MANHATTAN, Kan. – With an unusually warm winter and spring already recorded so far in 2012, Kansas climatologist Mary Knapp has fielded the question: How early has Kansas seen a 100 degree F. reading?

“With weather stations opening and closing, that is a difficult question to answer, as not all the records are readily available,” said Knapp, who is director of the Kansas Weather Data Library, based at Kansas State University. “However, looking at the stations that have been in existence longest, the earliest date I found was March 21, 1907, in Ashland, Kan. Most of the other stations checked had their earliest date at the same time: April 24, 1989.”

Hays reached a blistering 107 degrees on April 23, 1989, one of four days in the month above 100, she said. The last of those was on April 27 that year. However, those four days were the most of any month in that year, and the thermometer didn’t reach 100 again until June 20. Hays saw 10 days that year with temperatures at or above 100 degrees.”

Information about Kansas weather is available on the Weather Data Library website. “Weather Wonders” audio reports are available on the K-State Research and Extension News Media website.

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K-State Research and Extension is a short name for the Kansas State University Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service, a program designed to generate and distribute useful knowledge for the well-being of Kansans. Supported by county, state, federal and private funds, the program has county Extension offices, experiment fields, area Extension offices and regional research centers statewide. Its headquarters is on the K-State campus, Manhattan.

Story by: Mary Lou Peter
mlpeter@ksu.edu
K-State Research & Extension News

Mary Knapp is at 785-532-7019