Climatological Report (Annual)
Issued by NWS Topeka, KS
Issued by NWS Topeka, KS
011
CXUS53 KTOP 050015
CLATOP
CLIMATE REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
615 PM CST THU JAN 04 2024
...................................
...THE TOPEKA KS CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR THE YEAR OF 2023...
CLIMATE NORMAL PERIOD 1991 TO 2020
CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD 1887 TO 2024
WEATHER OBSERVED NORMAL DEPART LAST YEAR`S
VALUE DATE(S) VALUE FROM VALUE DATE(S)
NORMAL
................................................................
TEMPERATURE (F)
RECORD
HIGH 114 07/24/1936
LOW -26 12/23/1989
HIGHEST 111 08/19 MM MM 103 07/23
LOWEST 8 01/31 MM MM -4 12/22
02/01
02/03
AVG. MAXIMUM 70.8 66.7 4.1 68.7
AVG. MINIMUM 45.9 44.9 1.0 44.0
MEAN 58.4 55.8 2.6 56.3
DAYS MAX >= 90 73 49.6 23.4 73
DAYS MAX <= 32 7 21.8 -14.8 22
DAYS MIN <= 32 107 113.9 -6.9 124
DAYS MIN <= 0 0 2.7 -2.7 4
PRECIPITATION (INCHES)
RECORD
MAXIMUM 60.89 1973
MINIMUM 19.07 1963
TOTALS 27.33 36.53 -9.20 32.23
DAILY AVG. 0.08 0.10 -0.02 0.09
DAYS >= .01 99 98.1 0.9 94
DAYS >= .10 58 59.7 -1.7 58
DAYS >= .50 16 23.4 -7.4 23
DAYS >= 1.00 4 10.5 -6.5 6
GREATEST
24 HR. TOTAL 2.70 2.54 05/31 TO 05/31
SNOWFALL (INCHES)
RECORDS
TOTAL 48.6 1960
24 HR TOTAL 17.3 02/26/1900 TO 02/27/1900
SNOW DEPTH 18 03/16/1960
TOTALS 12.5 17.1 -4.6 23.2
SINCE 7/1 8.5 5.5 3.0 MM
SNOWDEPTH AVG. T 0
DAYS >= TRACE 26 12.0 14.0 32
DAYS >= 1.0 4 5.0 -1.0 7
GREATEST
SNOW DEPTH 6 11/26 4 02/04
02/18
03/11
24 HR TOTAL 7.2 11/25 TO 11/26 4.5 02/17 TO 02/17
DEGREE DAYS
HEATING TOTAL 4171 4860 -689 4577
SINCE 7/1 1562 1925 -363 MM
COOLING TOTAL 1883 1534 349 1859
SINCE 1/1 1883 1534 349 MM
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WIND (MPH)
AVERAGE WIND SPEED 7.0
RESULTANT WIND SPEED/DIRECTION 0/200
HIGHEST WIND SPEED/DIRECTION 49/320 DATE 07/14
HIGHEST GUST SPEED/DIRECTION 72/320 DATE 07/14
SKY COVER
AVERAGE SKY COVER 0.27
AVERAGE RH (PERCENT) 64
WEATHER CONDITIONS. NUMBER OF DAYS WITH
THUNDERSTORM 55 MIXED PRECIP 1
HEAVY RAIN 29 RAIN 35
LIGHT RAIN 117 FREEZING RAIN 0
LT FREEZING RAIN 3 HAIL 2
HEAVY SNOW 1 SNOW 3
LIGHT SNOW 21 SLEET 3
FOG 154 FOG W/VIS <= 1/4 MILE 41
HAZE 39
- INDICATES NEGATIVE NUMBERS.
R INDICATES RECORD WAS SET OR TIED.
MM INDICATES DATA IS MISSING.
T INDICATES TRACE AMOUNT.
OVERALL WARM CONDITIONS WERE THE MAIN HEADLINE IN 2023. THE AVERAGE
TEMPERATURE FOR THE YEAR TIED FOR THE FOURTH WARMEST YEAR ON
RECORD...AS WELL AS THE SECOND HIGHEST AVERAGE HIGH TEMPERATURE. THE
LOWEST TEMPERATURE MEASURED WAS ONLY 8 DEGREES. THIS TIES 2012 FOR
HAVING THE HIGHEST MINIMUM TEMPERATURE. A RECORD HIGH OF 98 DEGREES
OCCURRED ON MAY 6TH. THIS WAS THE SEVENTH WARMEST MAY TEMPERATURE ON
RECORD AND THE EARLIER IN THE CALENDAR YEAR A TEMPERATURE THIS HOT
HAD BEEN MEASURED...BEATING THE PREVIOUS EARLIEST 98-DEGREE DAY BY
23 DAYS. THE NORMAL FIRST DAY TO REACH AT LEAST 98 DEGREES IS JULY
8. THE AVERAGE HIGH TEMPERATURE FROM AUGUST 19 THROUGH AUGUST 25 WAS
104.3 DEGREES. THIS WAS THE HOTTEST SEVEN-DAY STRETCH SINCE 2000.
THE HIGH OF 111 DEGREES ON AUGUST 19 TIED FOR THE SEVENTH HIGHEST
TEMPERATURE ON RECORD FOR TOPEKA. HEAT INDICES DURING THIS STRETCH
PEAKED FROM 109 TO 125.
THE YEAR STARTED WITH LIMITED VISIBILITY DUE TO DENSE FOG THAT
SPANNED FROM SUNRISE JANUARY 2ND THROUGH THE PRE-DAWN HOURS OF
JANUARY 3RD. LIGHT FREEZING DRIZZLE...FREEZING RAIN...AND SLEET FELL
ON FEBRUARY 24. A STRONG COLD FRONT CAUSED THE TEMPERATURE TO DROP
EIGHTEEN DEGREES IN AN HOUR ON MARCH 16. WIND GUSTS OF 50 TO 60 MPH
WERE COMMON ON THE AFTERNOON OF MARCH 30. THUNDERSTORMS ON APRIL 20
PRODUCED 61 MPH WINDS AT TOPEKA REGIONAL AIRPORT AND ISOLATED TREE
DAMAGE ACROSS THE CITY. THE HIGHEST ONE-DAY PRECIPITATION TOTAL IN
JUNE WAS 0.51 INCHES -- ONLY THREE OTHER JUNES HAD LOWER SUCH
VALUES. THUNDERSTORMS ON THE EVENING OF JUNE 30 PRODUCED 62 MPH
WINDS AT BILLARD AIRPORT AND SCATTERED TREE DAMAGE AND POWER OUTAGES
ACROSS TOPEKA. STRONGER STORMS ON THE AFTERNOON OF JULY 14 PRODUCED
73 MPH WINDS AT BILLARD AIRPORT WITH CONSIDERABLE POWER OUTAGES AND
WIDESPREAD TREE DAMAGE ALONG WITH A RECORD 2.56 INCHES OF
PRECIPITATION. ASIDE FROM THE EXTREME HEAT IN LATE AUGUST MENTIONED
ABOVE...HEAT INDICES ALSO REACHED 115 ON AUGUST 1ST AND 110 ON
AUGUST 11TH. A RECORD SNOW OF 6.3 INCHES FELL ON NOVEMBER 25...AND
COMBINED WITH 0.9 INCHES THE FOLLOWING DAY FOR A STORM TOTAL OF 7.2
INCHES. THE 6.3 INCH AMOUNT WAS THE SECOND HIGHEST ONE-DAY TOTAL ON
RECORD FOR NOVEMBER AND THE 7.2 INCH AMOUNT WAS THE FOURTH HIGHEST
TWO-DAY NOVEMBER TOTAL ON RECORD. THE LATTER AMOUNT WAS THE HIGHEST
STORM TOTAL SNOWFALL SINCE FEBRUARY 2014. CHRISTMAS EVE HAD A RECORD
1.39 INCHES OF PRECIPITATION FROM RAIN.
-- SEASONAL AVERAGE TEMPERATURES PLACING IN THE TOP 20 ON RECORD --
WINTER...14TH WARMEST /DECEMBER 2022 THROUGH FEBRUARY 2023/
AUTUMN...13TH WARMEST
-- SEASONAL TOTAL PRECIPITATION PLACING IN THE TOP 20 ON RECORD --
AUTUMN...17TH DRIEST
-- SEASONAL TOTAL SNOWFALL PLACING IN THE TOP 20 ON RECORD --
WINTER...15TH LOWEST /DECEMBER 2022 THROUGH FEBRUARY 2023/
-- MONTHLY AVERAGE TEMPERATURES PLACING IN THE TOP 20 RECORD --
JANUARY.....18TH WARMEST
AUGUST......19TH WARMEST
SEPTEMBER...10TH WARMEST
DECEMBER.....4TH WARMEST /TIED/
-- MONTHLY TOTAL PRECIPITATION PLACING IN THE TOP 20 ON RECORD --
FEBRUARY....17TH WETTEST
JUNE........16TH DRIEST
DECEMBER....11TH WETTEST
-- MONTHLY SNOWFALL PLACING IN THE TOP 20 ON RECORD --
NOVEMBER.....6TH HIGHEST
-- DAILY RECORDS --
HIGHEST MAXIMUM - MAY 6.....98 F
AUG 19...111 F
SEP 29....95 F /TIED/
NOV 7.....79 F /TIED/
HIGHEST MINIMUM - JUL 26....82 F /TIED/
JUL 28....81 F
AUG 23....79 F
OCT 25....65 F
OCT 26....67 F
DEC 21....51 F
LOWEST MAXIMUM -- NONE
LOWEST MINIMUM -- NOV 1.....18 F
PRECIPITATION --- FEB 9....0.66 INCHES /TIED/
JUL 14...2.56 INCHES
DEC 15...0.86 INCHES
DEC 25...1.39 INCHES
SNOWFALL -------- NOV 25...6.3 INCHES
-- THUNDERSTORM-RELATED SEVERE WEATHER REPORTS --
WIND - 61 MPH WIND GUST AND MINOR TREE DAMAGE APRIL 20
- 62 MPH WIND GUST AND SCATTERED TREE DAMAGE JUNE 30
- 73 MPH WIND GUST AND WIDESPREAD TREE DAMAGE JULY 26
$$