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Significant Weather Events

Many of us experience significant weather events, but probably don't think to write those down. This is a list of events I've experienced (including indirectly, but with a connection). The earlier dates listed are ones that had a profound impact on me as a child.

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I joke that while most people tell and time with calendars, meteorologists tell time by storms.

  • January 30, 2002: Historic ice storm. One of the worst ice storms in Kansas City history. Ice accumulated up to 1.5” – extremely thick for ice accumulation. I remember school being out for probably a week. The ice coating over everything mesmerized me as a child.
     

  • May 4, 2003: Kansas City tornado outbreak. Several tornadoes ripped through the Kansas City metro in one of the worst outbreaks in city history. My home was narrowly missed by a few miles. This was perhaps one of the igniting moments toward my fear of storms.
     

  • 2009-2011: Tropics: My first true interaction with tropical weather while living in the Commonwealth of Dominica. Although we never experienced a direct tropical storm or hurricane, the torrential rains and winds were a fascinating new experience.
     

  • Winter 2011-2012: Snow-where to be seen. Kansas City experiences its least-snowiest season on record with only 3.9” accumulating. My first winter back from the tropics, it was extremely disappointing.
     

  • May 2, 2013: Say it ain’t snow. For only the second time in recorded history, Kansas City region experienced measurable snowfall in the month of May. The whole week was strange, as we had tornadoes Monday and snow by Friday.
     

  • May 3, 2013: What happened to spring? KC experiences its coldest high temperature in May ever at only 39°.
     

  • January 6, 2014: Arctic plunge. At the time, the coldest temperatures I had ever experienced. As a freshman in college, the morning low was -10° with a high of only 8°. One week later temperatures reached the middle 60s.
     

  • September 18, 2017: Hurricane Maria. Although I did not personally experience Maria, it still had a great impact on me when the storm devastated the small Caribbean nation of the Commonwealth of Dominica where I spent 2 ½ years living in high school. Many of my friends were still there. It was the first time a hurricane felt personal.
     

  • December 28, 2017 (KLKN): Big chill. Now in Lincoln, NE at KLKN-TV. First coldest air temperature with morning low of -17° and a high of 10°. Wind chills were as low as -25°.
     

  • January 1, 2018 (KLKN): Big chill part 2. New coldest temperature experienced with morning low of -18° and a high of 4°. Winds were mercifully light.

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  • February 23, 2019  (KLKN): Nebraska blizzard. My first ever blizzard experience, up to 10” of snow fell throughout the Lincoln area. High winds created whiteout conditions and made travel impossible. For a winter lover it was a surreal experience.
     

  • March 13-14, 2019 (KLKN): Nebraska blizzard part 2. In what ended up being a wildly active winter, Nebraska was struck by its second blizzard in less than a month. Snow amounts weren’t nearly as high as high, but it made a crazy double-whammy winter experience.
     

  • Late March 2019 (KLKN): Nebraska floods. One of the most significant weather events I’ve ever experienced. The record-breaking winter set the stage for widespread devastating floods in Nebraska. I was sent with my coworker to Columbus, Nebraska where flooding intensified and washed out all roads surrounding town, trapping us there for 3 days before waters receded and we could be told about a very long, roundabout detour. This taught me the importance of having a “go bag” ready for meteorological field work.
     

  • December 10-11, 2021 (WHAS): Night of Mayfield. The most destructive severe weather event I’ve experienced to date, this night produced the infamous Mayfield, Kentucky tornado that leveled the town and killed dozens. It was an all-hands-on-deck event with my team staying on air 8 hours overnight. The next morning (December 11) I visited the rural areas near Campbellsville, Kentucky to inspect damage and talk to survivors. This area is special to me as their disaster was largely overshadowed by the nightmare in Mayfield and Bowling Green.
     

  • March 3, 2023 (WHAS): Windstorm. A fascinating and rare weather event, a significant windstorm swept through the Ohio Valley. Widespread wind gusts of 60-80 mph were reported in dry, rain-free conditions. This is the first (and may be the only) time I’ve participated in severe weather coverage almost exclusively for high straight-line winds.
     

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