According to the National Weather Service, Salina received reports of 12 inches of snow on January 5, 2025. The last time Salina experienced an amount of snow this great was nearly 63 years ago.
Was the city prepared for the massive amounts of snow they received? Some Salina citizens would say they weren’t. According to members of the Salina community, seven out of the ten ice trucks were in a non-functioning condition at the time of the storm. The large amounts of snow were unexpected since most weather forecasted for Kansas either occurs in minuscule amounts or not at all. Even so, before the storm, The City of Salina posted that the roads were pre-treated with chemicals. In addition to this, the City has been constantly plowing the roads since the first snow stuck to the ground. Even with these efforts, many Salina residents were stuck in their homes for multiple days after the snowfall. Some residents who were able to leave their homes reported that their roads were left untouched.
Not only did the immense amounts of snow affect Kansas, but the extremely cold temperatures did as well. The temperature was recorded to be below freezing for several back-to-back days which quickly led to icy road conditions. Cold weather conditions similar to these have been experienced in many parts of the United States as well as was expressed by CNN 10. Coastal states were said to have received up to ten inches of snow along with the extremely cold conditions.
Overall, the monumental snow and low temperatures have impacted lots of people in Salina, Kansas, and the United States. The weather is never 100% predictable, so stay safe and stay warm!