Geary County Extension Agent Chuck Otte said Tuesday that the weather for 2022 picked up where it left off in 2021 with above average temperatures and below average rainfall. January was neither record warm nor record dry. But it was enough of both to be of concern. But to put it in perspective, historically, January is our coldest and driest month of the year.
The average daily high during January was 41.5, 1.7 degrees above normal. The average overnight low was 19.8, four tenths of a degree above normal. This gave us a monthly mean temperature of 30.7, just a tad over one degree above normal at 1.1. The highest temperature for the month was 68 degrees on the 31st. The coldest temperature was the reading of -1 on the morning of the 2nd. There were two temperature records set during the month. The low of 41 on the 13th broke the record high low temperature for that date. The old record was 39 set in 2002. The low of 42 on the 23rd also broke the record high low of 40 set on that date in 2017. The hottest January on record was in 2006 when we had a monthly mean temperature of 43.9. The coldest January was in 1979 with a monthly mean temperature of 12.1. January can be a month of great temperature extremes. The warmest temperature for January was January 28, 2013 when the area enjoyed a balmy reading of 76. On the other side of the thermometer, the coldest January reading was the -17 degrees reached on January 12 and 13, 1985.
With January being our driest month of the year, we often don’t have a lot of expectations for precipitation. Any precipitation that fell during January was pretty much in the first half of the month. With long term average precipitation for January of only 0.73 inches, Milford Lake only mustered 0.25 inches but Junction City did slightly better with 0.68 inches. This was the third consecutive month, however, with below normal precipitation. January and February are tied for the highest seasonal snowfall at 4.7 inches each for long term averages. Junction City did manage 4.3 inches of snow during the month - spread out over about three events. This was the first month with measurable snowfall this season however. That 4.3 inches is less than half of our normal seasonal snowfall through January of 9.5 inches.
After a month of often stagnant temperatures, February brings us a promise of spring. Daytime highs increase from 40 on the 1st to 50 on the 28th. Overnight lows improve from 19 the first of the month to 26 by the end of the month. Temperature extremes during February can be as great as any other month of the year so be prepared for nearly anything. Rainfall increases slightly to a long term average of 1.10 inches for the month, and the aforementioned 4.7 inches of snow. But also remember that February is our second driest month of the year.