NOTE - Rainfall and temperature information is based on data kept at Milford Lake by the Corps of Engineers. For more information contact Chuck Otte, 238-4161.
Geary County Extension Agent Chuck Otte said Monday that even with the nose dive into winter weather that occurred at the very end of the month and year, December still wound up being the hottest December on record. The dry weather continued however.
The average daily high during December was 53.7, 11.2 degrees above normal. The average overnight low was 31.5, 8.6 degrees above normal. This gave us a monthly mean temperature of 42.6, 9.9 degrees above normal. This monthly mean temperature displaced December of 1957, with a monthly mean temperature of 40.2. December of 1959 was a hot one also at 40.0. The mid to late 1950s were a hot period in our local weather history!
The highest temperature for the month was the high of 75 degrees on December 15th thanks to those high winds that day pushing warm air from the south. A few days later, on December 18th, we had our lowest temperature of the month with a morning low of 10 degrees which was brought to us by the north winds that pushed in behind that big derecho event.
Not surprisingly there were temperature records set during December. The high of 66 on the 14th broke the old record of 63 set in 1966 and 2006. The high of 75 on the 15th broke the old record of 68 set in 2002. The high of 68 on the 23rd broke the old record of 67 set in 1955. The overnight low of 61 on the 15th broke the old record high low temperature of 44 set in 1957! And the low temperature of 43 on the 14th tied the record high low for that date, first set in 1959.
The only precipitation received during December was in conjunction with the storm that blew through the afternoon of the 15th and that rainfall was very inconsistent around the area. In Junction City we received 0.32 inches but at Milford Lake they received no precipitation.
Milford Lake received no precipitation from November 11th until the snow that came through on January 1st, a period of 52 days. This surpasses the previous modern day era record of 47 rainless days Which occurred from October 20, 1966 through December 5, 1966. With no measurable precipitation recorded at Milford Lake for the month of December, that ties December 2021 with December 1966 for the driest December (0.00") on record. It could be worse, December 2007 was the wettest December on record with 3.88 inches of precipitation. Unfortunately, most of that came as an ice storm! For the year just ended Junction City received 29.85 inches of rain and Milford Lake 24.84 inches. Normal annual precipitation is 33.57 inches. There was no snow recorded in Junction City during December. Through the end of December there was no seasonal snowfall yet recorded.
January, on average, is the coldest month of the year, the driest month of the year and tied as the snowiest month of the year. We normally expect to receive 4.7 inches of snow but a liquid precipitation equivalent of only 0.77". Looking at long term averages January doesn’t show much temperature fluctuation with daytime highs starting the new year at 38 and by the end of the month they are up to 42. Overnight lows range from 18 on the 1st to 20 on the 31st. Looking at long term average temperatures, January 4th is the coldest day of the year.