Was that really August? Kansas temperatures were unseasonably cool

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Average or more rainfall in eastern part of state, but many counties still dry

Average or more rainfall fell in eastern part of the state but many counties still dry

MANHATTAN, Kan. – No, it wasn’t your imagination. Temperatures across Kansas in August averaged 4.4 degrees cooler than normal, according to the Kansas Weather Data Library.
The statewide average temperature was 72.7 degrees F and all parts of the state were in the lower-than-normal range, said Mary Knapp, Kansas State University climatologist. That didn’t mean, however, that the state completely missed typical hot August days. The thermometer hit 104 degrees F in Larned on Aug. 21.

In contrast, the temperature dipped to 43 degrees F in Brewster (Thomas County) on Aug. 28.
August precipitation averaged 3.46 inches, 4 percent above normal but was “skewed heavily” to the eastern side of the state, Knapp said. As much as 8.85 inches fell in one day in Miami County on Aug. 22.

The state experienced high winds and hail, she noted, but the most damaging weather occurrence during the month was flooding in eastern Kansas following heavy rains Aug. 5-6.

Despite the above-normal average rainfall, parts of central Kansas, particularly, remain in abnormally dry to moderate drought conditions, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. More information about the Kansas Weather Data Library can be found online at https://www.ksre.k-state.edu/wdl/.

The Climate Prediction Center has increased chances of warmer-than-normal temperatures for the September-November period, with equal chances of above or below normal precipitation, Knapp said.

The CPC also issued a La Nina watch, as the combined models indicate an increasing chance for cooler-than-normal sea surface temperatures developing this winter, she said. A La Nina is frequently associated with milder temperatures and less precipitation in the southern Plains. However, it isn’t certain that a La Nina will develop and correlations with winter conditions aren’t particularly strong.

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