2017-10-25

Author: Mary Knapp

This week marks the anniversary of one of the worst blizzards in recent memory. While October of 1995 and 1996 had early fall snow storms, 1997 is the year people will be using as a bench mark. On October 25, 1997 snow accompanied by 50 to 60 miles an hour produced near zero visibility and wind chills of 20 degrees below zero. By the end of the storm snowfall totals ranged from 10 to 24 inches. Drifts ranging from 6 to 10 feet were common, with some drifts reaching 25 feet. There were even drifts of one to two feet in the attics of houses! More than 35,000 cattle were killed in the storm, but fortunately there were no reports of human fatalities.

Satellite image of snow cover (https://cimss.ssec.wisc.edu/goes/misc/971025_1835_g8vis.gif)

Mary Knapp, Weather Data Library
mknapp@ksu.edu