The epic April blizzard in Kansas carried into the first of May, with significant snowfall reported from the event. This started a wetter-than-normal month for most of the state. The statewide average precipitation was 4.66 inches, which is 113 percent of normal. The North Central Division had the highest percent of normal with an average of 6.32 inches, or 154 percent of normal. The Northeast, East Central, and Southwest Divisions were below normal for the month, but given the very wet conditions in April, all divisions are above normal for the April – May period. Rains were frequent enough that even the Divisions with below-normal precipitation had planting delays. The greatest monthly precipitation total for a National Weather Service (NWS) Coop station was 9.49 inches at Oswego 1N, Labette County. The greatest monthly total for a Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow (CoCoRaHS) station was 9.91 inches at Beloit 9.9 SSW, Mitchell County. The highest 24-hour totals: 5.18 inches at Norwich, Kingman County, on the 12th (NWS); and 5.00 inches at Abilene 0.7 E, Dickinson County, on the 19th (CoCoRaHS).
Temperatures were slow to recover from the cooler-than-normal start. Statewide temperatures averaged 61.8 oF or -1.7 degrees from normal. The East Central and Southeast Divisions averaged closest to normal with a departure of -0.7 oF respectively. The warmest reading for the month was 95 oF at Elkhart, Morton County, on the 26th. The coldest reading, not surprisingly, was at the beginning of the month when Hays 1ESE recorded a low of 22 oF on the 1st. Despite the cool temperatures, there were five record high maximum temperatures during the month and seven record high minimum temperatures. On the cold side, there were 41 new record cold maximum temperature in May and 33 new record low minimum temperatures. Of the record cold maximum temperatures, 15 set new records for any day in May. Freezing temperatures were reported in five of the nine climate divisions. The exceptions were the South Central Division and the eastern Divisions. All Divisions, except the Southeast, saw high temperatures reach 90 oF or more.
After the remnants of the winter storm, an outbreak of typical spring severe weather occurred. There were 37 reports of tornadoes, 160 hail reports, and 106 high wind reports. The largest outbreak came during the week of May 16th to May 22nd when 35 tornadoes and 123 hail events were reported.
The higher-than-normal precipitation resulted in continued drought-free conditions statewide. The June outlook calls for a slightly increased chance of wetter-than-normal conditions across the state coupled with equal chances of above- or below-normal temperatures. At this point, the dry pattern expected for the next week is providing a welcome window for field work.
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May 2017 |
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Kansas Climate Division Summary |
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Precipitation (inches) |
Temperature (oF) |
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May 2017 |
2017 Jan through May |
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Monthly Extremes |
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Division |
Total |
Dep. 1 |
% Normal |
Total |
Dep. 1 |
% Normal |
Ave |
Dep. 1 |
Max |
Min |
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Northwest |
4.66 |
1.20 |
134 |
7.93 |
0.10 |
100 |
58.2 |
-1.9 |
93 |
29 |
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West Central |
4.26 |
1.23 |
140 |
9.75 |
2.32 |
131 |
59.2 |
-2.1 |
93 |
28 |
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Southwest |
2.39 |
-0.34 |
88 |
11.34 |
4.59 |
168 |
61.1 |
-2.7 |
95 |
30 |
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North Central |
6.32 |
2.24 |
154 |
13.29 |
3.22 |
131 |
61.6 |
-1.6 |
91 |
28 |
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Central |
5.42 |
1.15 |
130 |
14.80 |
3.92 |
137 |
62.8 |
-1.5 |
93 |
22 |
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South Central |
5.02 |
0.63 |
114 |
17.61 |
5.90 |
151 |
62.9 |
-2.5 |
92 |
34 |
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Northeast |
4.14 |
-0.65 |
88 |
12.66 |
0.41 |
105 |
62.0 |
-1.7 |
91 |
36 |
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East Central |
4.11 |
-1.04 |
79 |
13.32 |
-0.31 |
97 |
63.5 |
-0.7 |
90 |
35 |
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Southeast |
5.85 |
0.06 |
101 |
19.80 |
4.14 |
127 |
64.8 |
-0.7 |
88 |
36 |
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STATE |
4.66 |
0.49 |
113 |
13.68 |
3.00 |
130 |
61.8 |
-1.7 |
95 |
22 |
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1. Departure from 1981-2010 normal value |
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2. State Highest temperature: 95 oF at Elkhart, Morton County, on the 26th. |
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3. State Lowest temperature: 22 oF at Hays 1 ESE, Ellis County, on the 1st. |
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4. Greatest 24hr: 5.18 inches at Norwich, Kingman County, on the 12th (NWS); 5.00 inches at Abilene 0.7 E, Dickinson County, on the 19th (CoCoRaHS). |
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Source: KSU Weather Data Library |
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Mary Knapp, Weather Data Library
mknapp@ksu.edu
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