000
CXUS53 KICT 011835
CLMICT

CLIMATE REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS
129 PM CDT MON OCT 1 2012

...................................

...THE WICHITA MID CONTINENT KS CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR THE MONTH OF SEPTEMBER 2012...

CLIMATE NORMAL PERIOD 1981 TO 2010
CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD 1888 TO 2012

WEATHER         OBSERVED          NORMAL  DEPART  LAST YEAR`S
                 VALUE   DATE(S)  VALUE   FROM    VALUE  DATE(S)
                                          NORMAL
................................................................
TEMPERATURE (F)
RECORD
 HIGH             108   09/02/2000
                        09/03/1947
 LOW               31   09/30/1984
HIGHEST           106   09/03                        106  09/01
LOWEST             47   09/18                         47  09/26
AVG. MAXIMUM     84.2              82.5     1.7     82.6
AVG. MINIMUM     59.4              59.5    -0.1     56.0
MEAN             71.8              71.0     0.8     69.3
DAYS MAX >= 90     11               7.0     4.0        6
DAYS MAX <= 32      0               0.0     0.0        0
DAYS MIN <= 32      0               0.0     0.0        0
DAYS MIN <= 0       0               0.0     0.0        0

PRECIPITATION (INCHES)
RECORD
 MAXIMUM        12.96   2008
 MINIMUM         0.03   1956
TOTALS           2.64              3.14   -0.50     0.98
DAILY AVG.       0.09              0.10   -0.01     0.03
DAYS >= .01         8               7.0     1.0        6
DAYS >= .10         5               4.5     0.5        3
DAYS >= .50         2               1.8     0.2        0
DAYS >= 1.00        1               0.8     0.2        0
GREATEST
 24 HR. TOTAL    1.17   09/25 TO 09/26

SNOWFALL (INCHES)
RECORDS
 TOTAL              T   2010
TOTALS            0.0               0.0     0.0      0.0
SINCE 7/1         0.0               0.0     0.0      0.0
SNOWDEPTH AVG.      0                MM      MM        0
DAYS >= 1.0         0               0.0     0.0        0
GREATEST
 SNOW DEPTH         0   MM                             0  MM
 24 HR TOTAL      0.0   09/30 TO 09/30               0.0

DEGREE_DAYS
HEATING TOTAL      16                42     -26       31
 SINCE 7/1         16                43     -27       31
COOLING TOTAL     227               222       5      169
 SINCE 1/1       2255              1649     606     2255
.................................................................

WIND (MPH)
AVERAGE WIND SPEED              9.1
HIGHEST WIND SPEED/DIRECTION    40/360    DATE  09/07
HIGHEST GUST SPEED/DIRECTION    51/360    DATE  09/07

SKY COVER
POSSIBLE SUNSHINE (PERCENT)   MM
AVERAGE SKY COVER           0.50
NUMBER OF DAYS FAIR           10
NUMBER OF DAYS PC             11
NUMBER OF DAYS CLOUDY          9

AVERAGE RH (PERCENT)     60

WEATHER CONDITIONS. NUMBER OF DAYS WITH
THUNDERSTORM              0     MIXED PRECIP               0
HEAVY RAIN                4     RAIN                       2
LIGHT RAIN                7     FREEZING RAIN              0
LT FREEZING RAIN          0     HAIL                       1
HEAVY SNOW                0     SNOW                       0
LIGHT SNOW                0     SLEET                      0
FOG                      13     FOG W/VIS <= 1/4 MILE      2
HAZE                      8

-  INDICATES NEGATIVE NUMBERS.
R  INDICATES RECORD WAS SET OR TIED.
MM INDICATES DATA IS MISSING.
T  INDICATES TRACE AMOUNT.

$$

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS BRING MUCH NEEDED RAINFALL TO MANY AREAS...

SEPTEMBER SAW SEVERAL SOUTHEAST-MOVING COLD FRONTS BRINGING MUCH NEEDED
RAINFALL AND COOLER WEATHER TO THE REGION THAT HELPED EASE THE DROUGHT
THAT ONCE AGAIN PLAGUED KANSAS THIS SUMMER.

THE WAY THE MONTH STARTED IT APPEARED THAT COOLER WEATHER WOULD BE LATE
IN ARRIVING...FOR ALL AREAS WILTED IN 100 TO 105 DEGREE HEAT OVER LABOR
DAY WEEKEND. THE HOLIDAY WEEKEND ENDED WITH A BANG...LITERALLY...WHEN ON
LABOR DAY EVENING SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS TORE THROUGH MCPHERSON WHEN WINDS
THAT REACHED AROUND 70 MPH DAMAGED A BUILDING AND RAILROAD CROSSING
SIGNS 1 MILE WEST OF CANTON. THE NEXT EVENING SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH
WINDS AROUND 70 MPH ROARED INTO RUSSELL WHERE THE AIRPORT ASOS MEASURED
A FEW 68 MPH GUSTS OVER AN 8-MINUTE PERIOD. SHINGLES WERE BLOWN OFF ONE
HOME AND MANY LARGE TREES WERE DAMAGED. THAT EVENING...A FEW HANGARS AT
NEWTON AIRPORT WERE DAMAGED WHEN A MICROBURST OCCURRED. MORE IMPORTANTLY
MUCH OF CENTRAL KANSAS RECEIVED 0.25 TO 0.50 INCH OF RAIN.

ON THE 7TH A SECOND AND MORE POWERFUL COLD FRONT SURGED SOUTHEAST ACROSS
KANSAS. THAT AFTERNOON...SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ERUPTED OVER SOUTH CENTRAL
AND SOUTHEAST KANSAS...PRODUCING HAIL AS LARGE AS TENNIS BALLS AND WINDS
THAT REACHED NEARLY 80 MPH. AFTERWARD...MUCH COOLER AIR SPREAD SOUTH AND
SOUTHEAST ACROSS KANSAS PRODUCING TEMPERATURES THAT...AT TIMES...WERE 10
TO 15 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL. TEMPERATURES WOULD REMAIN BELOW NORMAL FOR
NEARLY 10 DAYS FOR AS SEPTEMBER NEARED THE HALFWAY MARK...ANOTHER STRONG
COLD FRONT SURGED SOUTHEAST ACROSS KANSAS. WIDESPREAD RAIN WITH A FEW
EMBEDDED THUNDERSTORMS FORMED ALONG THE BOUNDARY. THE COLD FRONT
DECELERATED AS IT CROSSED THE KANSAS/OKLAHOMA BORDER. THE RESULT WAS A
3 DAY PERIOD OF RAIN FROM THE 13TH TO THE 15TH DURING WHICH WIDESPREAD 1
TO 2 INCH AMOUNTS RESULTED.

THE FINAL COLD FRONT ARRIVED ON THE 25TH AND LIKE ITS PREDECESSOR OF TWO
WEEKS EARLIER...IT DECELERATED AS IT VENTURED SOUTH AND SOUTHEAST ACROSS
THE KANSAS/OKLAHOMA BORDER. HOWEVER...UNLIKE ITS PREDECESSOR THIS FRONT
PRODUCED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS. HARDEST HIT WAS SOUTHEAST KANSAS...WHERE
THE ROOF WAS BLOWN OFF AN OLD ARMORY BUILDING IN YATES CENTER BY WINDS
THAT LIKELY REACHED AROUND 75 MPH. AROUND 20 MINUTES LATER...THE CHANUTE
AIRPORT ASOS MEASURED A 74-MPH GUST. A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM PRODUCED GOLF
BALL-SIZED HAIL IN DOWNTOWN WICHITA.

THE THUNDERSTORMS THAT LIT UP SKIES LATER THAT NIGHT PRODUCED VERY HEAVY
RAINS OVER MANY AREAS...WITH SEVERAL LOCATIONS MEASURING BETWEEN 1 AND 3
INCHES. PARTS OF WEST WICHITA WERE DELUGED BY 2 TO 3 INCHES OF RAIN THAT
NOT SURPRISINGLY CAUSED STREET FLOODING. THE MOST SIGNIFICANT OCCURRED
IN AND AROUND THE INTERSECTIONS OF NW 21ST AND RIDGE ROAD AS WELL AS NW
21ST AND MAIZE ROAD. THE GREATEST REPORTED AMOUNT WAS 3.21 INCHES THAT
WAS MEASURED 2 MILES NORTH NORTHWEST OF MID-CONTINENT AIRPORT. OF THIS
TOTAL 1.21 INCHES OCCURRED IN JUST 28 MINUTES! THE 2.28 INCHES MEASURED
AT CHANUTE SET A RECORD FOR SEPTEMBER 25TH.

NO DOUBT...ALL OF THE ABOVE PLAYED ROLES IN EASING THE DROUGHT THAT HAS
PLAGUED KANSAS THIS SUMMER.

WHEN AUGUST HANDED OFF THE BATON TO SEPTEMBER...ALL OF CENTRAL AND MOST
OF SOUTHEAST KANSAS REMAINED GRIPPED IN AN EXCEPTIONAL DROUGHT WHILE AN
EXTREME DROUGHT GRIPPED MOST OF THE REMAINING AREAS. THE ONLY EXCEPTION
WAS A SMALL AREA ENCOMPASSING KINGMAN AND THE IMMEDIATELY ADJACENT
AREAS OF NORTHERN HARPER...EXTREME NORTHWEST SUMNER...EXTREME SOUTHWEST
SEDGWICK AND A SLIVER OF SOUTHEAST RENO COUNTY.

IN MID-SEPTEMBER...ALL OF CENTRAL AND MOST OF SOUTHEAST KANSAS REMAINED
GRIPPED IN AN EXCEPTIONAL DROUGHT WHILE AN EXTREME DROUGHT PLAGUED MOST
OF THE REMAINING AREAS...BUT THE CUMULATIVE EFFECTS OF THE RAINS...MORE
SO THE PROLONGED EVENT FROM THE 13TH TO THE 15TH...ENABLED THE DROUGHT
IN SOUTHEAST KANSAS TO "IMPROVE" FROM "EXCEPTIONAL" (D4) TO "EXTREME"
(D3) STATUS. FROM AUGUST 28TH TO SEPTEMBER 26TH...MUCH OF SOUTHEAST
KANSAS RECEIVED BETWEEN 3 AND 6 INCHES OF RAIN WITH ALLEN COUNTY
`RAINING` SUPREME WITH BETWEEN 5 AND 6 INCHES MEASURED DURING THIS SAME
30 DAY PERIOD. THE SMALL PART OF SOUTH-CENTRAL KANSAS THAT WAS IN
SEVERE (D2) DROUGHT STATUS IN MID SEPTEMBER HAD REMAINED UNCHANGED.

$$

EPS