Kansas City winter in review: The 2011-2012 season

Kansas City was coming off two huge winters of snow and cold. A total of 44 inches of snow fell in the winter of 2009-2010, and 36 inches of snow fell the next winter in 2010-2011. We went into last winter wondering if we would have another big year for snow. The pattern was definitely warmer and snow barely showed up at all.

The fall was wet and this trend continued into winter with heavy rain in November and December. It dried out in January last year, and then it got wet again in February. These wet storms produced rain, but it just didn't turn cold enough for snow.

The 41 Action News Snowflake Contest almost went on into the next year until right before Valentine’s Day. Yes, it took until February 13 before Kansas City had its first inch of snow in one storm. About two inches of snow fell, ending the Snowflake Contest.

December was rather mild with one cold blast dropping the temperature down to 9 degrees on December 7, but the total December snowfall was one tenth of an inch.

January was also a warmer month with one cold blast dropping the temperature to 6 degrees on the 18th, and there was one brief snowfall that accumulated on the 11th, but that was the only snow of the month which added up to three tenths of an inch.

It did snow on three different days in February and there was a cold blast dropping the temperature the winter coldest reading of 5 degrees. The February snowfall total was 2.7 inches, with the 2.4 inches of snow on the day before Valentine’s Day.

The final snowfall total for the winter season was 3.9", which set the all time lowest seasonal snowfall total in Kansas City's recorded weather history. We didn't have any ice storms, and there was a lack of cold air all winter long. It was almost the winter that didn't even happen. Temperatures were above average during last winter.

So, will we come back to reality this winter or could it be another warm winter? We will let you know in our winter forecast coming up on Monday, Nov. 19, 2012, at 6 p.m. and on KSHB.com.