Winter Returns!

Snow and Wind - January 31st through February 1st 2015

After what had been a relatively dry and warm January, an upper system brought back winter conditions to much of the area over the weekend.  While the northern counties experienced snow on Saturday followed by blowing and drifting snow on Sunday, the counties to the south got some much needed rainfall, with many locations receiving more than an inch of rain over the period.  Temperatures hovered just over freezing where the rain fell, while counties to the north that remained below freezing stayed in the snow for the entire period. 

Complicating matters on Sunday were strong northwesterly winds that came in behind the system as it was moving eastward. Snowfall rates were much lower on Sunday, but brought a light, powdery snow that drifted very easily as the temperatures fell quickly into the teens.  Sustained winds of 20 to 25 mph with gusts around 30 mph were common, with some areas gusting into the 40s.  For crews trying to clear off snowfall, especially along east/west roadways, this became a difficult task, with several roads in Marshall county reported closed by late Sunday.  Highway 20 from Highway 7 to the Brown/Doniphan county line was also closed for a time, as was highway 75 north of Holton. 

We appreciate your snowfall reports!  Below is a map of that information.  Corning in southern Nemaha county reported the highest total at 10 inches, several locations in Marshall, Nemaha, Brown and Pottawatomie county reporting total snow in the 4 to 8 inch range.