        CLOUD              KS   LAW ENFORCEMENT

            ESTIMATED 2 TO 3 INCHES IN GLASCO. VISIBILITY LESS THAN A
            QUARTER MILE. SOME DRIFTING UP TO 18 INCHES.

0702 AM     HEAVY SNOW       WHITE CITY              38.80N 96.74W
02/08/2011  M5.0 INCH        MORRIS             KS   CO-OP OBSERVER

0702 AM     SNOW             CLIFTON                 39.57N 97.28W
02/08/2011  E1.0 INCH        WASHINGTON         KS   CO-OP OBSERVER

            SIGNIFICANT DRIFTING SNOW

0717 AM     SNOW             BURDICK                 38.56N 96.85W
02/08/2011  E1.5 INCH        MORRIS             KS   CO-OP OBSERVER

            DRIFTING SNOW

0724 AM     SNOW             CLAY CENTER             39.38N 97.12W
02/08/2011  M2.0 INCH        CLAY               KS   CO-OP OBSERVER

0724 AM     SNOW             TESCOTT                 39.01N 97.88W
02/08/2011  M4.0 INCH        OTTAWA             KS   CO-OP OBSERVER

0730 AM     SNOW             WILSEY                  38.64N 96.68W
02/08/2011  E4.0 INCH        MORRIS             KS   CO-OP OBSERVER

            DRIFTING SNOW

0735 AM     SNOW             4 ENE ADA               39.18N 97.82W
02/08/2011  E4.0 INCH        OTTAWA             KS   TRAINED SPOTTER

0735 AM     SNOW             EMPORIA                 38.40N 96.18W
02/08/2011  E2.0 INCH        LYON               KS   BROADCAST MEDIA

0745 AM     SNOW             COURTLAND               39.78N 97.89W
02/08/2011  M2.0 INCH        REPUBLIC           KS   CO-OP OBSERVER

0745 AM     SNOW             NEOSHO RAPIDS           38.37N 95.99W
02/08/2011  E2.0 INCH        LYON               KS   CO-OP OBSERVER

0800 AM     SNOW             MILTONVALE              39.35N 97.45W
02/08/2011  M3.0 INCH        CLOUD              KS   CO-OP OBSERVER

0800 AM     HEAVY SNOW       CHAPMAN                 38.97N 97.02W
02/08/2011  E4.5 INCH        DICKINSON          KS   CO-OP OBSERVER

0800 AM     SNOW             HERINGTON               38.67N 96.94W
02/08/2011  M3.0 INCH        DICKINSON          KS   CO-OP OBSERVER

0800 AM     HEAVY SNOW       MINNEAPOLIS             39.12N 97.71W
02/08/2011  M5.5 INCH        OTTAWA             KS   CO-OP OBSERVER

0800 AM     SNOW             2 NW COUNCIL GROVE      38.68N 96.52W
02/08/2011  M4.0 INCH        MORRIS             KS   CO-OP OBSERVER

1006 AM     SNOW             EMPORIA                 38.40N 96.18W
02/08/2011  E4.0 INCH        LYON               KS   BROADCAST MEDIA

            REPORTED BY KVOE IN EMPORIA.

0145 PM     SNOW             2 WNW EMPORIA           38.42N 96.22W
02/08/2011  M5.0 INCH        LYON               KS   BROADCAST MEDIA

            KVOE IN EMPORIA REPORTS 5 INCHES OF SNOW.

0149 PM     SNOW             ABILENE                 38.92N 97.21W
02/08/2011  E7.0 INCH        DICKINSON          KS   LAW ENFORCEMENT

            4 TO 7 INCHES ESTIMATED ACROSS THE COUNTY. 1 TO 3 FOOT
            DRIFTS IN HEAVIER SNOWFALL.

0149 PM     SNOW             COUNCIL GROVE           38.66N 96.49W
02/08/2011  M6.0 INCH        MORRIS             KS   LAW ENFORCEMENT

0239 PM     SNOW             BURLINGTON              38.19N 95.74W
02/08/2011  E5.0 INCH        COFFEY             KS   EMERGENCY MNGR

            5 INCHES OF SNOW REPORTED AT COFFEE COUNTY COURTHOUSE.

0503 PM     HEAVY SNOW       DELPHOS                 39.27N 97.77W
02/08/2011  M8.0 INCH        OTTAWA             KS   PUBLIC

            VISIBILITY DOWN TO 1/2 MILE.

0503 PM     SNOW             1 WSW WAMEGO            39.20N 96.31W
02/08/2011  M1.0 INCH        POTTAWATOMIE       KS   TRAINED SPOTTER

0517 PM     SNOW             W BURLINGAME            38.75N 95.84W
02/08/2011  E3.0 INCH        OSAGE              KS   TRAINED SPOTTER

            SPOTTER ESTIMATES 2-3 INCHES WITH HEAVY SNOW FALLING.

0525 PM     HEAVY SNOW       OLPE                    38.26N 96.17W
02/08/2011  M9.0 INCH        LYON               KS   PUBLIC

0525 PM     HEAVY SNOW       EMPORIA                 38.40N 96.18W
02/08/2011  M7.0 INCH        LYON               KS   BROADCAST MEDIA

            KVOL IN EMPORIA.

0542 PM     SNOW             2 SW BETO JUNCTION      38.41N 95.75W
02/08/2011  E5.0 INCH        COFFEY             KS   TRAINED SPOTTER

            SPOTTER ESTIMATES 5 INCHES.

0604 PM     HEAVY SNOW       4 ENE ADA               39.18N 97.82W
02/08/2011  M8.0 INCH        OTTAWA             KS   TRAINED SPOTTER

0614 PM     HEAVY SNOW       1 NNE BURLINGTON        38.20N 95.74W
02/08/2011  M9.0 INCH        COFFEY             KS   TRAINED SPOTTER

            SNOW DRIFTS OVER 1 FOOT.

0627 PM     HEAVY SNOW       4 N GRIDLEY             38.16N 95.88W
02/08/2011  M12.0 INCH       COFFEY             KS   TRAINED SPOTTER

0639 PM     HEAVY SNOW       4 SSE LATIMER           38.68N 96.81W
02/08/2011  E6.0 INCH        MORRIS             KS   TRAINED SPOTTER

0648 PM     HEAVY SNOW       5 E WESTPHALIA          38.19N 95.40W
02/08/2011  M6.0 INCH        ANDERSON           KS   TRAINED SPOTTER

0827 PM     SNOW             CONCORDIA               39.57N 97.66W
02/08/2011  E5.0 INCH        CLOUD              KS   LAW ENFORCEMENT

0828 PM     SNOW             CLAY CENTER             39.38N 97.12W
02/08/2011  E3.5 INCH        CLAY               KS   LAW ENFORCEMENT

0829 PM     SNOW             WASHINGTON              39.82N 97.05W
02/08/2011  E2.0 INCH        WASHINGTON         KS   LAW ENFORCEMENT

0830 PM     SNOW             GARNETT                 38.28N 95.24W
02/08/2011  E5.0 INCH        ANDERSON           KS   LAW ENFORCEMENT

0830 PM     SNOW             ALMA                    39.02N 96.29W
02/08/2011  E2.0 INCH        WABAUNSEE          KS   LAW ENFORCEMENT

0837 PM     HEAVY SNOW       BURLINGTON              38.19N 95.74W
02/08/2011  E16.0 INCH       COFFEY             KS   LAW ENFORCEMENT

0841 PM     HEAVY SNOW       EMPORIA                 38.40N 96.18W
02/08/2011  E7.0 INCH        LYON               KS   LAW ENFORCEMENT

0841 PM     HEAVY SNOW       ABILENE                 38.92N 97.21W
02/08/2011  E7.0 INCH        DICKINSON          KS   LAW ENFORCEMENT

0843 PM     SNOW             COUNCIL GROVE           38.66N 96.49W
02/08/2011  E5.0 INCH        MORRIS             KS   LAW ENFORCEMENT

0844 PM     SNOW             JUNCTION CITY           39.03N 96.83W
02/08/2011  E4.5 INCH        GEARY              KS   LAW ENFORCEMENT

0844 PM     SNOW             LYNDON                  38.61N 95.68W
02/08/2011  E5.0 INCH        OSAGE              KS   LAW ENFORCEMENT

0847 PM     HEAVY SNOW       MANHATTAN               39.18N 96.57W
02/08/2011  E6.0 INCH        RILEY              KS   LAW ENFORCEMENT

0850 PM     SNOW             LAWRENCE                38.96N 95.26W
02/08/2011  M1.0 INCH        DOUGLAS            KS   LAW ENFORCEMENT

0851 PM     SNOW             MARYSVILLE              39.84N 96.65W
02/08/2011  E1.5 INCH        MARSHALL           KS   LAW ENFORCEMENT

0852 PM     SNOW             SENECA                  39.83N 96.06W
02/08/2011  E0.5 INCH        NEMAHA             KS   LAW ENFORCEMENT

0853 PM     SNOW             OSKALOOSA               39.22N 95.31W
02/08/2011  E0.5 INCH        JEFFERSON          KS   LAW ENFORCEMENT

0855 PM     SNOW             WESTMORELAND            39.39N 96.41W
02/08/2011  E2.0 INCH        POTTAWATOMIE       KS   LAW ENFORCEMENT

0855 PM     SNOW             HOLTON                  39.47N 95.74W
02/08/2011  E1.5 INCH        JACKSON            KS   LAW ENFORCEMENT

0856 PM     SNOW             BELLEVILLE              39.82N 97.63W
02/08/2011  E2.5 INCH        REPUBLIC           KS   LAW ENFORCEMENT

0856 PM     SNOW             NORWAY                  39.70N 97.77W
02/08/2011  E5.0 INCH        REPUBLIC           KS   LAW ENFORCEMENT

0909 PM     SNOW             4 E CARBONDALE          38.82N 95.61W
02/08/2011  M2.2 INCH        OSAGE              KS   NWS EMPLOYEE

0930 PM     SNOW             2 E TOPEKA              39.05N 95.64W
02/08/2011  M2.5 INCH        SHAWNEE            KS   OFFICIAL NWS OBS

1000 PM     HEAVY SNOW       EMPORIA                 38.40N 96.18W
02/08/2011  E11.0 INCH       LYON               KS   PUBLIC

            REPORT FROM PUBLIC IN EMPORIA VIA BROADCAST MEDIA.

0100 AM     SNOW             7 WSW TOPEKA            39.02N 95.80W
02/09/2011  M3.7 INCH        SHAWNEE            KS   TRAINED SPOTTER

0200 AM     SNOW             BILLARD AIRPORT         39.08N 95.62W
02/09/2011  M4.5 INCH        SHAWNEE            KS   OFFICIAL NWS OBS

            LIGHT SNOW STILL FALLING

0500 AM     HEAVY SNOW       4 N GRIDLEY             38.16N 95.88W
02/09/2011  M15.0 INCH       COFFEY             KS   CO-OP OBSERVER

0559 AM     HEAVY SNOW       EMPORIA                 38.40N 96.18W
02/09/2011  E12.0 INCH       LYON               KS   BROADCAST MEDIA

0615 AM     SNOW             1 WSW WAMEGO            39.20N 96.31W
02/09/2011  M2.6 INCH        POTTAWATOMIE       KS   TRAINED SPOTTER

0715 AM     HEAVY SNOW       WHITE CITY              38.80N 96.74W
02/09/2011  M9.0 INCH        MORRIS             KS   CO-OP OBSERVER

0723 AM     SNOW             3 WNW LAWRENCE          38.98N 95.31W
02/09/2011  M2.0 INCH        DOUGLAS            KS   NWS EMPLOYEE

0735 AM     HEAVY SNOW       GRIDLEY                 38.10N 95.88W
02/09/2011  E14.0 INCH       COFFEY             KS   CO-OP OBSERVER

            SNOW DEPTH. TOTAL SNOWFALL ESTIMATED WAS 12 INCHES.

0742 AM     SNOW             3 SSW AUBURN            38.86N 95.83W
02/09/2011  E2.2 INCH        OSAGE              KS   TRAINED SPOTTER

0743 AM     SNOW             S LYNDON                38.61N 95.68W
02/09/2011  E6.0 INCH        OSAGE              KS   TRAINED SPOTTER

            SNOW DEPTH

0748 AM     SNOW             BURDICK                 38.56N 96.85W
02/09/2011  E6.0 INCH        MORRIS             KS   CO-OP OBSERVER

            SNOW DRIFTS 2.5-3 FEET.

0752 AM     HEAVY SNOW       COLONY                  38.07N 95.37W
02/09/2011  E12.0 INCH       ANDERSON           KS   CO-OP OBSERVER

            SNOW DEPTH TOTAL.

0754 AM     SNOW             4 E EMMETT              39.30N 95.98W
02/09/2011  E2.5 INCH        JACKSON            KS   TRAINED SPOTTER

0801 AM     SNOW             BLAINE                  39.50N 96.40W
02/09/2011  E5.0 INCH        POTTAWATOMIE       KS   TRAINED SPOTTER

0802 AM     SNOW             TESCOTT                 39.01N 97.88W
02/09/2011  E9.0 INCH        OTTAWA             KS   CO-OP OBSERVER

            TOTAL SNOW DEPTH.

0802 AM     HEAVY SNOW       WILSEY                  38.64N 96.68W
02/09/2011  E8.0 INCH        MORRIS             KS   CO-OP OBSERVER

0820 AM     SNOW             BEATTIE                 39.86N 96.42W
02/09/2011  E1.0 INCH        MARSHALL           KS   CO-OP OBSERVER

0820 AM     SNOW             4 ENE ADA               39.18N 97.82W
02/09/2011  E9.0 INCH        OTTAWA             KS   TRAINED SPOTTER

0826 AM     SNOW             MILTONVALE              39.35N 97.45W
02/09/2011  E6.0 INCH        CLOUD              KS   CO-OP OBSERVER

0858 AM     SNOW             ESE GRANTVILLE          39.08N 95.55W
02/09/2011  E4.5 INCH        JEFFERSON          KS   TRAINED SPOTTER

1010 AM     HEAVY SNOW       EMPORIA                 38.40N 96.18W
02/09/2011  M14.0 INCH       LYON               KS   BROADCAST MEDIA

            10 TO 14 INCHES IN THE CITY OF EMPORIA

1010 AM     HEAVY SNOW       AMERICUS                38.51N 96.26W
02/09/2011  M14.5 INCH       LYON               KS   BROADCAST MEDIA

1010 AM     HEAVY SNOW       OLPE                    38.26N 96.17W
02/09/2011  M14.0 INCH       LYON               KS   BROADCAST MEDIA

1010 AM     HEAVY SNOW       HARTFORD                38.31N 95.96W
02/09/2011  M16.0 INCH       LYON               KS   BROADCAST MEDIA