2002 Central Plains ice storm

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2002 Central Plains ice storm
Duration January 30-31, 2002
Damages $111 million
Fatalities >1
Areas affected Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma.

The 2002 Central Plains ice storm was a major winter storm that affected the American Midwest, causing significant damage especially in the Kansas City Metropolitan Area.

[edit] The initial storm

Up until the point of the storm the weather in Kansas City had been remarkably pleasant; The city appeared to be experiencing a mild winter, and 2 days before the storm the tempature was over 60 degrees Fahrenheit.

According to Weather Central;

"An arctic front moved slowly southward into the Central Plains from January 29 to 30, resulting in a shallow layer of cold air near the surface. Meanwhile, a strong southwesterly jet stream began transporting a large surge of moist air with connections to the tropical Pacific. A strong temperature boundary developed, separating the warm, moist airmass across the southern U.S. from the colder, drier airmass to the north. As surface impulses moved along the frontal boundary, the stage was set for a widespread variety of winter weather. An upper level low progressing eastward across the central Pacific provided the added ingredients for a prolonged precipitation event."

[edit] Aftermath

The storm left up to 2 inches over the affected reigions on the evening of January 30th. Affected infrastructure initially held, but began to crumble as the night wore on. Electric transformers were prone to explosion and in some cases created small fires, and trees shattered under the weight of hundreds of pounds of ice. After the 31st, More than 650,000 residents were without power, including 350,000 in the Kansas City metropolitan area alone. In some cases, power didn't return to residents for nearly 14 days. Approximately 500,000 trees were affected in Kansas City alone, including 2 "Bicentennial Trees" which were estimated at being over 200 years old. States of emergency were announced by the governors of all 3 states.

[edit] References