Leigh Marts was on her way from St. Louis to Phoenix on Wednesday when she spotted something unusual out the window of her Southwest Airlines flight: a narrow strip of white, flanked by bare grass, lay painted across the Kansas prairie below.
A similar sight was seen above Hutchinson, Kansas.
Weather satellites confirmed the bizarre feature, which highlights the meteorological caprice that can give rise to such narrow swaths of snow. More than a foot of snow fell in the band, which was 10 to 15 miles wide in places. Just a few miles on either side, there were hardly flurries.
The thin stretch of intense snow was oriented northwest to southeast, passing through parts of Russell, Lincoln and Ellsworth counties in Kansas. The snow persisted toward Cottonwood Falls and Marion.
Flight data shows that Marts’ flight crossed over Interstate 70 heading west-southwest in the vicinity of Wilson and Dorrance, Kansas, a 15-minute car ride east of Russell and about 40 minutes northeast of Great Bend. Waconda Lake, just west of Beloit and Glen Elder, is visible in the distance.
1/49 28 February 2020
A woman makes her way and NGO’s members help as a dinghy with 54 Afghan refugees lands ashore the Greek island of Lesbos on February 28, 2020. – Turkey will no longer close its border gates to refugees who want to go to Europe, a senior official told AFP on February 28, shortly after the killing of 33 Turkish soldiers in an airstrike in northern Syria.
AFP via Getty Images
2/49 27 February 2020
Snow has fallen in high ground in Tasmania during the Australian summer
Tasmanian Rover Ski Club / Facebook
3/49 26 February 2020
Men ride a motorcycle past security forces patrolling a street in a riot-affected area of Delhi on Wednesday
Reuters
4/49 25 February 2020
Workers disinfect subway trains against coronavirus in Tehran, Iran
AP
5/49 24 February 2020
Turkish-backed Syrian fighters fire their anti-aircraft gun in the town of Sarmin, about 8 kilometres southeast of the city of Idlib in northwestern Syria, as they take part in a military offensive on the village of Nayrab following an artillery barrage fired by Turkish forces
AFP via Getty
6/49 23 February 2020
A security guard wearing a protective face mask stand guard as masked and costumed people walk by during the Carnival in Venice, Italy
EPA
7/49 22 February 2020
People dressed in traditional Czech folklore costumes parade through the village of Vortova near the east Bohemian city of Pardubice during the traditional Masopust carnival. The festival marks the beginning of Lent. This folk tradition of the carnival parade of masks was registered in the UNESCO List of the Intagible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2010
Getty
8/49 21 February 2020
An Iranian woman wearing a face mask shows her inked finger after casting her ballot at a polling station set up at the Abdol Azim shrine during the parliamentary elections in Shahr-e-Ray, Tehran Province, Iran. Iranians are heading to the polls to elect their representatives to the Islamic Consultative Assembly amid a worsening economic crisis and escalating tensions with the US
EPA
9/49 20 February 2020
Roger Stone, former advisor to US President Donald Trump arrives at court prior to his sentencing hearing. Trump’s longtime aide will be sentenced in a case that has caused a stir in Washington following meddling by the US president and his attorney general. Stone, one of the Republican leader’s allies and “oldest friends,” was convicted in November of lying to Congress, tampering with a witness and obstructing the House investigation into whether the Trump campaign coordinated with Russia to cheat in the 2016 election
AFP via Getty
10/49 19 February 2020
Members of the Kazakh Emergencies Ministry take cover during a controlled explosion triggering an avalanche for public safety in the Tien Shan mountains outside Almaty, Kazakhstan
Reuters
11/49 18 February 2020
Women chant slogans during a demonstration against gender violence outside the National Palace, in Mexico City. Dozens of women protested over the murder of a seven-year-old girl in the Mexican capital, a case that generated anger and outrage. The murder of the minor shocked the country two days after hundreds of women protested in several cities in Mexico over the femicide of Ingrid Escamilla, a 25-year-old woman who was killed by her partner north of the Mexican capital
AFP via Getty
12/49 17 February 2020
People gather at the site of a bomb blast in Quetta, Pakistan
Reuters
13/49 16 February 2020
Dogs wearing masks are seen at a main shopping area, in downtown Shanghai, China, as the country is hit by an outbreak of a new coronavirus
REUTERS
14/49 15 February 2020
Men dressed in loincloths prepare to snatch a wooden stick called “shingi” tossed by the priest during a naked festival at Saidaiji Temple in Okayama, Okayama Prefecture Japan February 15, 2020. The person who grabs the wooden stick is considered the “luckiest man of the year”.
REUTERS
15/49 14 February 2020
Squirrels eat treats at a ‘Valentine’s day party’ organised for them by staff in Skopje Zoo, North Macedonia
Reuters
16/49 13 February 2020
Internally displaced children stand on snow near tents at a makeshift camp in Azaz, Syria
Reuters
17/49 12 February 2020
A model presents a creation from the Marc Jacobs Fall/Winter 2020 collection during New York Fashion Week
Reuters
18/49 11 February 2020
Hawaiian surfer Kai Lenny rides a wave during the big waves Nazare Tow Surfing Challenge in Nazare
AFP via Getty
19/49 10 February 2020
A worker wears a protective suit as he stands outside an office building while checking people entering in Beijing, China. The number of cases of a deadly new coronavirus rose to more than 40000 in mainland China. The country has continued to lock down the city of Wuhan in an effort to contain the spread of the pneumonia-like disease which medicals experts have confirmed can be passed from human to human. The number of those who have died from the virus in China climbed to over 900, mostly in Hubei province, and cases have been reported in other countries including the United States, Canada, Australia, Japan, South Korea, India, the United Kingdom, Germany, France and several others. The World Health Organization has warned all governments to be on alert and screening has been stepped up at airports around the world. Some countries, including the United States, have put restrictions on Chinese travellers entering and advised their citizens against travel to China
Getty
20/49 9 February 2020
South Korean film director Bong Joon Ho poses with the awards, his film Parasite, won at the Oscars. It was named best picture, becoming the first non-English language film to do so
AFP via Getty
21/49 8 February 2020
Thailand security forces take cover behind an ambulance as they chase a shooter hidden in a shopping mall after a mass shooting in front of the Terminal 21, in Nakhon Ratchasima
Reuters
22/49 7 February 2020
A Palestinian demonstrator hurls stones at Israeli forces as tires burn near the Israeli barrier during a protest against the US President Donald Trump’s Middle East peace plan, in the village of Bilin, West Bank
Reuters
23/49 6 February 2020
Two people were killed and dozens injured when a train derailed outside the city of Lodi in Italy
AFP via Getty
24/49 5 February 2020
Health teams and fire brigade crews surround a passenger plane which split into three pieces after it skidded off the runway at Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen International Airport in Turkey
Anadolu Agency via Getty
25/49 4 February 2020
Sri Lanka’s military march with national flags during the 72nd independence day ceremony, in Colombo
Reuters
26/49 3 February 2020
Refugees and migrants confront riot police during a demonstration outside the Kara Tepe camp, on the island of Lesbos, Greece, February 3, 2020
Reuters
27/49 2 February 2020
An Iraqi demonstrator sits amid burning tires blocking a road during ongoing anti-government protests in Najaf, Iraq
Reuters
28/49 1 February 2020
Horses panic as a spot fire runs through the property of Lawrence and Clair Cowie near Canberra, Australia. The couple stayed to defend their home, with the spot fire destroying part of the property. Chief Minister Andrew Barr declared a State of Emergency on Friday, as the Orroral Valley bushfire continues to burn out of control
Getty
29/49 31 January 2020
Stefan Kraft soars through the air during a qualifying session for the men’s large hill individual competition at the FIS Ski Jumping World Cup event in Sapporo, Japan
EPA
30/49 30 January 2020
Commuters with protective facemasks wait to board a canal boat at Pratunam Pier in Bangkok. A Thai surgical mask factory, producing 10 million masks a month, increased working hours to cope with the rising demand following the outbreak of the coronavirus in China
AFP via Getty
31/49 29 January 2020
An Israeli soldier fires teargas towards Palestinian protestors during a demonstration in al-Aroub Palestinian refugee camp, between the West Bank towns of Hebron and Bethlehem
AFP via Getty
32/49 28 January 2020
Firefighters with their face painted with the movie character ‘Joker’, participate in a demonstration against the pension reforms and for better work conditions in Paris
EPA
33/49 27 January 2020
Flowers outside Bryant Gymnasium at Lower Merion High School, in Philadelphia, as people pay their respects after basketball legend Kobe Bryant died in a helicopter crash
Reuters
34/49 26 January 2020
US singer-songwriter Lizzo performs onstage during the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles
AFP via Getty
35/49 25 January 2020
A Lebanese anti-government protester in makeshift protective gear stands under a water jet as security forces move to disperse a demonstration near government headquarters at the Grand Serail, in downtown Beirut
AFP via Getty
36/49 24 January 2020
A protester holds a sign reading “On the move” mocking the LREM party’s slogan during a demonstration in Paris, as part as a nationwide multi-sector strike against the French government’s pensions overhaul
AFP via Getty
37/49 23 January 2020
A Chinese police officer wears a protective mask as he stands guard next to an ad before the annual Spring Festival at a Beijing railway station. The number of cases of a deadly new coronavirus rose to over 500 in mainland China as health officials locked down the city of Wuhan in an effort to contain the spread of the pneumonia-like disease which medicals experts have been confirmed can be passed from human to human
Getty
38/49 22 January 2020
Visitors wear face masks as they sit inside the Venetian casino hotel resort in Macau, after the former Portuguese colony reported its first case of the new SARS-like virus that originated from Wuhan in China.
AFP via Getty
39/49 21 January 2020
Marine One helicopter with US President Donald Trump on board arrives for the 50th World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland
Reuters
40/49 20 January 2020
A man walks between burning tires during ongoing anti-government protests in Najaf, Iraq
Reuters
41/49 19 January 2020
Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Congolese President Denis Sassou Nguesso, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, (second row, left to right) arab League Secretary General Ahmed Abul Gheit, African Union (AU) Committee Chairman Moussa Faki, European Council President Charles Michel, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo pose for a family picture during a Peace summit on Libya at the Chancellery in Berlin
AFP via Getty
42/49 18 January 2020
Sweden’s Jennie-Lee Burmansson competing in the final run of the Freestyle Skiing Womens Freeski Slopestyle at the Leysin Park in Leysin, during the 2020 Lausanne Winter Youth Olympic Games
AFP via Getty
43/49 17 January 2020
Firefighters take part in a demonstration to protest against the attacks against them during interventions in Strasbourg. During the New Year’s Eve night in Strasbourg, two firefighters were notably injured following a projectile thrown onto the window of their truck. Last weekend, three firefighters were victims of a stabbing by a person they came to rescue in the outskirts of the city.
AFP via Getty
44/49 16 January 2020
People enjoy the frozen lake of Houhai in Beijing ahead of the Lunar New Year of the Rat. – The Lunar New Year falls on January 25 this year and marks the Year of the Rat.
AFP via Getty
45/49 15 January 2020
Taiwanese soldiers operate a CM-11 battle tank during an exercise at a military base in Kaohsiung, southern Taiwan
AFP via Getty
46/49 14 January 2020
A resident who briefly returned home to retrieve belongings carries figurines of Jesus Christ and Mother Mary in Laurel, Batangas province, Philippines. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology raised the alert level to four out of five, warning that a hazardous eruption could take place anytime, as authorities have evacuated tens of thousands of people from the area
Getty
47/49 13 January 2020
Mini’s driver Jakub Przygonski and his co-driver Timo Gottschalk compete in Stage 8 of the Dakar 2020 around Wadi Ad-Dawasir
AFP via Getty
48/49 12 January 2020
People take photos of a phreatic explosion from the Taal volcano from the town of Tagaytay in Cavite province, southwest of Manila
AFP via Getty
49/49 11 January 2020
An injured Syrian child cries after being transported to a clinic for treatment following an air strike by pro-regime forces on the nothwestern city of Idlib
AFP via Getty
1/49 28 February 2020
A woman makes her way and NGO’s members help as a dinghy with 54 Afghan refugees lands ashore the Greek island of Lesbos on February 28, 2020. – Turkey will no longer close its border gates to refugees who want to go to Europe, a senior official told AFP on February 28, shortly after the killing of 33 Turkish soldiers in an airstrike in northern Syria.
AFP via Getty Images
2/49 27 February 2020
Snow has fallen in high ground in Tasmania during the Australian summer
Tasmanian Rover Ski Club / Facebook
3/49 26 February 2020
Men ride a motorcycle past security forces patrolling a street in a riot-affected area of Delhi on Wednesday
Reuters
4/49 25 February 2020
Workers disinfect subway trains against coronavirus in Tehran, Iran
AP
5/49 24 February 2020
Turkish-backed Syrian fighters fire their anti-aircraft gun in the town of Sarmin, about 8 kilometres southeast of the city of Idlib in northwestern Syria, as they take part in a military offensive on the village of Nayrab following an artillery barrage fired by Turkish forces
AFP via Getty
6/49 23 February 2020
A security guard wearing a protective face mask stand guard as masked and costumed people walk by during the Carnival in Venice, Italy
EPA
7/49 22 February 2020
People dressed in traditional Czech folklore costumes parade through the village of Vortova near the east Bohemian city of Pardubice during the traditional Masopust carnival. The festival marks the beginning of Lent. This folk tradition of the carnival parade of masks was registered in the UNESCO List of the Intagible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2010
Getty
8/49 21 February 2020
An Iranian woman wearing a face mask shows her inked finger after casting her ballot at a polling station set up at the Abdol Azim shrine during the parliamentary elections in Shahr-e-Ray, Tehran Province, Iran. Iranians are heading to the polls to elect their representatives to the Islamic Consultative Assembly amid a worsening economic crisis and escalating tensions with the US
EPA
9/49 20 February 2020
Roger Stone, former advisor to US President Donald Trump arrives at court prior to his sentencing hearing. Trump’s longtime aide will be sentenced in a case that has caused a stir in Washington following meddling by the US president and his attorney general. Stone, one of the Republican leader’s allies and “oldest friends,” was convicted in November of lying to Congress, tampering with a witness and obstructing the House investigation into whether the Trump campaign coordinated with Russia to cheat in the 2016 election
AFP via Getty
10/49 19 February 2020
Members of the Kazakh Emergencies Ministry take cover during a controlled explosion triggering an avalanche for public safety in the Tien Shan mountains outside Almaty, Kazakhstan
Reuters
11/49 18 February 2020
Women chant slogans during a demonstration against gender violence outside the National Palace, in Mexico City. Dozens of women protested over the murder of a seven-year-old girl in the Mexican capital, a case that generated anger and outrage. The murder of the minor shocked the country two days after hundreds of women protested in several cities in Mexico over the femicide of Ingrid Escamilla, a 25-year-old woman who was killed by her partner north of the Mexican capital
AFP via Getty
12/49 17 February 2020
People gather at the site of a bomb blast in Quetta, Pakistan
Reuters
13/49 16 February 2020
Dogs wearing masks are seen at a main shopping area, in downtown Shanghai, China, as the country is hit by an outbreak of a new coronavirus
REUTERS
14/49 15 February 2020
Men dressed in loincloths prepare to snatch a wooden stick called “shingi” tossed by the priest during a naked festival at Saidaiji Temple in Okayama, Okayama Prefecture Japan February 15, 2020. The person who grabs the wooden stick is considered the “luckiest man of the year”.
REUTERS
15/49 14 February 2020
Squirrels eat treats at a ‘Valentine’s day party’ organised for them by staff in Skopje Zoo, North Macedonia
Reuters
16/49 13 February 2020
Internally displaced children stand on snow near tents at a makeshift camp in Azaz, Syria
Reuters
17/49 12 February 2020
A model presents a creation from the Marc Jacobs Fall/Winter 2020 collection during New York Fashion Week
Reuters
18/49 11 February 2020
Hawaiian surfer Kai Lenny rides a wave during the big waves Nazare Tow Surfing Challenge in Nazare
AFP via Getty
19/49 10 February 2020
A worker wears a protective suit as he stands outside an office building while checking people entering in Beijing, China. The number of cases of a deadly new coronavirus rose to more than 40000 in mainland China. The country has continued to lock down the city of Wuhan in an effort to contain the spread of the pneumonia-like disease which medicals experts have confirmed can be passed from human to human. The number of those who have died from the virus in China climbed to over 900, mostly in Hubei province, and cases have been reported in other countries including the United States, Canada, Australia, Japan, South Korea, India, the United Kingdom, Germany, France and several others. The World Health Organization has warned all governments to be on alert and screening has been stepped up at airports around the world. Some countries, including the United States, have put restrictions on Chinese travellers entering and advised their citizens against travel to China
Getty
20/49 9 February 2020
South Korean film director Bong Joon Ho poses with the awards, his film Parasite, won at the Oscars. It was named best picture, becoming the first non-English language film to do so
AFP via Getty
21/49 8 February 2020
Thailand security forces take cover behind an ambulance as they chase a shooter hidden in a shopping mall after a mass shooting in front of the Terminal 21, in Nakhon Ratchasima
Reuters
22/49 7 February 2020
A Palestinian demonstrator hurls stones at Israeli forces as tires burn near the Israeli barrier during a protest against the US President Donald Trump’s Middle East peace plan, in the village of Bilin, West Bank
Reuters
23/49 6 February 2020
Two people were killed and dozens injured when a train derailed outside the city of Lodi in Italy
AFP via Getty
24/49 5 February 2020
Health teams and fire brigade crews surround a passenger plane which split into three pieces after it skidded off the runway at Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen International Airport in Turkey
Anadolu Agency via Getty
25/49 4 February 2020
Sri Lanka’s military march with national flags during the 72nd independence day ceremony, in Colombo
Reuters
26/49 3 February 2020
Refugees and migrants confront riot police during a demonstration outside the Kara Tepe camp, on the island of Lesbos, Greece, February 3, 2020
Reuters
27/49 2 February 2020
An Iraqi demonstrator sits amid burning tires blocking a road during ongoing anti-government protests in Najaf, Iraq
Reuters
28/49 1 February 2020
Horses panic as a spot fire runs through the property of Lawrence and Clair Cowie near Canberra, Australia. The couple stayed to defend their home, with the spot fire destroying part of the property. Chief Minister Andrew Barr declared a State of Emergency on Friday, as the Orroral Valley bushfire continues to burn out of control
Getty
29/49 31 January 2020
Stefan Kraft soars through the air during a qualifying session for the men’s large hill individual competition at the FIS Ski Jumping World Cup event in Sapporo, Japan
EPA
30/49 30 January 2020
Commuters with protective facemasks wait to board a canal boat at Pratunam Pier in Bangkok. A Thai surgical mask factory, producing 10 million masks a month, increased working hours to cope with the rising demand following the outbreak of the coronavirus in China
AFP via Getty
31/49 29 January 2020
An Israeli soldier fires teargas towards Palestinian protestors during a demonstration in al-Aroub Palestinian refugee camp, between the West Bank towns of Hebron and Bethlehem
AFP via Getty
32/49 28 January 2020
Firefighters with their face painted with the movie character ‘Joker’, participate in a demonstration against the pension reforms and for better work conditions in Paris
EPA
33/49 27 January 2020
Flowers outside Bryant Gymnasium at Lower Merion High School, in Philadelphia, as people pay their respects after basketball legend Kobe Bryant died in a helicopter crash
Reuters
34/49 26 January 2020
US singer-songwriter Lizzo performs onstage during the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles
AFP via Getty
35/49 25 January 2020
A Lebanese anti-government protester in makeshift protective gear stands under a water jet as security forces move to disperse a demonstration near government headquarters at the Grand Serail, in downtown Beirut
AFP via Getty
36/49 24 January 2020
A protester holds a sign reading “On the move” mocking the LREM party’s slogan during a demonstration in Paris, as part as a nationwide multi-sector strike against the French government’s pensions overhaul
AFP via Getty
37/49 23 January 2020
A Chinese police officer wears a protective mask as he stands guard next to an ad before the annual Spring Festival at a Beijing railway station. The number of cases of a deadly new coronavirus rose to over 500 in mainland China as health officials locked down the city of Wuhan in an effort to contain the spread of the pneumonia-like disease which medicals experts have been confirmed can be passed from human to human
Getty
38/49 22 January 2020
Visitors wear face masks as they sit inside the Venetian casino hotel resort in Macau, after the former Portuguese colony reported its first case of the new SARS-like virus that originated from Wuhan in China.
AFP via Getty
39/49 21 January 2020
Marine One helicopter with US President Donald Trump on board arrives for the 50th World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland
Reuters
40/49 20 January 2020
A man walks between burning tires during ongoing anti-government protests in Najaf, Iraq
Reuters
41/49 19 January 2020
Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Congolese President Denis Sassou Nguesso, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, (second row, left to right) arab League Secretary General Ahmed Abul Gheit, African Union (AU) Committee Chairman Moussa Faki, European Council President Charles Michel, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo pose for a family picture during a Peace summit on Libya at the Chancellery in Berlin
AFP via Getty
42/49 18 January 2020
Sweden’s Jennie-Lee Burmansson competing in the final run of the Freestyle Skiing Womens Freeski Slopestyle at the Leysin Park in Leysin, during the 2020 Lausanne Winter Youth Olympic Games
AFP via Getty
43/49 17 January 2020
Firefighters take part in a demonstration to protest against the attacks against them during interventions in Strasbourg. During the New Year’s Eve night in Strasbourg, two firefighters were notably injured following a projectile thrown onto the window of their truck. Last weekend, three firefighters were victims of a stabbing by a person they came to rescue in the outskirts of the city.
AFP via Getty
44/49 16 January 2020
People enjoy the frozen lake of Houhai in Beijing ahead of the Lunar New Year of the Rat. – The Lunar New Year falls on January 25 this year and marks the Year of the Rat.
AFP via Getty
45/49 15 January 2020
Taiwanese soldiers operate a CM-11 battle tank during an exercise at a military base in Kaohsiung, southern Taiwan
AFP via Getty
46/49 14 January 2020
A resident who briefly returned home to retrieve belongings carries figurines of Jesus Christ and Mother Mary in Laurel, Batangas province, Philippines. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology raised the alert level to four out of five, warning that a hazardous eruption could take place anytime, as authorities have evacuated tens of thousands of people from the area
Getty
47/49 13 January 2020
Mini’s driver Jakub Przygonski and his co-driver Timo Gottschalk compete in Stage 8 of the Dakar 2020 around Wadi Ad-Dawasir
AFP via Getty
48/49 12 January 2020
People take photos of a phreatic explosion from the Taal volcano from the town of Tagaytay in Cavite province, southwest of Manila
AFP via Getty
49/49 11 January 2020
An injured Syrian child cries after being transported to a clinic for treatment following an air strike by pro-regime forces on the nothwestern city of Idlib
AFP via Getty
Meteorologists have long vented about the challenges of prediction when it comes to difficult winter storm forecasts. But Tuesday’s hyperlocal snow band was a step beyond what most Great Plains forecasters are accustomed to.
Snow bands such as this are generated by processes on the mesoscale, or local, level. That means that unlike with large sprawling storm systems that can be spotted by weather models days in advance, it’s often impossible to predict snow totals until the flakes are flying.
Integral to its formation was convergence, or the gentle collision of two air masses at the surface. The “pileup” of air causes it to rise, blossoming into a band of heavy snow showers. That can also cut back on precipitation outside the band, since air exiting the clouds is likely to sink and choke off any snowfall on either side of the axis of best convergence.
The National Weather Service in Wichita did issue a winter storm warning once it became apparent that snowfall amounts would reach warning criteria.
Hyper-localized swaths of snow are a common occurrence within lake-effect snow bands; amounts taper off quickly outside the lone, stout snow band.
One such band brought 88 inches of snow to parts of Erie County, New York, on Nov. 15-21, 2014. More than five feet fell east of Buffalo between Nov. 17 and 19. Several feet of snow fell at the intersection of Transit Road and Walden Avenue in Depew, while Genesee Street, two miles to the north, saw only a couple of inches.
WASHINGTON POST
