Good Monday morning! This is just going to be an incredible week of weather in Kansas. The calendar says the middle of February but it's going to feel more like April or May later in the week. How does it get so warm at this time of the year?
The storm track will setup just north of Kansas and strong southwest winds will be pushing in the warm air. Lower humidity values will also allow the temperatures to warm very quickly. Most record highs for Thursday are in the mid 70s, so they shouldn't be too hard to tie or break. I would expect at least 8-10 record setting temperatures by the end of the day.
How are we doing on moisture? I've had several people ask me about drought and the need for moisture. There are some areas of the state that still need some moisture, and after this latest dry stretch, the need will grow even more. However, we aren't in terrible shape right now. We've actually had a wet winter (even though not very snowy for many areas). Take a look at the precipitation amounts since October 1st. Almost every major reporting station is above average (some more than others) The vegetation is not a good measure of the drought index right now because it's still very much winter and things won't start greening up for about another month.
Wichita 8.21 / +1.39
Russell 6.15 / +1.70
Dodge City 8.21 / +3.95
Goodland 3.60 / +.45
Salina 7.69 / +2.03
Spring severe weather season isn't far off. The very first storm spotter meeting is scheduled for Wednesday of this week. Can you believe that season is almost here again? I'll update you on El Nino and we will have some discussions about severe weather season coming very soon.
1 comment:
Ross,
With this warm stretch, the damage to plants may be severe when winter returns. So, when will real winter be back? Do the long range forecasts give any clue?
Thanks,
Randy
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