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.
April 2023: Severe to Exceptional Drought Continues across the State
The average temperature for April was 54.7°F, or 0.8°F above normal. This ranked as the 49th warmest April out of 129 years of records, dating back to 1895. All divisions were above normal, with anomalies ranging from +0.3°F (southwest) to +1.4°F (central and east central).
The average precipitation for April was 1.32 inches, which was 1.36 inches below normal. This ranked as the 17th driest April on record. Southwest Kansas was the only division with above-normal precipitation (1.92 inches, 115% of normal); all other divisions were below normal. Both northwest (0.42 inches) and southeast Kansas (1.26 inches) had their 7th driest April on record. North central, central, and east central Kansas all experienced a top 15 driest April.
The US Drought Monitor Update issued on April 27 listed 46% of Kansas in the most severe drought category (D4), up 10% from last month. Only 11% of the state is classified as drought-free, a decrease of 5% from March.
Figure 1. Departures from normal temperature (°F) and precipitation (inches) for April 2023.
View the entire April 2023 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
Matthew Sittel, Assistant State Climatologist
msittel@ksu.edu