The Kansas Ag-Climate Update is a joint effort between our climate and extension specialists. Every month the update includes a brief summary of that month, agronomic impacts, relevant maps and graphs, 1-month temperature and precipitation outlooks, monthly extremes, and notable highlights.
December 2021: Warmest 1-, 2-, 3-, 4-, and 5-month in the instrumental observation history
At the end of calendar year, not only was December 2021 the warmest month in instrumental history but also the past two-month, three-month, four-month, and five-month (i.e. August to December) were the warmest seasons during the past 127 years. Globally, this December is the 5th warmest month based on the past 127-year records.
Precipitation was slightly drier on average across the state. The normal state precipitation was 1.12” and each region from eastern to western regions was less than one inch short in December. From the National Climate Prediction Center, there are now obvious persistent or developing drought in the nine crop reporting districts in Kansas from January to March 2022.
Figure 1. Departures from normal temperature (°F) and precipitation (inches) for December 2021.
View the entire December Ag-Climate Update, including the accompanying maps and graphics (not shown in this short summary), at http://climate.k-state.edu/ag/updates/.