10 years ago on this day (2015), it was Thanksgiving Day, and an ice storm began during Winter Storm Cara, continuing all the way through the holiday weekend into Monday.
Many locations across central Kansas picked-up between a quarter-inch up to a half-inch of ice, including the Wichita area; Hutchinson and McPherson were hit especially hard with hundreds of people left without power.
The potent storm system stalled across the Central Great Basin, causing an enlongated period of precipitation across the Central Plains. This system began as rain before transitioning, as cold air moved in from the north with ice, sleet, and some snow.
The system transitioned into a winter storm with the cold surface temperatures causing freezing rain, sleet, and snow from Thanksgiving night through Sunday night across the area.
Periods of freezing drizzle and freezing rain were reported for consecutive days resulting in significant ice accumulations across central and south-central Kansas. The highest totals exceeded 3/4 inch across portions of central Kansas.
It was a textbook combination of Arctic air plunging south, and tropical moisture surging north; the storm caused extremely slick pavement for drivers and pedestrians.
Icy roads were blamed for at least five single-vehicle traffic deaths in Kansas during the storm.