Geary County Extension Agent Chuck Otte says In a nutshell, November was cold and snowy. While the snow wasn’t enough to put the month above normal for precipitation, the first time in four months, it was significant in other ways.
The average daily high during November was 46.1, 7.7 degrees below normal. The average overnight low was 28.4, 3.6 degrees below normal. This resulted in a monthly mean temperature of 37.3, 5.6 degrees below normal. That monthly mean temperature fell just short of placing November 2018 in the top 5 coldest Novembers on record. November 2014 was 37.2 degrees and just barely held on to the #5 slot on the list. The coldest November on record was in 1985 with a monthly mean temperature of 35.2. On the flip side, the warmest November was in 1999 when we had a monthly mean temperature of 51.8. The highest temperature for the month was 64 on Thanksgiving Day, November 22nd. The lowest temperature was 13 on the mornings of November 9, 11 and 12. There were several temperature records set during the month. The low of 13 on the 9th broke the old record low for that date of 20 set in 1957. The high of 31 on the 8th and 9th broke the record low high for those dates. The old record for both days was 35, set in 2000 for the 8th and 1950 for the 9th. Lastly, the low of 49 on the 22nd set a new record high low temperature for that date. The old record was 46 set in 1955.
Total precipitation for November was 1.18 inches at Milford Lake and 0.88 inches in Junction City. Normal for November is 1.55 inches. This broke a string of three straight months of well above average precipitation. However the area is rapidly catching up to average annual precipitation. Normal January through November precipitation is 32.12 inches. Milford Lake has received 29.72 inches in 2018 and Junction City 32.05 inches. From January through July Milford Lake received 10.16 inches or 51% of normal. From August through November Milford Lake recorded 19.12 inches of precipitation or 168% of normal for those four months. The wettest November on record was in 1931 when 5.88 inches of precipitation fell. The driest November on record was in 1966 and 1989 when no precipitation fell during November.
Annual seasonal snowfall for our area (October through May) is 18 inches. The last time we were at or above average was the winter of 2013-14 when 32.5 inches of snow fell. That past four winters haven’t even had enough snow to push into double digits. A rare October snow jump started the snowfall season. November brought us three measurable snowfall events for a total of 8.2 inches of snow for a season to date total of 10.2 inches or more snow than we saw in any of the past four winters! Normal for November is only 1 inch of snow and season to date snowfall is also normally just 1 inch.
December brings us the start of meteorological winter (December 1) and astronomical winter (December 21). Temperatures continue to drop during the month (bottoming out in early-mid January) and snowfall normally increases. Average daily highs during December start the month at 46 and by New Year’s Eve day are down to 38. Overnight lows drop from 25 on the 1st to 18 on the 31st. Average precipitation during December is 1.02 inches with average December snowfall of 3.7 inches. At the rate we are going, this might just be the year for a white Christmas!