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 2022: Exceptional drought condition and it will continue
The statewide average temperature for December was 30.6°F, or 2.6° below normal. This ranks as the 42nd coldest December out of the last 128 years, dating back to 1895. All divisions finished the month below normal; departures ranged from -3.1° in the northwest to -1.9° in southwest Kansas. All Kansas Mesonet sites recorded low temperatures below zero on the 22nd and 23rd as the coldest air in nearly two years impacted the entire state.
The statewide average precipitation for December was 0.74”, or 0.33” below normal. Southeast Kansas was the only division with above normal precipitation (1.82”, 103% of normal). West central and southwest Kansas both had less than 25% of normal precipitation. The fourth quarter of 2022 was the driest on record in west central Kansas, where only 0.27” of precipitation was observed.
Figure 1. Departures from normal temperature (°F) and precipitation (inches) for December 2022.
View the entire December 2022 Ag-Climate Update, including the accompanying maps and graphics (not shown in this eUpdate article), at http://climate.k-state.edu/ag/updates/
Xiaomao Lin, State Climatologist
xlin@ksu.edu