Significant precipitation fell over southwest Kansas in mid-December

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A storm system brought significant precipitation to much of southwest Kansas last week. Most of the precipitation fell as rain, but with temperatures in the 30s during much of the event, some freezing rain was noted, especially early in the event on Dec. 13. A tenth of an inch of ice was reported in Gove County, with a thin glaze of ice noted in a few locations, including at Colby, Goodland, Hoxie, Leoti and Tribune. Snow fell in some areas, particularly on the northern fringes of the precipitation shield. The highest measured snow total was 4 inches in northern Wallace County, 3.3 inches in Tribune, and 1 to 3 inches in Sherman County, including the Goodland area. Later, snow mixed in at times further south as heavier precipitation increased the layer of cold air aloft, allowing precipitation to remain frozen all the way to the surface. Both Garden City and Dodge City reported periods of snow before precipitation changed back to rain.

Precipitation lasted into early on the 15^th. Storm totals exceeded 3 inches in some areas (Figure 1, Table 1). The highest total was 3.59 inches, reported by a CoCoRaHS observer in southern Meade County. Reports of over 3 inches also came from Seward, Clark, Ford, and Edwards Counties. In most areas, the bulk of the precipitation fell on the 14^th and was reflected in the 24-hour totals from the morning of the 15^th (Table 2). The highest 24-hour total was in Clark County, where the cooperative observer in Ashland picked up 2.30 inches. Not far behind was a 2.24 inches report near Bucklin, in Ford County. The Bucklin total was historic, as it was the largest 24-hour amount ever recorded in the month of December at that location, where records date back 130 years. At least ten locations recorded a top 5 wettest December day during this event, including Dodge City, Greensburg, Hays, and Russell.
 

Figure 1. 7-day precipitation totals for the period Dec. 11-17, 2023. Source: HPRCC.
 

Table 1. The highest storm total precipitation amounts from selected counties across Kansas. Totals are in decreasing order and are based on totals for the period December 13-16, 2023.

Location	Network	County	Total (inches)
Meade 15.5 SSE	CoCoRaHS	Meade	3.59
Minneola 4.1 SSE	CoCoRaHS	Clark	3.49
Satanta	Mesonet	Seward	3.12
Bucklin 0.1 SE	CoCoRaHS	Ford	3.02
Lewis 3.8 W	CoCoRaHS	Edwards	3.00
Ingalls 6.9 SW	CoCoRaHS	Gray	2.67
Mullinville 5.7 NNW	CoCoRaHS	Kiowa	2.66
Kalvesta 12.1 NNW	CoCoRaHS	Finney	2.43
Sublette 0.6 WSW	CoCoRaHS	Haskell	2.43
Coldwater 6.7 NW	CoCoRaHS	Comanche	2.41
Jetmore 11.5 WNW	CoCoRaHS	Hodgeman	2.38
Timken 7.8 SSW	CoCoRaHS	Rush	2.27
Hugoton 0.6 NNW	CoCoRaHS	Stevens	2.26
Burdett 3S	COOP	Pawnee	2.20
Russell 0.1 E	CoCoRaHS	Russell	2.17
Sublette 1E	Mesonet	Haskell	2.12
Victoria 0.1 ESE	CoCoRaHS	Ellis	2.01
Galatia 4.6 E	CoCoRaHS	Barton	1.93
Utica 0.0 E	CoCoRaHS	Ness	1.90
Hays	COOP	Ellis	1.80
Natoma 6.7 NNE	CoCoRaHS	Osborne	1.76
Sylvan Grove 5 NNW	COOP	Lincoln	1.76
Smith Center	COOP	Smith	1.70
Ulysses 13.0 ENE	CoCoRaHS	Grant	1.68
La Crosse	Mesonet	Rush	1.68
Syracuse 14.4 SSW	CoCoRaHS	Hamilton	1.65
Plainville 4 WNW	COOP	Rooks	1.62
Ionia	COOP	Jewell	1.53
Holyrood 4.8 N	CoCoRaHS	Ellsworth	1.50

 

Table 2. Records for the 24-hour period ending midnight or 7 AM on December 15, 2023. The 24-hour period at WBAN sites ends at midnight, while the 24-hour period at COOP sites ends at 7 AM. WBAN stands for Weather Bureau, Air Force, and Navy, which refers today to any observation provided and measured by a government agency. COOP refers to a cooperative citizen observer. T in the rankings refers to a tie.

Location	Network	County	12/15 Precip. (in.)	12/15 Rank Most 1-day Dec. Precip.	Year Records Began	Record Highest 1-day Precip. in Dec.
						Amt.	Date
Ashland	COOP	Clark	2.30	3rd	1900	2.98	12/30/2006
Bucklin 1SE	COOP	Ford	2.24	1st	1893	2.24	12/15/2023
Offerle 5S	COOP	Edwards	1.85	2nd	1973	1.85	12/30/2006
Dodge City	WBAN	Ford	1.76	3rd	1874	2.43	12/29/2006
Greensburg	COOP	Kiowa	1.76	2nd	1893	1.87	12/27/2018
Hays	COOP	Ellis	1.71	2nd	1952	1.83	12/28/2019
Coldwater	COOP	Comanche	1.60	7th	1893	2.52	12/11/2007
Burdett 3S	COOP	Pawnee	1.60	3rd	1941	1.67	12/30/2006
Caldwell	COOP	Sumner	1.34	T 7th	1940	2.64	12/20/2011
Cimarron	COOP	Gray	1.28	8th	1911	2.60	12/30/2006
Russell	WBAN	Russell	1.26	3rd	1949	1.78	12/13/2015
Smith Center	COOP	Smith	1.18	9th	1910	1.78	12/18/1918
Kingman	COOP	Kingman	1.12	15th	1907	2.58	12/27/2018
Plainville 4WNW	COOP	Rooks	1.03	9th	1893	2.70	12/14/2015
Utica	COOP	Ness	1.02	10th	1916	2.78	12/30/2006
Bluff City	COOP	Harper	0.95	9th	1973	1.45	12/27/2018
Ionia	COOP	Jewell	0.93	9th	1894	1.77	12/14/2015
Cedar Bluff Dam	COOP	Trego	0.89	5th	1949	2.37	12/30/2006
Hill City	WBAN	Graham	0.78	13th	1907	2.17	12/29/2006
Garden City	WBAN	Finney	0.70	18th	1893	2.27	12/29/2006

 

In at least fifteen locations, the totals from this event, when added to the first twelve days of the month, are enough to ensure a top 20 wettest December (Table 3), even if no additional precipitation falls for the rest of the month. At about half those locations, a top 10 wettest December is guaranteed. One of those locations is Smith Center, which had comparatively less precipitation than further south and west, but their 1.70 inches total is still good enough to secure at least a 9^th wettest December. With two weeks left in this month, the final monthly totals may increase further, and more locations could finish in the top 10. The 7-day precipitation outlook calls for at least half an inch of precipitation for most of the state by Christmas morning, with totals over an inch possible in southeastern Kansas (Figure 2).
 

Table 3. December 2023 precipitation data at selected long-term climate sites in Kansas. POR refers to the period of record, the total number of available years of climate data at a given recording site. All precipitation amounts are reported as inches.

Location	County	Dec. 13-16 Storm Total	Dec. 1-12 Precip	Dec. ‘23 Precip. to Date (1st-16th)	Dec. ‘23 Precip. to Date Rank/POR	Most Precip. in Dec.		Normal Dec. Precip.
						Amt.	Year
Ashland	Clark	2.92	0.11	3.03	5 / 124	4.59	2006	1.00
Bucklin 1SE	Ford	2.84	0.16	3.00	4 / 103	4.16	2006	1.04
Cedar Bluff Dam	Trego	1.17	0.00	1.17	12 / 72	4.60	2006	0.80
Cimarron	Gray	2.22	0.00	2.22	6 / 113	5.35	2006	0.90
Coldwater	Comanche	2.01	0.30	2.31	T11 / 120	4.19	2007	1.12
Concordia	Cloud	0.77	0.05	0.82	51 / 139	3.91	2013	1.04
Dodge City	Ford	2.00	Trace	2.00	10 / 150	4.36	1877	0.96
El Dorado	Butler	0.74	0.65	1.39	45 / 124	5.04	1984	1.30
Emporia	Lyon	0.86	0.08	0.94	26 / 56	3.10	2011	1.30
Garden City	Finney	1.52	0.00	1.52	10 / 123	4.97	2006	0.56
Goodland	Sherman	0.48	0.00	0.48	37 / 117	2.90	1924	0.47
Greensburg	Kiowa	2.30	0.49	2.79	4 / 115	4.21	1918	0.96
Hays	Ellis	1.80	0.00	1.80	13 / 130	3.11	1913	0.76
Hill City	Graham	0.83	Trace	0.83	20 / 99	4.80	1913	0.66
Kingman	Kingman	1.29	0.36	1.65	T20 / 95	3.62	1943	1.29
Manhattan	Riley	0.62	0.19	0.81	62 / 131	3.84	1913	1.19
Medicine Lodge	Barber	1.12	0.01	1.13	34 / 126	3.98	1984	1.09
Plainville 4WNW	Rooks	1.62	Trace	1.62	T15 / 112	3.91	2006	0.95
Russell	Russell	1.75	0.01	1.76	8 / 72	3.20	1984	0.74
Sedan	Chautauqua	0.87	0.74	1.61	53 / 131	5.41	1895	1.86
Smith Center	Smith	1.70	0.00	1.70	9 / 114	4.69	1913	0.79
Topeka	Shawnee	0.86	0.16	1.02	72 / 137	5.08	1944	1.49
Tribune	Greeley	1.07	0.00	1.07	13 / 117	3.82	2006	0.56
Wichita	Sedgwick	0.94	Trace	0.94	64 / 136	4.71	1984	1.22

 

Figure 2. The Weather Prediction Center’s 7-day precipitation outlook is valid for December 18 to 25, 2023.

 

As of December 17, the Midwest Regional Climate Center reported the average statewide precipitation for the month so far is 1.34 inches. This total is ahead of the 30-year average amount of 1.07 inches for the entire month of December, and ties for the 25^th wettest December on record, dating back to 1895 (Table 4). Kansas needs just 0.16 inches more this month to crack the top 20. A top 10 wettest December will occur if that final total reaches 2.12 inches or greater. The wettest December in Kansas was 1913 when an average of 3.15 inches fell. While that record amount appears to be out of reach, it will be interesting to see how high 2023 finishes on the list of wettest December, especially if the current precipitation forecast verifies. Stay tuned!

 

Table 4. The top 25 wettest Decembers on record in Kansas for the period 1895-2022, based on average statewide monthly precipitation. Source: NCEI.

Rank	Year	Precip.	Rank	Year	Precip.	Rank	Year	Precip.	Rank	Year	Precip.
1	1913	3.15	8	2018	2.19	15	1991	1.81	22	1924	1.46
2	2006	2.67	T9	1911	2.12	16	1942	1.77	23	1907	1.45
3	1984	2.63	T9	1973	2.12	17	1992	1.70	24	1980	1.38
4	1918	2.61	11	1997	2.09	18	1965	1.68	25	2014	1.34
5	2007	2.48	12	1947	1.98	19	1898	1.61	Normal Precipitation for December: 1.07” (based on 1991-2020)
6	2015	2.36	13	1944	1.93	20	1943	1.50
7	2011	2.26	14	1982	1.89	21	1895	1.49

 

 

Matthew Sittel, Assistant State Climatologist
msittel@ksu.edu

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