Rainfall totals & snow (updated 8 a.m. Tuesday)

Here are some totals coming in this Tuesday morning:

Rainfall Amounts:

Kellogg/Hillside - 0.92"
Emporia - 0.62"
Wichita (Eisenhower) - 0.55"
Newton - 0.49"
Salina - 0.48"
Jabara Airport - 0.44"
Great Bend - 0.42"
Hutch - 0.39"
Winfield - 0.38"
Dodge City - 0.31"
Pratt - 0.23"
Russell - 0.17"
Liberal - 0.12"

Snowfall totals:

St Francis - 10"
Grainfield - 9"
Goodland - 8.8"
Hill City - 8"
Oakley - 7.5"
Ellis - 7"
Hoxie - 6"
Hays - 4"
Russell - 3"

Estella Cristobal - Garden City (about an inch)

Becky - Colby

Brooklyn Foster - Ellis Co.

Kimberly Lankas - Atwood

Rebecca Lawhorn - Oakley

Cory - Hays

Winter storm arrives - blizzard conditions likely north

Near Vail, CO

East of Vail on I-70

The next winter storm is here and the track is pretty well set now! It still looks like the heaviest is going to be across northern Kansas. As with any snow forecast, there are some who are happy and others disappointed. 

This is a storm that had originally looked to track north, and then for a few days, the models shifted south. Now, we are pretty certain this area of low pressure will track from northern Texas, into south central Kansas, and then up toward Kansas City. This gives south central and eastern Kansas a chance to hear thunder Monday night. There won't be any severe storms, but it will seem out of  place given that it's only February 1st. The most difficult driving conditions will be Monday night and early Tuesday, especially down I-70 from around Russell all the way into eastern Colorado.

Our weather pattern through the rest of the week will favor near to slightly colder than normal temperatures. Upper level winds coming in from the north/northwest will keep the colder air coming and it's unlikely we will see very many 50 degree days (if any)

Latest winter storm tracks

 

Friday is finally here and it's going to be a very nice day around the state. No doubt, this kind of weather causes spring fever, and then you realize it's late January and it snaps us back to reality. If you like warmer weather, enjoy it while you can. I say that because I know there are still so many of you cheering for a snow storm before winter is all over with.

Yesterday, I tried to highlight our different levels of confidence with the approaching storm. We do know there will be a storm early next week and it's going to have a huge impact in the Plains. How much snow is also becoming more clear too, and for some, it's going to be quite a bit. The track of the storm is still very much key. Computer models were trending back north a bit yesterday, but now they are just a little farther south. Based on everything that I've looked at, it's looking like western, central, and northern Kansas should be ready for the heaviest (8" of snow or more). This will include Dodge City, Hays, Goodland, Colby, Russell, Salina, Great Bend (just to name a few)

The two models we base our forecast so heavily on is the GFS (Global Forecast System) and the European model. 

The track of the low on the European model takes the low from near Amarillo to Wichita Falls, then up to around Tulsa, and then on to KC. 

The GFS model is a little north of that track, taking the low from Amarillo to Wichita, then over into western Missouri. Heaviest snows will likely occur 100-200 miles north of the low. 

Regardless of how much snow we do or don't get, we won't miss the wind and cold. Be ready for subzero wind chills by the middle of next week. It will be getting very cold with our 3rd blast of Arctic air coming south.