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.
March 2023: Drought persists in more than 80% of the state
The average temperature for March was 42.2°F or 2.6°F below normal. This ranked as the 57th coolest March out of 129 years of records, dating back to 1895. All divisions were below normal, with anomalies ranging from -4.9°F (northwest) to -1.5°F (southeast).
The average precipitation for March was 0.54 inches, which was 1.25 inches below normal. This ranked as the 14th driest March on record. All divisions were below normal. Southwest Kansas had the least precipitation (0.11”, 9% of normal), while south central Kansas had the lowest percentage of normal (0.12”, 6%). This was the 4th driest March in 129 years in south central Kansas and the 9th driest in southwest Kansas.
Figure 1. Departures from normal temperature (°F) and precipitation (inches) for March 2023.
View the entire March 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