By Jeff Wichman
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A number of significant weather events occurred in Kansas last year. April set a new record as the coldest since 1895 with a statewide average temperature of 46-point-7 degrees. May ranked as the second warmest on record with a statewide average temperature of 70-point-6 degrees. And, October ended up being the second wettest on record with a statewide average that month of 5-point-88 inches…259% above normal.
Kansas State University climatologist Mary Knapp (nap) says one of the unusual things about 2018 was the fact that typically dry areas were wetter-than-normal and traditionally wet areas were drier-than-normal.
“The southwest won the sweepstakes for the wettest departure from normal. They averaged 26-point-4 inches…which is 132% of normal, and is 6-and-a-half inches more than they would normally see in a year. (:15)
On the dry side, Knapp says east-central Kansas fell well short of its normal precipitation for the year.
East-central averaged 32-point-34 inches and their deficit was just over 5-and-a-half inches…and they were at 84% of normal. Overall, the state averaged 32.17 inches – 112% of normal – and that will rank as the 21st wettest year from 1894 to the present. (:22)
On the temperature side it was cooler than normal statewide. However, Knapp said it was only by two-tenths of a degree.
