By Chuck Otte
For the seventh consecutive month, the Junction City/Geary County region has experienced above average temperatures and for seven of the last eight months we’ve also received below average rainfall. The average daily high for October was 68.2 degrees, only three tenths of a degree above normal. The average overnight low, however, was 50.5, 5.5 degrees above normal. This resulted in a monthly mean temperature of 59.3, 2.9 degrees above normal.
All ten months of 2023 have had overnight low temperatures above normal. The highest temperature for the month was 91 degrees on October 1st. The lowest temperature was 28 degrees on the mornings of October 29th and 30th. Two temperature records were set during October. The overnight low of 70 on the 1st broke the record high low temperature. The old record was 68 set in 2017. Likewise, the low of 66 on the 26th broke the previous high low temperature record of 63 set in 2014 and reached again in 2016.
While the month was above normal it was fortunately far from record setting. The warmest October was in 1963 with a monthly mean temperature of 69 degrees. The coldest October on record is a tie between 2002 and 2009 when the monthly mean temperature was 49.1 degrees. October often brings us the end of our growing season and so it was this year. The low temperature of 29 on the morning of the 28th, froze most tender plants except for the more protected areas. Our last frost in the spring was earlier than normal, April 6th. Normal last frost is on the 14th of April. Normal first fall frost is on the 20th of October.
2023 had a longer than average growing season at 205 days, compared to the 70 year average of 188 days. The 30 year average is a 193 day growing season. The moving 30 year average length of growing season has been slowly increasing over the last 40 years, now being ten days longer than it was in 1983.
Rainfall in October was closer to normal than recent months, but still only about three fourths of normal. Four rainfall events for the month yielded 1.90 inches, which is below the long term average of 2.48 inches. While the late month precipitation event did bring some light frozen precipitation, it could not be classified as snow and would be more accurately described as graupel.
The ongoing dry weather has pushed most of Geary County into the severe drought category. Year to date we are at 75% of our normal precipitation, eight inches below average. Through October, average rainfall should be 30.98 inches and we have received 22.94 inches. The driest October on record was in 1938 when 0.02 inches of rain was all that was recorded. A few years later, 1941 we set the record for the wettest October when 12.12 inches of rain was recorded. November typically really brings autumn into focus as we head towards December and the start of winter. Average daily highs start the month at 60 and by the end of November are down to 48. Average morning lows on November 1st are 38 degrees and by the 30th are 27.
November through February are our driest months of the year. Average November precipitation is only 1.42 inches. Chance for snow does increase in November, given the colder temperatures, but long term average November snowfall is still just 1 inch.