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It’s winter time and that means one thing in Wichita, Kansas: snow! But how much snow did we get this year?
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Introduction
In the early morning hours of December 26th, a winter storm swept through the Midwest, bringing along with it a healthy dose of snowfall. At the height of the storm, accumulation rates reached 2-3 inches per hour, with some areas seeing up to a foot of snow in just a single day. The heaviest snowfall totals were reported in northeast Kansas, where many cities and towns received over a foot of accumulation.
Wichita, Kansas was one of the hardest hit areas, with an official snowfall total of 12.3 inches. This marks the second snowstorm in less than a week to impact the area, and has caused significant disruptions to travel and daily life. Parts of I-70 and I-35 have been closed due to hazardous driving conditions, and many schools and businesses remain closed as cleanup efforts continue.
If you’re shoveling your driveway this morning, be sure to take a break every few minutes to avoid overexertion. And if you happen to live in Wichita, we hope you stay warm and safe!
The Snowfall in Wichita
Wichita generally sees around 30 inches of snowfall every year. However, the amount of snow that the city gets can vary greatly from year to year. In 2015, for example, Wichita only received about 17 inches of snow. Then, in 2016, the city got over 50 inches of snow!
The Amount of Snowfall in Wichita
In the state of Kansas, Wichita is known to get a good amount of snowfall. In 2019, the city had a record-breaking year with over 50 inches of snowfall. However, the average amount of snowfall for Wichita is about 15 inches.
The Snowfall in Wichita Compared to Other Cities
Wichita, like many other cities in Kansas, was blanketed in snow this week. The wintry weather started on Tuesday, December 8 and continued through Saturday, December 12. By the time the snow stopped falling, Wichita had received a total of 12.5 inches of snow.
This may not seem like a lot compared to some other cities in the Midwest and Northeast, but it’s actually quite a bit for Wichita. In fact, the 12.5 inches of snow that fell this week is the fourth largest amount ever recorded in Wichita in a single week.
The largest amount of snow ever recorded in Wichita in a single week was 22 inches, which fell back in February of 2011. The second largest amount was 20.5 inches, which fell in December of 2009. And the third largest amount was 16 inches, which fell just last year in February of 2019.
So overall, this was a pretty significant snowfall for Wichita. It’s not quite record-breaking, but it’s still well above average for the city.
The Snowfall in Wichita Compared to the National Average
snowfall in Wichita, Kansas varies greatly from year to year. The snowfall totals are affected by the amount of moisture in the air and the temperature. Wichita usually sees its first snowfall in November and its last in April. The average snowfall for Wichita is 20 inches (50 cm). However, this number can be misleading because it doesn’t take into account the fact that there are often years when Wichita gets no snow at all.
The national average snowfall is 25 inches (64 cm). So, on average, Wichita gets less snow than the rest of the country. However, this doesn’t mean that Wichita never gets hit with a major snowstorm. In fact, just a few years ago, in 2014, Wichita saw a record-breaking winter storm that dropped over 17 inches (43 cm) of snow on the city.
The Snowfall in Wichita Compared to the State Average
In the month of January, Wichita sees an average of 9.5 inches of snowfall. The state of Kansas sees an average of 12.5 inches of snowfall in the month of January. Wichita gets less snowfall in January, on average, than the state as a whole.
The Snowfall in Wichita Compared to the Local Average
Wichita, Kansas usually gets around 20 inches of snowfall per year. However, in the 2019-2020 season, Wichita saw a total of 48.9 inches of snow – that’s almost 25 inches more than the city’s average! The extra snowfall can be attributed to several strong winter storms that hit the area, including a record-breaking blizzard that dropped over 17 inches of snow in just 24 hours.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the city of Wichita got a decent amount of snowfall this year. The year started off slow, but picked up in the later months. The city received around twelve inches of snow, which is above the average for the area.
