Mar 16, 2021

This Day in Weather History: Ice storm causes $3.485M in damage

Posted Mar 16, 2021 10:50 PM

Weather History for Tuesday, March 16, 2021, from the National Weather Service in Wichita:

In 1998, a 2-day ice storm pulled a slick trick from southwest Kansas to north-central Kansas.

The storm produced widespread 1/2 to 2 inches of glaze, but there were reports of staggering 4 to 6 inch accumulations on highly elevated surfaces such as radio towers.

In Southwest Kansas, a 6-inch accumulation caused an 800-foot tower to collapse.

Every radio tower from southwest to west-central Kansas received significant ice accumulations.

Some of the damage was caused by huge chunks of ice that fell from the towers. Damage was around $3.485 million.

Several areas were without power for 6 days.