by Geary County Extension Agent Chuck Otte
September saw a return to a weather pattern that makes many of us
nervous. It was warmer than average and drier than average. The
temperature deviation was somewhat significant, the precipitation not quite
so much. With talk of a strong El Nino weather pattern in the Pacific, the
warmer than average is expected, but the drier than average is a little
unexpected which makes us wonder what the rest of autumn and on into
winter will bring.

The average daily high for September was 83.3, 3.1 degrees above normal.
The average overnight low was 63.4, 7.4 degrees above normal. This gave
us a monthly mean temperature of 73.4, 5.3 degrees above normal. While
this monthly mean temperature was well above normal, it still fell just outside
of the record warm September. In fact it didn´t even get into the top five for
warmest Septembers. The warmest September was that infamous 1954
when the monthly mean temperature was 78.1 (and the first six days of
September 1954 had daily highs of 100 or higher!) The coldest September
on record was in 1974 when we had a monthly mean temperature of a chilly
61.1. The highest temperature in September was 97 on the 6th. The coldest
temperature for the month was 49 on the morning of the 30th, the first sub 50
degree reading since May 24th! There were no temperature records set or
tied during September.

Rainfall for September amounted to 2.59 inches at Milford Lake and 3.04
inches in Junction City. Most of the rain occurred in two events in the first half
of the month with the latter half of the month being fairly dry. Normal
September rainfall is 3.28 inches. Year to date Milford Lake has received
27.42 inches and Junction City 30.13 inches. Average year to date rainfall
through September is 27.96 inches. The wettest September on record was in
1967 when 13.28 inches deluged the area helping to fill a newly constructed
Milford Lake sooner than expected. The driest September on record was in
1947 when 0.24 inches was all that graced area rain gauges.

October usually brings us drier conditions and markedly cooler temperatures.
October also brings us our average first frost date. Average daily highs begin
the month at 76 and by Halloween are down to 63. Average daily lows on the
1st are 50 degrees and by the 31st a chilly 39. Long term average first frost
(1951 through 2014) is October 19th. However 1 out of every 8 years we´ll
see a first frost not occurring until November. October continues the dry
down as we head into our drier winter months. Average October rainfall is
2.62 inches. A skiff or two of snow can not be ruled out of the question during
October with a long term average October snowfall of only one tenth of an
inch.