By Jennifer Stultz
Tri-County Tribune Editor
jstultz@cherryroad.com
Thundersnow, lighting, ice, sleet, high winds and snow descended on south central, Kansas late Saturday, January 4, into Sunday, January 5, and on into Monday, January 6. It was the first major snowstorm of 2025, and it was a doozy.
Pratt County Emergency Management relayed blizzard warnings for the area that extended from 3 a.m. on Sunday, January 5 until 6 p.m. Additional driving hazard alerts were sent out by text messaging and email from the Kansas Department of Transportation advising all people to stay off highways and iced roadways for their own safety throughout Sunday and Sunday night.
In the City of Pratt, warming shelters were opened at the municipal building through the night, in case the electrical grid was compromised, but officials advised residents to stay in their homes and bundle up because of the danger out on the street from ice.
According to the U.S. National Weather Service, the danger came from thunderstorms embedded in ice, sleet, and snow combined with high winds.
Snow accumulation from 4-8 inches was recorded in Pratt County, with wind gusts on Sunday up to 50 mph.
While there were numerous slide-offs reported in all three counties of the Tribune coverage area, most drivers did stay home and head danger warnings.
A 35-year-old Dodge City man, Antonio Luna, was injured in an ice-related accident when the 2007 Toyota Corolla he was riding in lost traction on the snow and ice of U.S. Highway 54/400 near Cullison and struck a westbound semi-trailer. Luna was taken to Pratt Regional Medical Center for care but there were no other injuries reported in that accident.
The Dodge City Globe reported a fatality accident on Highway 56, two miles east of Highway 283 on Saturday, January 4 when a pickup collided with a semi tractor trailer under suspected icy road conditions. Bernabe “Bola” Rincon, 28, died in that accident.
Statewide, news sources reported four highway deaths due to winter weather road conditions during the blizzard warned conditions.
