Fall has officially started, and thoughts turn to early season snow. Winter storms have already been felt in the mountains of Montana and Wyoming, but how early can these reach the Plains? On September 27th, 1985 an early season snowstorm struck the Central High Plains Region. The storm started in Colorado and left up to nineteen inches of snow along the Front Range, before moving into the plains. On the 28th, Oberlin reported 8 inches of snow, while Collyer reported 11 inches on the 29th. However, that isn’t the earliest date for measurable snow in Kansas. Of the stations still reporting, Courtland holds that honor, with 1.8 inches reported on September 13, 1961.
Mary Knapp, Weather Data Library
mknapp@ksu.edu