An upper low centered over the Southern High Plains was focusing strong synoptic-scale ascent over western Kansas during the afternoon of January 8, 2024. In addition, a quasi-stationary frontal boundary was positioned from the Oklahoma Panhandle northeast across eastern Nebraska. An intense low to midlevel temperature gradient was oriented along the front and was yielding strong frontogenesis that was evident in radar reflectivity as a narrow contracting band of precipitation. Lightning was also observed over southwest Kansas in a zone of EPV reduction. Very strong ascent augmented by frontogenesis combined with reduced midlevel stability was subsequently resulting in heavy snowfall over western Kansas, and that snow was collocated with a post-frontal northerly barrier jet yielding gusts from 30 to 60 kt. Blizzard conditions with visibility reduced to a quarter mile or less were observed, and temperatures were in the teens and 20s. The threat to humans and livestock is substantial in those conditions.
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| A classic frontogenetic snowband was situated from west-central Kansas northeast to just east of McCook, Nebraska. |
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| Surface observations with regional radar reflectivity and frontal analysis overlaid. |
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| 925-850 mb frontogenesis. |
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| 850 mb wind speed. Note the intense post-frontal northerly barrier jet over western Kansas. |
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| RAP sounding valid 20 UTC 8 January 2024 over western Kansas. A classic frontogenetic signature is seen in the vertical wind profile, with strong north-northeasterlies in the low-levels rapidly veering to southerly above 600 mb. |
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