Event narrative (NOAA)
On the 28th, an Arctic Front surged south across Kansas, leaving a shallow layer of sub-freezing air in it's wake. Meanwhile, an 850mb low was positioned over New Mexico. As the 850mb low moved east across New Mexico on the 29th and 30th, much warmer, moisture-laden air was transported north across the southern plains in a layer approximately 3,000 feet thick, trapping the sub-freezing layer beneath. On the evening of the 30th, the 850mb low crossed the New Mexico/Texas border. A mid-upper level trough moving east across the southern Rockies provided sufficient lift across the region.Widespread freezing rain and sleet developed late in the afternoon of the 29th across south-central Kansas and continued through the night of the 30th, eventually changing to snow early on the morning of the 3
Other notable winter storm events in Kansas
Source: NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database. Deaths and injuries are those NOAA classifies as direct. Damage is the reporting office's estimate at the time and is not inflation-adjusted. This is a catalogue record, not a forecast.