Kansas City is definitely home to some interesting weather patterns, but occasionally we get something really big. Though it’s not the largest storm for us to date, this blizzard in 2011 shocked many of us in the Kansas City area, and continues to be one of the worst we’ve had. Can you imagine if it were like this just two centuries ago?

On February 1st, 2011, the Kansas City area was struck with a blizzard, one of only three ever declared in the city.
Weather.gov
The Missouri Department of Transportation actually closed I-70 between KC and St. Louis, the first time any interstate had been closed in Missouri history.
Then governor Jay Nixon had declared a state of emergency, as many businesses and buildings were closed for days.
Parrish Baker/Flickr
Snow fell quickly - around two to three inches per hour - quickly closing the airport. Strong winds howling above 35 mph (peaking at 47 mph) whipped up, driving snow into three to four foot drifts in areas and turning visibility to near zero.
In many areas across Missouri were also reports of thundersnow, which made conditions even more dangerous for those who needed to travel.
Weather.gov
The highest recorded snowfall ever for the Kansas City area is 20.5 inches, but that record was set in 1912 and hasn't been beaten since.

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The 2011 blizzard produced up to a foot of snow, but the conditions surrounding it were the real danger here.
Baylor98/Wikimedia Commons
For the better part of two days, Kansas City was a windy winter nightmare.
From above, it doesn't look like much, but many people were caught off guard by how fast it came in and how long it lasted.
Benjamin Turner/Flickr
For the most part, the northern part of the city didn't get the brunt of the blizzard. The southern part, however, was hit harder with the head of the storm.
Patrick Hoesly/Flickr
It was dangerous for many of us, but jumping in drifts after the storm passed was definitely worth it. It was a reward for all the shoveling we had to do!
Patrick Hoesly/Flickr

Do you remember dealing with this storm? It seems like we don’t get snow until we get a blizzard, and then we’re stuck at home for almost two days!

If you’re curious what other big storms have hit Kansas City, you should read about this one in 1957.

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