Winter Arrives: Snow Fall Records Broken
Most Kansans who
wished for a white Christmas had their wishes granted. Daily
record snowfall amounts were broken at 17 locations in the state
in either the Dec. 8-9 event or on Dec. 25. Gove broke by 0.1
inch a record that had stood since 1902 when it received 7.1
inches on Dec. 9, 2009.
The heavy snowfall
combined with high winds caused blizzard conditions that had
highway crews working long into the night. North-south roads in
many areas were made impassable due to drifting snow. Lieutenant
Gov. Troy Findley on Dec. 31, 2009 signed a state disaster
declaration because of the record holiday snowstorm. A disaster
declaration is a prerequisite for an application for federal
emergency funds. If granted, most of the money would be used to
offset the cost of snow removal.
Counties named in
the declaration: Allen, Anderson, Atchison, Bourbon, Brown,
Chautauqua, Cherokee, Cheyenne, Clay, Coffey, Crawford, Decatur,
Dickinson, Doniphan, Douglas, Elk, Franklin, Geary, Gove,
Greenwood, Jackson, Jefferson, Johnson, Labette, Leavenworth,
Linn, Logan, Lyon, Marshall, Miami, Montgomery, Morris, Nemaha,
Neosho, Norton, Osage, Phillips, Pottawatomie, Rawlins, Riley,
Shawnee, Sheridan, Sherman, Wabaunsee, Washington, Wilson,
Woodson and Wyandotte.
Revised Galesburg
(Neosho County) precipitation total for 2009 is 74.80 inches,
which establishes a new annual statewide precipitation record.
Hiawatha held the previous record with 71.99 inches set in 1973.
The statewide
average total precipitation during December was 0.97 inches.
That’s 108% of normal.
The highest
temperature in the state, 68 degrees, was recorded at Ashland on
Dec. 14. The coldest temperature was minus 17 degrees recorded
at Smolan on Dec. 10.
The U.S. Drought
Monitor does not presently show drought or abnormally dry
conditions anywhere in the state.
The latest
Kansas Climate Summary and Drought Report -
December 2009 provides additional details. This Report
is updated
monthly (first Friday or thereabouts) throughout the year. Archived
reports from
2006 and 2007 are also available:
11/2009,
10/2009,
9/2009,
8/2009,
7/2009,
6/2009,
5/2009,
4/2009,
3/2009,
2/2009,
1/2009,
12/2008,
11/2008,
10/2008,
9/2008,
8/2008,
7/2008,
6/2008,
5/2008,
4/2008, 3/2008,
2/8/2008,
1/8/2008,
12/7/2008,
11/7/2007,
10/7/2007,
9/5/2007, 8/7/2007,
7/6/2007,
6/6/2007
, 5/5/2007,
4/4/2007,
3/6/2007,
2/2/2007,
11/14/06,
10/10/06,
8/16/2006,
6/14/2006,
5/1/2006,
3/10/06,
1/25/06.
Drought Preparedness and Response
The Kansas
Water Office has the statutory responsibility to monitor
conditions and inform the Governor when drought conditions are
present in the state. The Director of the Kansas Water Office
serves as Chair of the Governor’s Drought Response Team, an
interagency group charged with coordinating drought response
activities in Kansas. An
Operations Plan details Team membership and response
activities keyed to each of three county drought stages: Drought
Watch, Drought Warning and Drought Emergency.
The following publications provide
additional information regarding drought preparedness and
response in Kansas.
Drought
Related Links - Additional information regarding current drought
conditions, forecasts, available assistance, drought planning,
and more is available through these links.
