Dodge City, KS – Eighteen years ago this week, Kansas was gripped by one of the most destructive winter storms in its history. The December 10–11, 2007 Ice Storm left a lasting mark on the state — crippling power infrastructure, coating landscapes in thick ice, and causing widespread hardship.
According to the National Weather Service in Dodge City, the storm remains the costliest ice storm ever recorded in Kansas, with damages to electrical infrastructure totaling $136.2 million. The freezing rain produced widespread ice accumulations exceeding one inch, stretching from Dodge City to Hays and extending north and east across the state. Some localized areas reported up to four inches of ice.
The weight of the ice brought down power lines, trees, and utility poles, plunging approximately 260,000 Kansans into darkness. Many residents endured weeks without power, braving bitter cold temperatures as crews worked tirelessly to restore electricity across rural and urban areas alike.
The 2007 storm remains a defining moment for emergency response agencies and meteorologists across the state. It underscored the importance of winter weather preparedness, infrastructure resilience, and communication, lessons that continue to shape Kansas’s approach to severe winter events today.
In a post commemorating the storm’s anniversary, the NWS Dodge City invited residents to share their memories of the event, many recalling the eerie glow of ice-laden trees and the hum of generators that powered neighborhoods for weeks.
While technology and forecasting have advanced in the years since, the 2007 ice storm endures as a reminder of how powerful — and paralyzing — Mother Nature can be on the Kansas plains.
