Heavy Rainfall and Severe Thunderstorm Threats for the Plains and Southeast

A frontal boundary extending from the western High Plains to the Southeast will focus additional showers and thunderstorms this weekend. Some of these storms may become severe, alongside frequent lightning, and isolated instances of flash flooding. Meanwhile dry conditions will continue for the Great Basin where fire weather concerns linger. For the mid-Atlantic and Northeast, seasonable weather. Read More >

A slow moving storm system brought a long duration of freezing rain to portions of North Central, Northeast, and East Central Kansas. The event began late Monday afternoon and continued into the afternoon hours on Tuesday. Liquid precipitation amounts ranged from one to three inches over the area. With surface temperatures at or below freezing, combined with a warm layer of air just above the surface, the precipiation fell in the form of freezing rain. Ice accumulated on many surfaces, especially trees and power lines. The most supportive conditions for freezing rain were found in a fairly narrow swath over portions of North Central and Northeast Kansas, where one inch of ice was reported in numerous locations. This led to widespread power outages and trees down. Winds increased to 10 to 15 mph in the overnight hours Tuesday night, causing additional problems as the increased stress from the wind caused further tree and power line damage.

Many schools and businesses were closed across the region due to travel problems as well as widespread power outages.

Photos From Topeka, Kansas