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Climatological Report (Annual)
Issued by NWS Topeka, KS
Issued by NWS Topeka, KS
000
CXUS53 KTOP 021318
CLATOP
CLIMATE REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS
652 AM CST WED JAN 2 2013
...................................
...THE TOPEKA KS CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR THE YEAR OF 2012...
CLIMATE NORMAL PERIOD 1981 TO 2010
CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD 1887 TO 2013
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 108 07/07 MM MM 112 08/02
LOWEST 8 12/26 MM MM -9 02/10
02/12
AVG. MAXIMUM 72.5 66.1 6.4 67.9
AVG. MINIMUM 47.0 44.2 2.8 44.4
MEAN 59.8 55.1 4.7 56.1
DAYS MAX >= 90 84 41.5 42.5 73
DAYS MAX <= 32 10 21.3 -11.3 24
DAYS MIN <= 32 97 110.9 -13.9 113
DAYS MIN <= 0 0 4.0 -4.0 5
PRECIPITATION (INCHES)
RECORD
MAXIMUM 60.89 1973
MINIMUM 19.07 1963
TOTALS 23.06 36.46 -13.40 32.89
DAILY AVG. 0.06 0.10 -0.04 0.09
DAYS >= .01 69 99.6 -30.6 102
DAYS >= .10 47 60.6 -13.6 64
DAYS >= .50 12 23.9 -11.9 20
DAYS >= 1.00 5 10.1 -5.1 7
GREATEST
24 HR. TOTAL 2.55 08/25 TO 08/25 2.24 11/07 TO 11/07
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 8.4 17.8 -9.4 38.6
SINCE 7/1 5.4 6.5 -1.1 0.1
SNOWDEPTH AVG. 0 0 0 0
DAYS >= TRACE 20 12.7 7.3 37
DAYS >= 1.0 4 5.2 -1.2 6
GREATEST
SNOW DEPTH 3 12/20 8 01/20
24 HR TOTAL 2.8 12/20 TO 12/20 9.1 02/01 TO 02/01
DEGREE_DAYS
HEATING TOTAL 3778 5020 -1242 5012
SINCE 7/1 1768 2017 -142 1785
COOLING TOTAL 1978 1422 556 1924
SINCE 1/1 1978 1422 556 1924
..................................................
WIND (MPH)
AVERAGE WIND SPEED 7.3
RESULTANT WIND SPEED/DIRECTION 1/182
HIGHEST WIND SPEED/DIRECTION 44/090 DATE 04/27
HIGHEST GUST SPEED/DIRECTION 54/090 DATE 04/27
SKY COVER
AVERAGE SKY COVER 0.20
AVERAGE RH (PERCENT) 62
WEATHER CONDITIONS. NUMBER OF DAYS WITH
THUNDERSTORM 56 MIXED PRECIP 0
HEAVY RAIN 28 RAIN 26
LIGHT RAIN 89 FREEZING RAIN 0
LT FREEZING RAIN 1 HAIL 4
HEAVY SNOW 1 SNOW 3
LIGHT SNOW 14 FOG 127
FOG W/VIS <= 1/4 MILE 21 HAZE 43
- INDICATES NEGATIVE NUMBERS.
R INDICATES RECORD WAS SET OR TIED.
MM INDICATES DATA IS MISSING.
T INDICATES TRACE AMOUNT.
$$
REMARKS...
2012 WILL BE REMEMBERED FOR EXTREME WARMTH. THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE
FOR THE YEAR WAS THE HIGHEST FOR ANY YEAR ON RECORD. THE MAGNITUDE
OF HOW FAR ABOVE NORMAL IS PUT IN PERSPECTIVE BY THE FACT THAT THE
YEARS WITH THE FOLLOWING NINE WARMEST AVERAGE TEMPERATURES WERE
WITHIN ONE DEGREE OF EACH OTHER...BUT WERE ALL OVER ONE DEGREE BELOW
THAT OF 2012.
- TOP TEN WARMEST YEARS -
AVERAGE
RANK - TEMPERATURE - YEAR
----------------------------------------
1 - 59.8 F - 2012
2 - 58.7 F - 1938
3 - 58.6 F - 1939
TIE 4 - 58.5 F - 1934, 1946
6 - 58.1 F - 1931
7 - 57.9 F - 1933
TIE 8 - 57.8 F - 1921, 1954, 2006
THE LOWEST TEMPERATURE MEASURED IN 2012 WAS 8 DEGREES. THIS BREAKS
THE RECORD FOR THE HIGHEST MINIMUM TEMPERATURE FOR A YEAR. THE
PREVIOUS RECORD WAS 6 DEGREES...IN 1931. BREAKING DOWN THE WARMTH BY
MONTHS...EIGHT OF THE TWELVE MONTHS RANKED IN THE TOP TWENTY OF
THEIR WARMEST VALUES...AND SIX MONTHS IN THEIR RESPECTIVE TOP TEN.
THE BULK OF THE ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES TOOK PLACE FROM MARCH
THROUGH JULY. MARCH 2012 WAS THE WARMEST MARCH ON RECORD AND MAY WAS
THE SECOND WARMEST MAY ON RECORD. THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR MARCH
WAS 14.5 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL AT 59.3 DEGREES...WHICH IS NEAR THE
NORMAL AVERAGE TEMPERATURE OF LATE APRIL. DAILY RECORDS FOR THE
HIGHEST MAXIMUM OR HIGHEST MINIMUM TEMPERATURE WERE SET OR TIED ON
26 OCCASIONS...EIGHT OF THOSE OCCURING IN MARCH. THE LAST DAY THE
MERCURY FELL TO AT OR BELOW THE FREEZING POINT IN THE SPRING WAS
MARCH 9...WHICH IS THE EARLIEST OCCURRENCE OF THE LAST FREEZE ON
RECORD...ECLIPSING THE PREVIOUS RECORD OF MARCH 10...1946. THE
LOWEST TEMPERATURE MEASURED ON MARCH 18...69 DEGREES...TIED THE
RECORD FOR THE HIGHEST MINIMUM TEMPERATURE FOR ANY MARCH DAY. THE
SAME SUCH RECORD OCCURED ON MAY 26 WHEN THE LOWEST TEMPERATURE WAS
76. THE APRIL 25 HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 97 TIED FOR THE HIGHEST MAXIMUM
ON RECORD FOR THAT MONTH...AND TWO OTHER DAYS IN APRIL SAW THE
MERCURY REACH AT LEAST 90 DEGREES WHICH TIED FOR THE MOST TIMES OF
THIS HAPPENING IN APRIL. THE WARMEST FIVE...SIX...AND SEVEN DAY
PERIODS FOR MAY WERE SET IN LATE MAY 2012...AND THE MAY 1 THROUGH
MAY 6...2012 PERIOD WAS THE WARMEST SUCH PERIOD ON RECORD. THE JULY
AVERAGE TEMPERATURE OF 86.3 DEGREES PLACED IT AS THE SEVENTH WARMEST
MONTH ON RECORD AND INCLUDED SIXTEEN DAYS WITH HIGHS OF AT LEAST 100
DEGREES.
IN TERMS OF CLIMATOLOGICAL SIGNIFICANCE...NOT TOO FAR BEHIND THE WARM
TEMPERATURES OF 2012 WAS THE LACK OF PRECIPITATION. THE 23.06 INCHES
OF PRECIPITATION WAS THE TENTH LOWEST ANNUAL TOTAL ON RECORD.
- TOP TEN DRIEST YEARS -
RANK - PRECIPITATION - YEAR
-----------------------------
1 - 19.07 INCHES - 1963
2 - 19.30 INCHES - 1966
3 - 19.39 INCHES - 1988
4 - 19.43 INCHES - 1937
5 - 20.75 INCHES - 1976
6 - 21.33 INCHES - 1952
7 - 22.09 INCHES - 1936
8 - 22.24 INCHES - 1933
9 - 22.33 INCHES - 1939
10 - 23.06 INCHES - 2012
ONLY TWO MONTHS HAD PRECIPITATION TOTALS ABOVE NORMAL...INCLUDING
FEBRUARY WITH THE EIGHTH HIGHEST AMOUNT ON RECORD FOR THAT
MONTH...AND CONVERSELY ONLY TWO MONTHS WERE IN THE BOTTOM TWENTY IN
TERMS OF TOTAL PRECIPITATION FOR THEIR RESPECTIVE MONTHS. THE TOTAL
AMOUNT OF SNOW RECEIVED WAS THE FIFTEENTH LOWEST AMOUNT ON RECORD.
NOT ONLY WAS THE OVERALL AMOUNT OF PRECIPITATION LACKING...THE
NUMBER OF DAYS THAT MEASURABLE PRECIPITATION FELL ALSO WAS
RECORD-BREAKING. ONLY 69 DAYS HAD MEASURABLE PRECIPITATION...SETTING
THE RECORD.
- TOP TEN YEARS OF THE LEAST # OF DAYS OF MEASURABLE PRECIPITATION -
RANK - DAYS - YEAR
--------------------
1 - 69 - 2012
2 - 70 - 1966
3 - 71 - 1988
4 - 73 - 1936
5 - 74 - 1954
6 - 76 - 1952
7 - 77 - 1933
8 - 78 - 1917
9 - 79 - 1980
10 - 80 - 1901
- DAILY RECORDS -
HIGHEST MAXIMUM - JAN 5.....70 F
JAN 15....65 F TIED
JAN 30....70 F
MAR 14....84 F
MAR 16....81 F
APR 25....97 F
MAY 28....93 F TIED
JUN 28...106 F
JUL 23...106 F
JUL 29...107 F
NOV 9.....79 F TIED
NOV 21....75 F
DEC 3.....74 F
LOWEST MINIMUM -- AUG 17....51 F
AUG 18....50 F
HIGHEST MINIMUM - MAR 6.....56 F
MAR 14....63 F
MAR 16....60 F
MAR 17....64 F
MAR 18....69 F
MAR 20....56 F
MAY 26....76 F
MAY 27....72 F TIED
JUN 28....79 F
JUL 3.....79 F TIED
JUL 24....81 F TIED
OCT 24....70 F
NOV 10....63 F
LOWEST MAXIMUM -- OCT 6.....47 F
PRECIPITATION --- FEB 3.....1.21 INCHES
AUG 25....2.55 INCHES
-- MONTHLY AVERAGE TEMPERATURES IN THE TOP 20 ON RECORD --
JANUARY....10TH HOTTEST
FEBRUARY...16TH HOTTEST
MARCH......1ST HOTTEST
APRIL......7TH HOTTEST
MAY........2ND HOTTEST
JUNE.......7TH HOTTEST
JULY.......6TH HOTTEST
NOVEMBER...12TH HOTTEST
-- MONTHLY PRECIPITATION IN THE TOP 20 ON RECORD --
JANUARY.....2ND DRIEST
FEBRUARY....8TH WETTEST
SEPTEMBER...6TH DRIEST
-- MONTHLY SNOWFALL IN THE TOP 20 ON RECORD --
JANUARY...8TH LOWEST
-- SEVERE WEATHER REPORTS --
WIND -------- FEB 28...60 MPH ESTIMATED WINDS
MAY 30...TREES BLOWN DOWN...70 MPH ESTIMATED WINDS
FLOODING ---- MAY 30...STREET FLOODING IN DOWNTOWN TOPEKA
HAIL -------- APR 27....1.75 INCH HAIL
$$
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