While the weather in Kansas was warmer and wetter than average in November, there were some very abrupt changes. The average statewide temperature was 45.9 degrees F, which was the 17th warmest November on record. The warmest reading for the month was 84 degrees F, reported at Richfield in Stanton County on the 4th. Much of the state averaged 4 to 8 degrees F warmer than normal, although the western third of the state was only at or slightly warmer than normal. Twenty-one new daily record high maximum temperatures were set, although none of those were records for the month. There were also 65 new record warm minimum temperatures recorded during the month. The 60 degrees F reported at the Hutchinson airport on the 4th of November set a new record warm minimum for November at that location. Despite being warmer than average, cold temperatures were still noted. Eight new daily record low maximum temperatures were recorded. Colby serves as an illustration of the temperature swings experienced during the month. On the 16th, the high was 71 degrees F, with a low of 33 degrees F. On the 17th, the high was only 34 degrees F, while the low dropped to 20 degrees F.
Moisture was plentiful statewide in November, averaging 2.87 inches, or 201 percent of normal for the month. This makes it the 5th wettest November on record. There were major precipitation events during the month. The first event occurred between November 16th and 18th. This brought a severe weather outbreak that included a preliminary total of 23 tornadoes. After the frontal system passed, rapidly falling temperatures resulted in heavy snow in the West Central and Northwestern Divisions. The second was at the end of the month, starting on the 26th and persisting through the 30th. Temperatures during this event fluctuated near freezing, resulting in heavy ice accumulation in the South Central Division with lighter amounts in other parts of the state, along with some minor snow accumulations. Atwood, in Rawlins County, reported the highest daily snow accumulation with 24 inches on the 19th, of which 7 inches was still on the ground at the end of the month. The highest monthly precipitation totals were 8.85 inches at Coffeyville and 8.00 inches at Pittsburg. The greatest daily precipitation totals were 3.85 inches at Atwood on the 19th and 3.31 inches at Pittsburg on the 27th.
Severe weather included a tornado outbreak on the 16th. This was followed by blizzard conditions on the 18th and 19th. The month ended with a significant icing event from the 27th through the 29th. As of December 1st, Westar Energy reported more than 300 continuing outages, affecting more than 1,000 customers in the Hutchinson area.
Given the above-normal precipitation, it is not surprising that drought conditions improved. Areas of moderate drought conditions were reduced, as was the area of abnormal dry conditions. Small areas of moderate drought remain in parts of central Kansas, as well as parts of the Flint Hills. Some long-term hydrological deficits are in place affecting some water supplies and reservoirs. The drought outlook is for improving conditions, and the precipitation outlook for December is positive. However, we are in a drier period of the year, so even above-normal precipitation will be slow to erase dry conditions.
|
November 2015 |
||||||||||
|
Kansas Climate Division Summary |
||||||||||
|
|
Precipitation (inches) |
Temperature (oF) |
||||||||
|
|
November 2015 |
2015 Jan. through Nov. |
|
|
Monthly Extremes |
|||||
|
Division |
Total |
Dep. 1 |
% Normal |
Total |
Dep. 1 |
% Normal |
Ave |
Dep. 1 |
Max |
Min |
|
Northwest |
2.26 |
1.44 |
269 |
20.33 |
-0.46 |
97 |
40.1 |
1.1 |
83 |
12 |
|
West Central |
1.57 |
0.78 |
204 |
20.81 |
0.67 |
103 |
41.3 |
0.8 |
81 |
11 |
|
Southwest |
1.20 |
0.54 |
177 |
26.99 |
7.76 |
139 |
45.0 |
2.1 |
84 |
16 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
North Central |
2.01 |
0.78 |
160 |
24.74 |
-2.39 |
90 |
46.2 |
5.0 |
81 |
17 |
|
Central |
2.72 |
1.48 |
213 |
25.92 |
-2.44 |
90 |
47.4 |
4.5 |
81 |
20 |
|
South Central |
3.33 |
1.84 |
219 |
32.09 |
1.89 |
106 |
48.4 |
3.8 |
80 |
15 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Northeast |
3.56 |
1.79 |
201 |
35.30 |
1.52 |
104 |
46.8 |
4.6 |
82 |
13 |
|
East Central |
4.11 |
1.94 |
189 |
34.47 |
-2.05 |
93 |
48.6 |
5.0 |
80 |
21 |
|
Southeast |
5.19 |
2.60 |
197 |
37.15 |
-2.53 |
93 |
49.2 |
3.4 |
81 |
20 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
STATE |
2.87 |
1.45 |
201 |
28.80 |
0.45 |
102 |
45.9 |
3.4 |
84 |
11 |
|
|
|
|||||||||
|
1. Departure from 1981-2010 normal value |
||||||||||
|
2. State Highest temperature: 84 oF at Richfield 1NE (Stanton County) on the 4th. |
||||||||||
|
3. State Lowest temperature: 11 oF at Tribune 14N (Greeley County) on the 22nd. |
||||||||||
|
4. Greatest 24hr rainfall: 3.85 inches at Atwood, Rawlins County on the 19th (NWS); 3.31 inches at Pittsburg 0.7 WSW, Crawford County on the 27th (CoCoRaHS). |
||||||||||
|
Source: KSU Weather Data Library |
||||||||||
Mary Knapp, Weather Data Library
mknapp@ksu.edu
Tags: