Kansas winter storms
Every recorded winter storm record since 1996 · 105 counties with a record
NOAA's Storm Events Database records 7,432 winter storm records in Kansas from 1996 through June 30, 2026, about 251 a year since 2000. The deadliest was the April 10, 1997 heavy snow in Pottawatomie County: 7 deaths and $267,000 in damage in 2025 dollars across 3 records. Kansas ranks 17th of 51 states and territories by count and 29th of 50 per square mile.
Winter storms in Kansas, 1996 to 2026
Winter storm records per year (NOAA Storm Events); 2026 to June 30, 2026.
- recorded, no damage figure
- under $1 million
- $1 million or more
- $10 million or more
- $100 million or more, or 10 deaths
- $1 billion or more, or 100 deaths
- a year's colour: its recorded damage or deaths
- a year with a death
- Records
- 7,4321996 to June 30, 2026
- A year since 2000
- 251average
- Deaths
- 120614 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $504Mas filed
- Busiest year
- 2007636 records
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; deaths and damage as filed, damage in 2025 dollars. Search the record at NCEI.
Are winter storm records common in Kansas?
Kansas averages about 251 winter storm records a year since 2000, 17th of 51 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 2007 (636). Per 10,000 square miles of land, Kansas records 909 winter storm records since 1996, 29th of 50 states and territories by that measure.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1996, per 10,000 square miles of land area (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer; places under 1,000 square miles not ranked). Damage colours: Storm Events damage, 2025 dollars.
Which counties in Kansas have the most winter storm records?
Per square mile, Wyandotte County leads Kansas: 51 days with a winter storm record since 1996, 336.3 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Ford County has the most winter storm records (136 since 1996); large counties collect more records simply by covering more ground, so the ranking counts days with a record per unit of area (a storm filed for several forecast zones adds several records but one day).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, days with a record in the county since 1996 per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer); in brackets, the count of records.
When is winter storm season in Kansas?
53% of its winter storm records since 1996 fell in January and February. The busiest month is January (2,166 records).
The values, month by month
Jan 2,166 · Feb 1,802 · Mar 936 · Apr 210 · May 10 · Jun 0 · Jul 0 · Aug 0 · Sep 2 · Oct 102 · Nov 653 · Dec 1,551 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began, since 1996.
What were the deadliest winter storm records in Kansas?
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997-04-10 | Heavy SnowPottawatomie County · forecast zone Pottawatomie One storm episode: 3 records in 3 places; the totals are the episode's. A late season moisture laden snow storm dumped 4 to 8 inches of accumulation across North Central and Northeast kansas generally north and west of Manhattan or along and north of a line from Abilene in Dickenson County to Baileyville in Nemaha County. Locally heavier amounts fell in some areas, especially near the ... | 7 | 0 | $267K | |
| 2007-01-20 | Heavy SnowReno County · forecast zone Reno One storm episode: 8 records in 8 places; the totals are the episode's. On Saturday, January 20th, a powerful storm system ejected northeast from the southern rockies across the southern and central plains. Intense lift and ample moisture along and ahead of this system produced widespread moderate to heavy snow across much of central, south-central and southeast Kansas. Accumulations ... | 5 | 12 | $3K | |
| 2025-01-05 | BlizzardSedgwick County · forecast zone Sedgwick One storm episode: 33 records in 18 places; the totals are the episode's. A powerful long duration winter storm moved into Kansas during the weekend of January 4th and 5th. The event started with freezing drizzle and drizzle; there were numerous slide offs across the state on the 4th. As the intensity of the precipitation increased, this freezing rain led to flat ice accumulations up to ... | 4 | 4 | – | |
| 1998-12-20 | Ice StormOsage County · forecast zone Osage One storm episode: 3 records in 3 places; the totals are the episode's. | 4 | 0 | – | |
| 2006-12-31 | Winter WeatherMcPherson County · forecast zone McPherson One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. The back side of a strong area of low pressure brought a relatively quick round of moderate to heavy snow to portions of Central Kansas during the predawn to mid-morning hours on the 31st. Snow accumulations ranged from 3 to 5 inches. Several automobile accidents occurred, a few of which included injuries (indirect) ... | 4 | 0 | – | |
| 2022-02-17 | Winter StormLinn County · forecast zone Linn Heavy snow fell during the morning hours on February 17. Roughly 5 to 7 inches of snow fell across the county, with some isolated higher totals. The day after the snow fell, a Dodge Ram with four occupants from Texas was traveling north on HWY 69, just south of HWY 52 when it ran off the icy road and tumbled into a ... | 4 | 0 | – | |
| 2017-12-26 | Winter WeatherDickinson County · forecast zone Dickinson Just before 10am local time, a pickup truck traveling west on interstate 70 struck a guardrail near Abilene, KS and traveled along and on top of the rail before falling around 25 feet off of a bridge coming to rest on its top. All 4 inside the vehicle were killed. The snow reduced visibility to around 1/2 to 1 mile at ... | 4 | 0 | – | |
| 2009-03-27 | BlizzardReno County · forecast zone Reno One storm episode: 10 records in 10 places; the totals are the episode's. A late season winter storm of record breaking proportions struck central, south-central and southeast Kansas March 27-28, 2009. Heavy snow with blizzard conditions affected much of central and south-central Kansas, with accumulations exceeding 18 inches for some locations. Numerous buildings with mainly flat-topped ... | 3 | 14 | $20M | |
| 2009-12-22 | Winter WeatherThomas County · forecast zone Thomas One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. Fog and light freezing drizzle produced a thin layer of ice on area roads, including Interstate 70. Accidents were reported in both Sherman and Thomas counties resulting in three fatalities and three injuries. Dozens of other non-injury accidents were reported. | 3 | 3 | $241K | |
| 2005-01-04 | Winter StormSedgwick County · forecast zone Sedgwick One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. | 3 | 2 | $45M |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: deaths direct and indirect, as filed by the National Weather Service, summed over each storm (one episode, or one named storm filed by several offices). Storm names from the titles of FEMA declarations that name the storm's counties.
The costliest winter storm records in Kansas
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007-12-10 | Ice StormReno County · forecast zone Reno One storm episode: 16 records in 16 places, 2007-12-10 to 2007-12-11; the totals are the episode's. | 0 | 0 | $132M | |
| 2006-12-29 | Winter StormNorton County · forecast zone Norton One storm episode: 11 records in 11 places; the totals are the episode's. | 0 | 0 | $127M | |
| 2005-01-04 | Winter StormSedgwick County · forecast zone Sedgwick One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. | 3 | 2 | $45M | |
| 2002-01-30 | Ice StormGreenwood County · forecast zone Greenwood | 0 | 0 | $41M | |
| 2002-01-29 | Winter StormMarion County · forecast zone Marion | 0 | 0 | $25M | |
| 2009-03-27 | BlizzardReno County · forecast zone Reno One storm episode: 10 records in 10 places; the totals are the episode's. | 3 | 14 | $20M | |
| 2002-01-30 | Ice StormJohnson County · forecast zone Johnson One storm episode: 4 records in 4 places; the totals are the episode's. | 0 | 0 | $16M | |
| 2007-12-09 | Ice StormCherokee County · forecast zone Cherokee One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. | 0 | 0 | $9.5M |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: property and crop damage as estimated by the National Weather Service, in 2025 dollars.
Are winter storm records becoming more frequent in Kansas?
Kansas's count per decade against the whole country's, and its share. NOAA recorded every event type only from 1996, so earlier decades are not comparable; the share of the national total is the fairer comparison across decades.
| Decade | Kansas | United States | Kansas's share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996-99 | 814 | 32,893 | 2.5% |
| 2000s | 3,296 | 88,805 | 3.7% |
| 2010s | 1,897 | 103,626 | 1.8% |
| 2020-26 | 1,425 | 62,015 | 2.3% |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.
The most recent winter storm records in Kansas
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-01-24 | Heavy SnowMiami County · forecast zone Miami | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-01-24 | Heavy SnowWyandotte County · forecast zone Wyandotte | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-01-24 | Heavy SnowLinn County · forecast zone Linn | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-01-24 | Heavy SnowLeavenworth County · forecast zone Leavenworth | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-01-24 | Heavy SnowJohnson County · forecast zone Johnson | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-01-24 | Heavy SnowAtchison County · forecast zone Atchison | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-01-24 | Heavy SnowEllis County · forecast zone Ellis | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-01-23 | Winter StormSumner County · forecast zone Sumner | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-01-23 | Winter StormWoodson County · forecast zone Woodson | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-01-23 | Winter StormWilson County · forecast zone Wilson | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-01-23 | Winter StormSedgwick County · forecast zone Sedgwick | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-01-23 | Winter StormSaline County · forecast zone Saline | 0 | 0 | – |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; the newest months are revised by NCEI as reports arrive. Search the record at NCEI.
Federal disaster declarations for winter storm records in Kansas
FEMA has declared 15 disasters in Kansas for winter storm, counting its incident type and declarations that name snow or winter storm or ice storm or blizzard in the title (FEMA files most storm disasters under Severe Storm); 14 were major disasters, the latest on May 21, 2025.
| Declared | Number | Title | Areas named |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-05-21 | DR-4869 | Severe Winter Storm, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, and Wildfires | 28 |
| 2024-04-28 | DR-4774 | Severe Winter Storm | 17 |
| 2022-05-25 | DR-4654 | Severe Winter Storms and Straight-Line Winds | 20 |
| 2017-06-16 | DR-4319 | Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding | 27 |
| 2017-02-24 | DR-4304 | Severe Winter Storm | 20 |
| 2013-04-26 | DR-4112 | Snowstorm | 23 |
| 2010-03-09 | DR-1885 | Severe Winter Storms and Snowstorm | 51 |
| 2009-12-23 | DR-1868 | Severe Winter Storm | 3 |
| 2009-06-24 | DR-1848 | Severe Winter Storm and Record and Near Record Snow | 33 |
| 2008-02-01 | DR-1741 | Severe Winter Storms | 60 |
| 2007-12-12 | EM-3282 | Severe Winter Storms | 105 |
| 2007-01-07 | DR-1675 | Severe Winter Storm | 44 |
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2), through October 2, 2026. OpenFEMA dataset page.
Next
- Wyandotte County: the county's whole recordThe Kansas county with the most winter storm records per square mile
- Winter storms across the United StatesEvery state ranked, by year and month
- Every natural hazard in KansasTornadoes, floods, storms, heat and the federal declarations
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