Wichita’s Saturday snowfall amount broke decades-old record. Here’s how much fell.

Eduardo Castillo
·3 min read
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Wichita’s snowfall amount from Saturday broke a decades-old record as the National Weather Service in Wichita recorded 7.8 inches of snow at Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport, but we’ll be getting a respite for at least a week.

The previous record for the same day was 6.8 inches of snowfall on Nov. 25, 1952, according to records kept dating back to 1888.

The last time Wichita saw 7.8 inches of snow in any single day was on Feb. 4, 2014, Wichita meteorologist Vanessa Pearce said Sunday.

“Nov 2023 will likely be Wichita’s fourth snowiest Nov on record, and the snowiest since Nov 1951,” the NWS in Wichita said in a social media post.

The snow is expected to halt for now, with none forecast for the rest of the week, according to Pearce and a detailed forecast.

“There’s some chances for rain on Thursday evening and Thursday night,” Pearce said. “But it’s rain we’re expecting, not snow.”

Farshad Houtaham walks his dog Eli through the snow along Stackman Drive on Sunday, the morning after 7.8 inches of snow fell in the Wichita area.
Farshad Houtaham walks his dog Eli through the snow along Stackman Drive on Sunday, the morning after 7.8 inches of snow fell in the Wichita area.

Looking at snowfall amounts across the state, Marion County saw the highest with a recorded 13-14 inches and the far southeast portion of the state saw the least amount.

“They [southeast Kansas] only had like a trace, if any, like kind of little snowflakes because most of what they ended up having was rain,” Pearce said. “But the highest amounts were in Marion County, essentially stretching from like near Hutchinson all the way in through Harvey County and even like Council Grove had 12 inches.”

The Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport closed at 6 p.m. on Saturday due to ongoing snow and crews needing to rest. Some flights were diverted or canceled as a result.

The airport in a social media post said the airfields at the Eisenhower and Colonel James Jabara Airport opened up at 7 a.m. on Sunday. A call made to the airport for more details on Sunday went unanswered.

Although the snowfall has come to a stop, residents are urged to drive with caution by reducing speeds and leaving extra space between vehicles. Drivers are also encouraged to check KanDrive before they head out.

A Wichita snow plow clears 135th St. W. near Central on the evening of November 25.
A Wichita snow plow clears 135th St. W. near Central on the evening of November 25.

“The road conditions have been improving as of this morning with the sun and with, you know, road crews being out there,” Pearce said.

The Emergency Accident Reporting Plan was activated Saturday shortly before 2 p.m., Wichita Police Department spokesperson Lt. Aaron Moses said in an email.

“If there is a collision with “No injuries, no suspected DUI, no Hit and Run, and all the vehicles are drivable,” Moses said. “Then drivers should exchange information and make a police report at one of our substations during normal business hours Monday - Friday 8a - 5p.”

Temperatures for Sunday, Monday, Tuesday will hover in the mid 30s with Wednesday to Saturday rising into the 40s, a forecast shows.