CXUS53 KTOP 050015 CLATOP CLIMATE REPORT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS 615 PM CST THU JAN 04 2024 ................................... ...THE TOPEKA KS CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR THE YEAR OF 2023... CLIMATE NORMAL PERIOD 1991 TO 2020 CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD 1887 TO 2024 WEATHER OBSERVED NORMAL DEPART LAST YEAR'S VALUE DATE(S) VALUE FROM VALUE DATE(S) NORMAL ................................................................ TEMPERATURE (F) RECORD HIGH 114 07/24/1936 LOW -26 12/23/1989 HIGHEST 111 08/19 MM MM 103 07/23 LOWEST 8 01/31 MM MM -4 12/22 02/01 02/03 AVG. MAXIMUM 70.8 66.7 4.1 68.7 AVG. MINIMUM 45.9 44.9 1.0 44.0 MEAN 58.4 55.8 2.6 56.3 DAYS MAX >= 90 73 49.6 23.4 73 DAYS MAX <= 32 7 21.8 -14.8 22 DAYS MIN <= 32 107 113.9 -6.9 124 DAYS MIN <= 0 0 2.7 -2.7 4 PRECIPITATION (INCHES) RECORD MAXIMUM 60.89 1973 MINIMUM 19.07 1963 TOTALS 27.33 36.53 -9.20 32.23 DAILY AVG. 0.08 0.10 -0.02 0.09 DAYS >= .01 99 98.1 0.9 94 DAYS >= .10 58 59.7 -1.7 58 DAYS >= .50 16 23.4 -7.4 23 DAYS >= 1.00 4 10.5 -6.5 6 GREATEST 24 HR. TOTAL 2.70 2.54 05/31 TO 05/31 SNOWFALL (INCHES) RECORDS TOTAL 48.6 1960 24 HR TOTAL 17.3 02/26/1900 TO 02/27/1900 SNOW DEPTH 18 03/16/1960 TOTALS 12.5 17.1 -4.6 23.2 SINCE 7/1 8.5 5.5 3.0 MM SNOWDEPTH AVG. T 0 DAYS >= TRACE 26 12.0 14.0 32 DAYS >= 1.0 4 5.0 -1.0 7 GREATEST SNOW DEPTH 6 11/26 4 02/04 02/18 03/11 24 HR TOTAL 7.2 11/25 TO 11/26 4.5 02/17 TO 02/17 DEGREE DAYS HEATING TOTAL 4171 4860 -689 4577 SINCE 7/1 1562 1925 -363 MM COOLING TOTAL 1883 1534 349 1859 SINCE 1/1 1883 1534 349 MM ................................................................ WIND (MPH) AVERAGE WIND SPEED 7.0 RESULTANT WIND SPEED/DIRECTION 0/200 HIGHEST WIND SPEED/DIRECTION 49/320 DATE 07/14 HIGHEST GUST SPEED/DIRECTION 72/320 DATE 07/14 SKY COVER AVERAGE SKY COVER 0.27 AVERAGE RH (PERCENT) 64 WEATHER CONDITIONS. NUMBER OF DAYS WITH THUNDERSTORM 55 MIXED PRECIP 1 HEAVY RAIN 29 RAIN 35 LIGHT RAIN 117 FREEZING RAIN 0 LT FREEZING RAIN 3 HAIL 2 HEAVY SNOW 1 SNOW 3 LIGHT SNOW 21 SLEET 3 FOG 154 FOG W/VIS <= 1/4 MILE 41 HAZE 39 - INDICATES NEGATIVE NUMBERS. R INDICATES RECORD WAS SET OR TIED. MM INDICATES DATA IS MISSING. T INDICATES TRACE AMOUNT. OVERALL WARM CONDITIONS WERE THE MAIN HEADLINE IN 2023. THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR THE YEAR TIED FOR THE FOURTH WARMEST YEAR ON RECORD...AS WELL AS THE SECOND HIGHEST AVERAGE HIGH TEMPERATURE. THE LOWEST TEMPERATURE MEASURED WAS ONLY 8 DEGREES. THIS TIES 2012 FOR HAVING THE HIGHEST MINIMUM TEMPERATURE. A RECORD HIGH OF 98 DEGREES OCCURRED ON MAY 6TH. THIS WAS THE SEVENTH WARMEST MAY TEMPERATURE ON RECORD AND THE EARLIER IN THE CALENDAR YEAR A TEMPERATURE THIS HOT HAD BEEN MEASURED...BEATING THE PREVIOUS EARLIEST 98-DEGREE DAY BY 23 DAYS. THE NORMAL FIRST DAY TO REACH AT LEAST 98 DEGREES IS JULY 8. THE AVERAGE HIGH TEMPERATURE FROM AUGUST 19 THROUGH AUGUST 25 WAS 104.3 DEGREES. THIS WAS THE HOTTEST SEVEN-DAY STRETCH SINCE 2000. THE HIGH OF 111 DEGREES ON AUGUST 19 TIED FOR THE SEVENTH HIGHEST TEMPERATURE ON RECORD FOR TOPEKA. HEAT INDICES DURING THIS STRETCH PEAKED FROM 109 TO 125. THE YEAR STARTED WITH LIMITED VISIBILITY DUE TO DENSE FOG THAT SPANNED FROM SUNRISE JANUARY 2ND THROUGH THE PRE-DAWN HOURS OF JANUARY 3RD. LIGHT FREEZING DRIZZLE...FREEZING RAIN...AND SLEET FELL ON FEBRUARY 24. A STRONG COLD FRONT CAUSED THE TEMPERATURE TO DROP EIGHTEEN DEGREES IN AN HOUR ON MARCH 16. WIND GUSTS OF 50 TO 60 MPH WERE COMMON ON THE AFTERNOON OF MARCH 30. THUNDERSTORMS ON APRIL 20 PRODUCED 61 MPH WINDS AT TOPEKA REGIONAL AIRPORT AND ISOLATED TREE DAMAGE ACROSS THE CITY. THE HIGHEST ONE-DAY PRECIPITATION TOTAL IN JUNE WAS 0.51 INCHES -- ONLY THREE OTHER JUNES HAD LOWER SUCH VALUES. THUNDERSTORMS ON THE EVENING OF JUNE 30 PRODUCED 62 MPH WINDS AT BILLARD AIRPORT AND SCATTERED TREE DAMAGE AND POWER OUTAGES ACROSS TOPEKA. STRONGER STORMS ON THE AFTERNOON OF JULY 14 PRODUCED 73 MPH WINDS AT BILLARD AIRPORT WITH CONSIDERABLE POWER OUTAGES AND WIDESPREAD TREE DAMAGE ALONG WITH A RECORD 2.56 INCHES OF PRECIPITATION. ASIDE FROM THE EXTREME HEAT IN LATE AUGUST MENTIONED ABOVE...HEAT INDICES ALSO REACHED 115 ON AUGUST 1ST AND 110 ON AUGUST 11TH. A RECORD SNOW OF 6.3 INCHES FELL ON NOVEMBER 25...AND COMBINED WITH 0.9 INCHES THE FOLLOWING DAY FOR A STORM TOTAL OF 7.2 INCHES. THE 6.3 INCH AMOUNT WAS THE SECOND HIGHEST ONE-DAY TOTAL ON RECORD FOR NOVEMBER AND THE 7.2 INCH AMOUNT WAS THE FOURTH HIGHEST TWO-DAY NOVEMBER TOTAL ON RECORD. THE LATTER AMOUNT WAS THE HIGHEST STORM TOTAL SNOWFALL SINCE FEBRUARY 2014. CHRISTMAS EVE HAD A RECORD 1.39 INCHES OF PRECIPITATION FROM RAIN. -- SEASONAL AVERAGE TEMPERATURES PLACING IN THE TOP 20 ON RECORD -- WINTER...14TH WARMEST /DECEMBER 2022 THROUGH FEBRUARY 2023/ AUTUMN...13TH WARMEST -- SEASONAL TOTAL PRECIPITATION PLACING IN THE TOP 20 ON RECORD -- AUTUMN...17TH DRIEST -- SEASONAL TOTAL SNOWFALL PLACING IN THE TOP 20 ON RECORD -- WINTER...15TH LOWEST /DECEMBER 2022 THROUGH FEBRUARY 2023/ -- MONTHLY AVERAGE TEMPERATURES PLACING IN THE TOP 20 RECORD -- JANUARY.....18TH WARMEST AUGUST......19TH WARMEST SEPTEMBER...10TH WARMEST DECEMBER.....4TH WARMEST /TIED/ -- MONTHLY TOTAL PRECIPITATION PLACING IN THE TOP 20 ON RECORD -- FEBRUARY....17TH WETTEST JUNE........16TH DRIEST DECEMBER....11TH WETTEST -- MONTHLY SNOWFALL PLACING IN THE TOP 20 ON RECORD -- NOVEMBER.....6TH HIGHEST -- DAILY RECORDS -- HIGHEST MAXIMUM - MAY 6.....98 F AUG 19...111 F SEP 29....95 F /TIED/ NOV 7.....79 F /TIED/ HIGHEST MINIMUM - JUL 26....82 F /TIED/ JUL 28....81 F AUG 23....79 F OCT 25....65 F OCT 26....67 F DEC 21....51 F LOWEST MAXIMUM -- NONE LOWEST MINIMUM -- NOV 1.....18 F PRECIPITATION --- FEB 9....0.66 INCHES /TIED/ JUL 14...2.56 INCHES DEC 15...0.86 INCHES DEC 25...1.39 INCHES SNOWFALL -------- NOV 25...6.3 INCHES -- THUNDERSTORM-RELATED SEVERE WEATHER REPORTS -- WIND - 61 MPH WIND GUST AND MINOR TREE DAMAGE APRIL 20 - 62 MPH WIND GUST AND SCATTERED TREE DAMAGE JUNE 30 - 73 MPH WIND GUST AND WIDESPREAD TREE DAMAGE JULY 26 $$