000
CXUS53 KICT 011505
CLMSLN

CLIMATE REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS
1000 AM CDT WED AUG 1 2012

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

...THE SALINA KS CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR THE MONTH OF JULY 2012...

CLIMATE NORMAL PERIOD 1981 TO 2010
CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD 1894 TO 2012

WEATHER         OBSERVED          NORMAL  DEPART  LAST YEAR`S
                 VALUE   DATE(S)  VALUE   FROM    VALUE  DATE(S)
                                          NORMAL
................................................................
TEMPERATURE (F)
RECORD
 HIGH             116   MM
 LOW               53   07/31/2009
                        07/13/2008
                        07/05/1972
HIGHEST           109   07/25                        113  07/27
LOWEST             61   07/11                         66  07/08
AVG. MAXIMUM    101.5              93.0     8.5    100.7
AVG. MINIMUM     73.2              69.3     3.9     73.9
MEAN             87.4              81.1     6.3     87.3
DAYS MAX >= 90     29              20.6     8.4       28
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        17.93   1993
 MINIMUM           MM   MM
TOTALS           2.04              4.29   -2.25     1.81
DAILY AVG.       0.07              0.14   -0.07     0.06
DAYS >= .01         5               8.6    -3.6        8
DAYS >= .10         5               5.4    -0.4        3
DAYS >= .50         1               2.5    -1.5        2
DAYS >= 1.00        1               1.2    -0.2        0
GREATEST
 24 HR. TOTAL    1.09   07/25 TO 07/25

DEGREE_DAYS
HEATING TOTAL       0                 0       0        0
 SINCE 7/1          0                 0       0        0
COOLING TOTAL     701               501     200      699
.................................................................

WIND (MPH)
AVERAGE WIND SPEED              9.7
HIGHEST WIND SPEED/DIRECTION    36/320    DATE  07/29
HIGHEST GUST SPEED/DIRECTION    52/330    DATE  07/29

SKY COVER
POSSIBLE SUNSHINE (PERCENT)   MM
AVERAGE SKY COVER           0.10
NUMBER OF DAYS FAIR           30
NUMBER OF DAYS PC              1
NUMBER OF DAYS CLOUDY          0

AVERAGE RH (PERCENT)     46

WEATHER CONDITIONS. NUMBER OF DAYS WITH
THUNDERSTORM              0     MIXED PRECIP               0
HEAVY RAIN                3     RAIN                       1
LIGHT RAIN                7     FREEZING RAIN              0
LT FREEZING RAIN          0     HAIL                       0
HEAVY SNOW                0     SNOW                       0
LIGHT SNOW                0     SLEET                      0
FOG                       1     FOG W/VIS <= 1/4 MILE      0
HAZE                      2

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

$$

...JULY PROVES TO BE A REAL GEM AS HIDEOUS HEAT DOMINATES THE
REGION...

NORMALLY SPEAKING...JULY IS THE HOTTEST MONTH OF THE YEAR IN KANSAS
BUT THE 2012 EDITION TOOK THE HEAT TO ANOTHER LEVEL. FOR EACH OF THE
THREE PRIMARY CLIMATE SITES IN WFO WICHITA`S JURISDICTION...THIS
JULY GAINED ADMISSION INTO THE 10 HOTTEST FRATERNITY.

WICHITA`S MONTHLY AVERAGE TEMPERATURE OF 88.2 DEGREES PUT 2012 IN A
4TH PLACE TIE WITH 1934. WICHITA`S 10 HOTTEST JULYS ON RECORD ARE:

1ST: 90.4 IN 1980
2ND: 89.3 IN 2011
3RD: 89.2 IN 1954
4TH: 88.2 IN 2012 AND IN 1934*
6TH: 87.7 IN 1936
7TH: 86.3 IN 2001
8TH: 85.5 IN 1901
9TH: 85.0 IN 1978 AND IN 1964

SALINA`S MONTHLY AVERAGE TEMPERATURE OF 87.4 DEGREES MADE 2012 THEIR
4TH HOTTEST ON RECORD. SALINA`S 10 HOTTEST JULYS ON RECORD ARE:

1ST:  89.7 IN 1934
2ND:  88.8 IN 1980
3RD:  88.5 IN 1936
4TH:  87.4 IN 2012*
5TH:  87.3 IN 2011
6TH:  86.9 IN 1939
7TH:  86.8 IN 1954 AND IN 1935
9TH:  86.5 IN 1901
10TH: 86.4 IN 1955

CHANUTE`S MONTHLY AVERAGE TEMPERATURE OF 85.7 DEGREES MADE 2012
THEIR 7TH HOTTEST ON RECORD. CHANUTE`S 10 HOTTEST JULYS ON RECORD
ARE:

1ST:  89.0 IN 1954
2ND:  88.4 IN 1980
3RD:  87.6 IN 1936
4TH:  87.3 IN 1934
5TH:  87.0 IN 2011 AND IN 1901
7TH:  85.7 IN 2012*
8TH:  84.2 IN 1935 AND IN 1913
10TH: 83.9 IN 1978

IT WAS FROM ABOUT THE MIDDLE OF THE MONTH ONWARD THAT THE FURNACE
REALLY CRANKED UP. AFTER THE 16TH...WICHITA BAKED IN TEMPERATURES
GREATER THAN THE "COVETED" 100-DEGREE MARK 14 TIMES. THE LONE
"CULPRIT" WAS THE 26TH WHEN THE HIGH REACHED 98 DEGREES. FROM THE
25TH TO THE 31ST...FOUR RECORD HIGHS WERE EITHER SET OR TIED AS WERE
TWO WARMEST LOWS. THE HEAT WAVE REACHED A PLATEAU ON THE 29TH AND
30TH WHEN THE AIR CAPITAL WILTED IN 111 DEGREE TEMPERATURES...BOTH
OF WHICH ARE RECORDS THAT CAME JUST 3 DEGREES SHY OF THE ALL-TIME
HIGH OF 114 DEGREES SET ON AUGUST 12TH 1936. WICHITA EITHER SET OR
TIED RECORD HIGHS ON THE 25TH (108)...THE 28TH (107) AND ON THE 29TH
AND 30TH (111). THE WARMEST LOW TEMPERATURES OCCURRED ON THE 29TH
(83 DEGREES...WHICH IS JUST 1 DEGREE SHY OF THE ALL-TIME WARMEST LOW
FOR JULY WHEN A "LOW" OF 84 DEGREES OCCURRED ON THE 27TH OF LAST
YEAR.) AND ON THE 30TH (78).

IN JULY...WICHITA REACHED OR EXCEEDED 100 DEGREES ON 21
DAYS...RANKING 2012 2ND IN THE ALL-TIME 100-DEGREE JULY SWEEP
`STEAKS`. THE 1ST PLACE OCCUPANTS ARE 2011 AND 1980 WITH 24 DAYS
EACH. SO FAR THIS SUMMER...THE AIR CAPITAL HAS BEEN BROILED BY
TRIPLE-DIGIT HEAT 28 TIMES WHICH RANKS 3RD ALL-TIME BEHIND
2011..WITH 36...AND 1980...WITH 32.

SALINA SET OR TIED ONLY 3 RECORDS. THE LONE RECORD HIGH OCCURRED ON
THE 29TH WHEN THE HIGH REACHED 108...BUT THIS STATISTIC IS
DECEIVING. MOST OF SALINA`S RECORD HIGHS FOR JULY (20 TO BE EXACT)
ARE IN THE 110 TO 116 DEGREE RANGE. SALINA`S HOTTEST JULY
TEMPERATURES BOTH OCCURRED IN 1936 WHEN HIGHS OF 116 OCCURRED ON THE
18TH AND 24TH. SALINA SET OR TIED TWO WARMEST LOWS...78 ON THE 24TH
AND 77 ON THE 29TH.

THIS JULY...SALINA EXPERIENCED 23 DAYS OF TRIPLE-DIGIT HEAT...THE
2ND HIGHEST TOTAL ON RECORD BEHIND 1934 BY ONLY 1 DAY. THEIR SUMMER
TOTAL OF 31 DAYS RANKS 3RD ALL-TIME IN THEIR SUMMER SWEEP `STEAKS`.

DESPITE EXPERIENCING THEIR 7TH HOTTEST JULY ON RECORD...CHANUTE
MANAGED TO SET ONLY ONE TEMPERATURE RECORD...WHEN THE HIGH REACHED
110 DEGREES ON THE 29TH. AS SUCH THE PASSWORD IN THEIR CASE
WAS...CONSISTENCY.

WHEN JULY PASSED THE BATON TO AUGUST...MOST AREAS WERE EXPERIENCING
ONE OF THE TEN HOTTEST SUMMERS ON RECORD. WICHITA`S 2-MONTH AVERAGE
FOR JUNE AND JULY WAS AN EVEN 84 DEGREES...MAKING THIS THE 4TH
HOTTEST SUMMER ON RECORD. SALINA`S AVERAGE OF 83.9 DEGREES HAS MADE
2012 THEIR 4TH HOTTEST ON RECORD AS WELL...WHILE CHANUTE`S AVERAGE
OF 81.5 DEGREES MAKES 2012 THEIR 7TH HOTTEST ON RECORD.

NOW THAT YOUR BRAINS HAVE OVERHEATED WITH 100-DEGREE
STATISTICS...LETS MOVE ON TO RAINFALL...AND THERE WASN`T MUCH.

SUCH INTENSE HEAT OFTEN TRANSLATES INTO MUCH BELOW NORMAL
RAINFALL...AND JULY 2012 WAS NO EXCEPTION. BARELY 1/4 INCH OF RAIN
(0.26 INCH) WAS MEASURED AT WICHITA`S MID-CONTINENT AIRPORT...MAKING
2012 THE 6TH DRIEST JULY ON RECORD. ALTHOUGH NEITHER SALINA NOR
CHANUTE EXPERIENCED ONE OF THEIR 10 DRIEST JULYS ON RECORD...IT WAS
CLOSE. HAD IT NOT BEEN FOR THE 25TH WHEN THUNDERSTORMS CROSSING
CENTRAL KANSAS PRODUCED 1.09 INCHES... SALINA WOULD`VE EXPERIENCED
THEIR 9TH DRIEST JULY ON RECORD. CHANUTE`S LACK OF JULY RAINFALL WAS
EVEN MORE IMPRESSIVE. OF THEIR 1 INCH MONTHLY TOTAL 0.67 INCH
OCCURRED ON THE 19TH. OTHERWISE...CHANUTE WOULD`VE EXPERIENCED THEIR
6TH DRIEST JULY ON RECORD WITH A FEEBLE 0.33 INCH.

THE OPPRESSIVELY HOT AND DRY JULY PUT TREMENDOUS STRESS ON FARMLAND
AND VEGETATION. AS JULY SIGNED OFF...ALL OF CENTRAL KANSAS WAS IN AN
EXTREME DROUGHT AS WAS PART OF SOUTH-CENTRAL KANSAS. WHEN JULY
ARRIVED...MOST OF SOUTHEAST KANSAS WAS IN A MODERATE DROUGHT BUT
WHEN THE MONTH SIGNED OFF THEIR DROUGHT HAD BECOME SEVERE. BY
MONTH`S END...MANY HOME OWNERS HAD SEEN THEIR YARDS DEVELOP UNWANTED
"TANS".

SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS OF COURSE PAID FEW VISITS TO THE
NEIGHBORHOOD...BUT THOSE THAT DID PRODUCED LOCALLY STRONG WINDS.
ABOUT THE ONLY NOTEWORTHY SEVERE THUNDERSTORM EVENT OF THE MONTH
OCCURRED DURING THE AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING OF THE 25TH...WHEN
WIDELY SCATTERED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCED GUSTS AROUND 60 MPH
IN PARTS OF CENTRAL AND SOUTH-CENTRAL KANSAS.

TWO THIRDS OF METEOROLOGICAL SUMMER 2012 IS IN THE BOOKS. AUGUST
WILL BE WATCHED VERY CLOSELY FOR MANY REASONS...NOT THE LEAST OF
WHICH ARE POTENTIALLY RECORD-SETTING HEAT THAT...IF RAINFALLS REMAIN
WELL BELOW NORMAL...WOULD CERTAINLY WORSEN THE DROUGHT THAT IS NOW
PLAGUING THE REGION. WITH EXTREME DROUGHT NOW COVERING ALL OF
CENTRAL KANSAS AND MOST OF SOUTH-CENTRAL KANSAS...AND SEVERE DROUGHT
COVERING THE REMAINING AREAS...DROUGHT INFORMATION STATEMENTS WILL
BE ISSUED ON A WEEKLY BASIS UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE.

$$

ES