The Great Blizzard Of 2011 Dumped Nearly Two Feet Of Snow On Missouri

We, Missourians, have experienced our fair share of snow over the years. However, a few blizzards stand out for the sheer volume of snow they dumped across the state. One of the largest snowstorms, in the 21st century, hit much of the United States in the opening days of February 2011. It also brought some of Missouri to a standstill and created a rare natural phenomenon.

February of 2011 started with a forecast for snow and a lot of it. The historic blizzard, in fact, targeted Missouri as well as many of the states in the central and the eastern parts of the United States.

The morning of that first day in February began with a cold rain in the Missouri Ozarks. Eventually, however, the rain in Central Missouri turned into a consistent snowfall.

That snowfall continued through February 2, causing the shutdown of Interstate 77 across Missouri and Interstate 44 from the border of Oklahoma to past Springfield.

Snowfalls tallied between two and three inches an hour, which paralyzed much of metro Kansas City and triggered the brief shutdown of Kansas City International Airport.

Those in Joplin and in some parts of mid-Missouri may have been fortunate enough to catch a rare natural phenomenon: thundersnow.

By the time the snow tapered off on February 2, 2011, snow totals started to pour in from around the state. Warrensburg led the state with 23 inches of snow, shattering the record 20 inches that was set in February of 1938.

Windsor and Calhoun totaled 22 inches; Sedalia measured 21 inches while Brookfield rounded out the top five with 20 inches of snow.

Between nine and 12 inches fell in Kansas City, which saw its largest snowfall of 20 inches in March 1912.

Do you remember where you were during the blizzard of 2011 in Missouri? How much snow did your corner of Missouri get? Share your experience in the comments! For another trip down Memory Lane, read more about the blizzard of 1982 in Missouri.