Geary County Extension Agent Chuck Otte said this week after a snowy and cold November he thought most of the region was bracing for a snowy and cold December. What we got was a wet December with a cold start and finish. But December only gave us a dusting of snow and then above average temperatures.
The average daily high for December was 43.3, 2.3 degrees above normal. The average overnight low was 23.8, 2.6 degrees above normal. This gave us a monthly mean temperature of 33.6, 2.5 degrees above normal. The highest temperature for the month was 56 on the 17th. The lowest temperature for December was the morning low of 10 on the 31st. There was one temperature record tied during December. The overnight low of 39 on the 25th tied the record high low temperature for that date. The record was originally set in 1954. The warmest December on record was in 1957 when we had a monthly mean temperature of 40.2. The coldest December was in 1983 when we had a monthly mean temperature of 13.6 degrees. It was December of 1983 when the area went for over 72 hours with temperatures never rising above 0 (December 21 – 24). For 9 consecutive nights the overnight low was below zero and for 7 days the daily high didn’t rise above 10.
December is our second driest month of the year (January is the driest). Normal December precipitation is 1.02 inches with 3.7 inches of snow. Significant rainfall events at the start and end of the month resulted in 2.72 inches of precipitation at Milford lake and 2.59 inches in Junction City. This was enough rain to move the annual totals to nearly normal. Normal annual precipitation is 33.15 inches. Milford Lake received 32.44 inches and Junction City receive 34.64 inches. The wettest December on record was in 2007 when a crippling ice storm deposited 3.88 inches of precipitation. The driest December on record was in 1976 when no precipitation was recorded during the month. A light dusting of snow in early December amounted to only 0.6 inches of snow for the month. Season to date we have received 10.8 inches of snow. Normal through December is 4.7 inches.
January is our coldest month of the year and our driest month of the year. Average daily highs for January run from 37 on New Year’s Day to 40 by the end of the month. Overnight lows stay fairly flat through the month with averages of 17 to 18 degrees. Looking at the long term averages the coldest day of the year is around the 9th of January after which temperatures slowly start to increase. Perhaps not coincidentally, January 9th is when the sunrise starts to occur earlier. Average precipitation for January is only 0.65 inches. January and February are historically our snowiest months of the year with long term average snowfall of 4.7 inches each month.