Wichita, Kansas

Weather Forecast Office

Historic 2021 cold outbreak - February 6th - 18th

Overview

An 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! During this stretch, there were days where the high temp 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!

Max temp anomaly on February 15th

Stats and images
Additional info

Stats and images

Notable Consecutive Day Records

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). Longest on record is 24 days in 1895.

12 consecutive days of temps below 32 in Salina (ended 02/17). This was the longest stretch since 1983(15 days). Longest on record is 18 days in 1905.

13 consecutive days of temps below 32 in Chanute (ended 02/19). This was the longest stretch since 1983(14 days), which is the record.

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). Longest on record is 11 days in 1899.

10 consecutive days of temps below 20 in Salina (ended 02/16). This was the longest stretch on record.

9 consecutive days of temps below 20 in Chanute (ended 02/16). This was the longest stretch on record.

Consecutive days with a low temp below zero

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

Final stretch was 3 days for Salina (ended 02/16). This was the longest stretch since 2016. Longest stretch on record for Salina is 8, back in 1983.

Final stretch was 3 days for Chanute (ended 02/16). This was the longest stretch since 2011. Longest stretch on record for Chanute is 8, back in 1983.

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

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


February 15th records	February 16th records	Maximum consecutive hours below zero


Consecutive days with high temps below average	Wind chills observations from the evening of February 14th.	Satellite image from February 15th showing widespread snow cover from North Dakota down into south Texas.

	73% of the CONUS was covered in snow as of Midnight CST, February 16, modeled by @nwsnwc (NOHRSC). This is the greatest extent on record in the database, which dates back to 2003. pic.twitter.com/hSbWuxANh9 — NWS Weather Prediction Center (@NWSWPC) February 16, 2021	In a week that has featured the worst winter weather conditions seen locally in decades (if not on record), with heavy snow and ice, one of the worst aspects of the last week has been the extreme cold. Here is a depiction of the longevity of sub-freezing temperatures seen. pic.twitter.com/f1hpa8kcTU — NWS Weather Prediction Center (@NWSWPC) February 19, 2021
Map showing all of Oklahoma and Texas covered in a winter storm warning with wind chill advisories extending from North Dakota down into Kansas.

	Well, we aren't the only ones dealing with snow and cold this morning. It's not every day that you see a snowy Galveston, TX beach. Their temperature as of 8:30 am is a balmy 21°. pic.twitter.com/wyT8Duasyw — NWS Kansas City (@NWSKansasCity) February 15, 2021

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Daily average temp departure for Wichita	Daily average temp departure for Salina	Feb 1 thru Feb 18th average temp departure

Feb 1st thru Feb 18th average temp departure	Daily min/max for Wichita for Jan 1st - Feb 19th 2021	Daily min/max for Chanute for Jan 1st - Feb 19th 2021

Daily min/max for Salina for Jan 1st - Feb 19th 2021	Number of days in February with max temp below 32 for Wichita	Number of days in February with max temp below 32 for Chanute

Number of days in February with max temp below 32 for Salina	Feb 1st - Feb 18th percent average snowfall	Feb 1st - Feb 18th percent average snowfall
We made our new freeze monitor able to track up to two weeks consecutive under 32°... It wasn't enough. Hiawatha reached 337 hours this morning. Most should break the freezing mark today! #kswx pic.twitter.com/1vqGLrOmko — Kansas Mesonet (@ksmesonet) February 19, 2021	How rare is it for soil temperatures to drop below 30°? Rare. Yesterday's 2" value for Hutchinson was the coldest recorded on this date and only a few times has it dropped below 30 in over 30 years. #kswx pic.twitter.com/pXlhMFRTPD — Kansas Mesonet (@ksmesonet) February 16, 2021	Big records falling across the state this morning. We measured -30° at Scandia! Stay warm! #kswx pic.twitter.com/mdRB3B2ZUD — Kansas Mesonet (@ksmesonet) February 16, 2021