NOTE – Rainfall and temperature information is based on data kept at Milford Lake by the Corps of Engineers. For more information contact Chuck Otte, 238-4161.

October 2016 Weather Summary

The national weather media has been declaring October as “Hot-tober” and with overnight lows running almost as high as the average daily highs on many days, is it any surprise. For the fourteenth consecutive month we have average overnight lows that were well above average!

The average daily high during October was 73.8, 6.1 degrees above normal. The average overnight low was 52.4, 8.4 degrees above normal. This gave us a monthly mean temperature of 63.1, 7.3 degrees above normal. October 2016 is the 4th warmest October on record. The warmest October was 1963 with a monthly mean temperature of 69.0 degrees. The coldest October is a tie between 2002 and 2009 with a mean temperature of 49.1 The warmest temperature during the month was the high of 88 on the 16th. The lowest temperature for the month was 35 on the 12th. While this did create scattered frost around the area, it does not constitute an official first freeze of the season and the growing season continues. The latest first freeze on
record is November 10th (1998), but that record may be in jeopardy the way
this year is shaping up! There were two temperature records set and one tied
in October, all were record high low temperatures. The low of 70 on the 15th
broke the old record of 68 set in 1962. The low of 62 on the 30th broke the
old record of 56 set in 1950 and again in 1977. The low of 63 on the 26th tied
the record for that date, first set in 2014.

After some nice showers the first week and a half of October it looked like we
might be settling in to a dry pattern. That dry pattern didn´t last long when
heavy intense rain hit Junction City and west central Geary County the early
morning hours of the 26th. Both Junction City and Milford Lake reporting
stations recorded nearly 3 inches of rain. Average October rainfall is 2.62
inches. Milford Lake received 4.57 inches of rain in October. Junction City
received 4.86 inches of rain. Year to date Milford Lake has received 37.94
inches of rain and Junction City 38.55 inches. Normal rainfall for the area
from January through October is 30.58 inches. The wettest October on
record was in 1941 when 12.12 inches of rain was recorded. The driest
October was in 1938 when only 0.02 inches of rain disturbed the dust in the
rain gauge!

November, with it´s rapidly shortening hours of daylight, normally shows
significant dropping temperatures as well. Average daily highs range from 61
on the 1st to 48 on the 30th. Average overnight lows would be expected to
drop from 39 at the beginning of the month down to 25 by the end. It´s going
to take some serious cooling down just to get to those average temperatures
so I think we can look forward to November being above average as well.
November through February is our driest time of the year. Average
precipitation for November is only 1.55 inches with long term average
snowfall for the month of only one inch.

The Geary County Commission has yet to sign off on an amended Master Agreement for the Junction City Area Chamber of Commerce. 

“The City Manager has some more things that he wants to bring attention to and change…he asked some questions about the city’s obligations in it so it is still on the drawing board,” said County Commission Chair Florence Whitebread.

Allen Dinkel, City Manager, said that it’s simply a matter of wording.

“The City has always felt that for the Economic Development Council and also the Military Affairs Council that even though we give city funds for that, I don’t feel that we should put in [the agreement] a dollar amount, because it’s subject to annual appropriations and budgets; and if we put a dollar amount in there, in essence it violates the Kansas Cash Basis law,” said Dinkel.

That the words in previous agreements did not have a dollar amount attached, it was just an annual appropriation, according to Dinkel.

Dinkel hopes that previous language can be used again in an effort not to violate the law.

The Master Agreement has received much attention in recent months, as two county commissioners were opposed to keeping the agencies under the Consolidated Chamber of Commerce as a “collective”.

All agencies in the Junction City Area Chamber of Commerce will remain under one “umbrella” and continue to operate collectively under the new Amended Master Agreement.

Dinkel is hopeful that the changes will not be prolonged.

 

 

You can join the Central National Bank staff in the basement of the main bank at 8th and Washington in Junction City for a potato bar lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Wednesday. Proceeds will benefit the Junction City / Geary County United Way.

The cost will be $5 for a potato with toppings.  The toppings will include chili, nacho cheese, shredded cheese, sour cream, chives, ham, butter, bacon, and broccoli. Drinks will be provided. If you’re in a hurry you can get your food to go.

Last week’s three inch rain pounded the area west of Junction City.

The impact on the roads in that area has the attention of Geary County officials, including County Commission Chair Florence Whitebread. “We had gravel gone off of roads out there. We even had blacktop asphalt washed away on Old Highway 40. That takes a tremendous amount of rain to do that.”

Whitebread stated there are ditches full, and it’s taken about three days to do cleanup and repair, and the work continues. She noted culverts are packed full of debris from cornstalks and soybeans. “It’s all in our ditches right now, so they’ve been cleaning it up.”

FORT RILEY, Kan. – Fort Riley and the Association of the United States Army Fort Riley Central Kansas Chapter are beginning their annual Operation Santa Claus program with a ribbon cutting ceremony Nov. 2 at 10 a.m. at Operation Santa headquarters, 261 Stuart Ave., Fort Riley.

Operation Santa Claus is an annual program in its 32nd year. The Fort Riley community, along with the help of Santa Claus, helps needy children and their families by providing gifts for local children during the holiday season. Operation Santa works in conjunction with the AUSA Fort Riley Central Kansas Chapter to assist families with financial difficulties during the holidays.

Operation Santa Clause will accept donations of new, unwrapped toys in the $15 – $20 price range for children ages birth to 18 years starting Nov. 2