By Chuck Otte
County Extension Agent Retired
2024 weather for the Junction City region was, in short, normal precipitation but significantly above average in temperatures. The longer version of that was that precipitation was at times sporadic and the year will go down tied as the third hottest year on record (records dating back to 1949.)
The average daily high for the year was 68.9, 3.1 degrees above normal. The average low temperature was 48.1, 4.1 degrees above normal. This gave us a monthly mean temperature of 58.5, 3.6 degrees above the 30-year average annual temperature.
January and July were the only months that had a monthly mean temperature below normal. January was 3.3 degrees below and July was 0.9 degree below normal. As is usually the case, January was our coldest month and July our hottest month. 2024 is tied with 1953 and 1956 for the third warmest year on record with a 58.5 mean annual temperature. 2012 was our second warmest year at 58.6 and 1954 was our hottest year with an annual temperature of 59.7.
Based on 30 year moving averages of the local weather data (as kept by the Milford Lake Office of the US Army Corps of Engineers) the temperature has been increasing over the past 30 years. The highest temperature for the year was the 103 degree reading on August 25th. There were only three days during the year with temperatures of 100 or above, one each in June, July and August. This is well below the long-term average of nine days per year with temperatures of 100 or above. The record for that is that previously mentioned hot year of 1954 when there were 42 days with temperatures of 100 or above.
The coldest temperature for the year was the morning low of -12 on January 15. This resulted in an annual temperature extreme of 115 degrees, slightly more than the long-term annual temperature extreme of 110 degrees. The growing season for 2024 (determined by the date of the last 32 degree reading in the spring to the first 32 degree reading in the fall) was 203 days. This is two weeks longer than the long-term average of 188 days.
The last spring freeze was March 27th, and the first fall freeze was October 16th. Looking again at 30 year moving averages, the growing season has lengthened by more than 10 days over the last 40 years. Using that same measure, the average last frost in the spring is now six days earlier and the average last frost in the fall is five days later.
Precipitation for 2024 was a case of extremes. Total liquid precipitation for the year was 33.43 inches, 0.14 of an inch below the 30-year average. Seven months of the year had below normal precipitation and five had above normal precipitation. May and June are normally our wettest and second wettest months of the year, respectively. In 2024 the two were reversed in order, but still the two wettest months. Of course, the rainfall of note for 2024 occurred the evening of Friday, June 28th. While the official weather station at Milford Lake Corps of Engineers Office recorded 1.57 inches of rain, a very isolated rainstorm sat over Junction City and Grandview Plaza dropping 5.5 to 6" of rain in less than six hours according to certified reports to the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail, and Snow Network (CoCoRaHS).
Summer thunderstorms can be extremely variable and the town of Milford, just ten miles to the north of Junction City, received no rainfall during this event.
Snowfall season is October through May so overlaps the calendar year. The 2023-24 snowfall season delivered 17.5 inches of snow, just under the long-term average of 18" per season. (So far the 2024-2025 snowfall season has recorded 14.3 inches of now, most of that occurring in January 2025.) Looking at the calendar year of 2024, the area received 10.1 inches of snow, well below the 18 inch long term average. The majority of the snowfall for 2024 occurred during January when 7.6 inches was recorded.