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.
January 2023: Despite January Precipitation, Continued Exceptional Drought Conditions Remain in Kansas
The average temperature for the month was 33.1°F, or 2.2°F above normal. This ranks as the 25th warmest January on record out of 129 years of records, dating back to 1895. Northwest and west central Kansas were below normal thanks to persistent snow cover for most of the month, while all other divisions were above normal. It was the 10th warmest January on record in southeast Kansas and ranked in the top 20 warmest in northeast, east central and south central Kansas.
Average precipitation for January was 1.06”, or 0.34” above normal. This ranks as the 25th wettest on record. Southwest Kansas was the only division below normal, but only by 0.02”. The three northern climate divisions all had top 15 wettest, as did west central Kansas. Snowfall at Goodland for January was 16.4”, their 4th snowiest January on record out of 113 years of records.
Figure 1. Departures from normal temperature (°F) and precipitation (inches) for January 2023.
View the entire January 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