011  
CXUS53 KTOP 050015  
CLATOP  
 
CLIMATE REPORT  
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TOPEKA KS  
615 PM CST THU JAN 04 2024  
   
...............................
 
 
   
..THE TOPEKA KS CLIMATE SUMMARY FOR THE YEAR OF 2023
 
 
CLIMATE NORMAL PERIOD 1991 TO 2020  
CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD 1887 TO 2024  
 
WEATHER OBSERVED NORMAL DEPART LAST YEAR'S  
VALUE DATE(S) VALUE FROM VALUE DATE(S)  
NORMAL    
............................................................
 
 
TEMPERATURE (F)  
RECORD  
HIGH 114 07/24/1936  
LOW -26 12/23/1989  
HIGHEST 111 08/19 MM MM 103 07/23  
LOWEST 8 01/31 MM MM -4 12/22  
02/01  
02/03  
AVG. MAXIMUM 70.8 66.7 4.1 68.7  
AVG. MINIMUM 45.9 44.9 1.0 44.0  
MEAN 58.4 55.8 2.6 56.3  
DAYS MAX >= 90 73 49.6 23.4 73  
DAYS MAX <= 32 7 21.8 -14.8 22  
DAYS MIN <= 32 107 113.9 -6.9 124  
DAYS MIN <= 0 0 2.7 -2.7 4  
 
PRECIPITATION (INCHES)  
RECORD  
MAXIMUM 60.89 1973  
MINIMUM 19.07 1963  
TOTALS 27.33 36.53 -9.20 32.23  
DAILY AVG. 0.08 0.10 -0.02 0.09  
DAYS >= .01 99 98.1 0.9 94  
DAYS >= .10 58 59.7 -1.7 58  
DAYS >= .50 16 23.4 -7.4 23  
DAYS >= 1.00 4 10.5 -6.5 6  
GREATEST  
24 HR. TOTAL 2.70 2.54 05/31 TO 05/31  
 
SNOWFALL (INCHES)  
RECORDS  
TOTAL 48.6 1960  
24 HR TOTAL 17.3 02/26/1900 TO 02/27/1900  
SNOW DEPTH 18 03/16/1960  
TOTALS 12.5 17.1 -4.6 23.2  
SINCE 7/1 8.5 5.5 3.0 MM  
SNOWDEPTH AVG. T 0  
DAYS >= TRACE 26 12.0 14.0 32  
DAYS >= 1.0 4 5.0 -1.0 7  
GREATEST  
SNOW DEPTH 6 11/26 4 02/04  
02/18  
03/11  
24 HR TOTAL 7.2 11/25 TO 11/26 4.5 02/17 TO 02/17  
 
DEGREE DAYS  
HEATING TOTAL 4171 4860 -689 4577  
SINCE 7/1 1562 1925 -363 MM  
COOLING TOTAL 1883 1534 349 1859  
SINCE 1/1 1883 1534 349 MM    
............................................................
 
 
WIND (MPH)  
AVERAGE WIND SPEED 7.0  
RESULTANT WIND SPEED/DIRECTION 0/200  
HIGHEST WIND SPEED/DIRECTION 49/320 DATE 07/14  
HIGHEST GUST SPEED/DIRECTION 72/320 DATE 07/14  
 
SKY COVER  
AVERAGE SKY COVER 0.27  
 
AVERAGE RH (PERCENT) 64  
 
WEATHER CONDITIONS. NUMBER OF DAYS WITH  
THUNDERSTORM 55 MIXED PRECIP 1  
HEAVY RAIN 29 RAIN 35  
LIGHT RAIN 117 FREEZING RAIN 0  
LT FREEZING RAIN 3 HAIL 2  
HEAVY SNOW 1 SNOW 3  
LIGHT SNOW 21 SLEET 3  
FOG 154 FOG W/VIS <= 1/4 MILE 41  
HAZE 39  
 
- INDICATES NEGATIVE NUMBERS.  
R INDICATES RECORD WAS SET OR TIED.  
MM INDICATES DATA IS MISSING.  
T INDICATES TRACE AMOUNT.  
 
OVERALL WARM CONDITIONS WERE THE MAIN HEADLINE IN 2023. THE AVERAGE  
TEMPERATURE FOR THE YEAR TIED FOR THE FOURTH WARMEST YEAR ON  
RECORD...AS WELL AS THE SECOND HIGHEST AVERAGE HIGH TEMPERATURE. THE  
LOWEST TEMPERATURE MEASURED WAS ONLY 8 DEGREES. THIS TIES 2012 FOR  
HAVING THE HIGHEST MINIMUM TEMPERATURE. A RECORD HIGH OF 98 DEGREES  
OCCURRED ON MAY 6TH. THIS WAS THE SEVENTH WARMEST MAY TEMPERATURE ON  
RECORD AND THE EARLIER IN THE CALENDAR YEAR A TEMPERATURE THIS HOT  
HAD BEEN MEASURED...BEATING THE PREVIOUS EARLIEST 98-DEGREE DAY BY  
23 DAYS. THE NORMAL FIRST DAY TO REACH AT LEAST 98 DEGREES IS JULY  
8. THE AVERAGE HIGH TEMPERATURE FROM AUGUST 19 THROUGH AUGUST 25 WAS  
104.3 DEGREES. THIS WAS THE HOTTEST SEVEN-DAY STRETCH SINCE 2000.  
THE HIGH OF 111 DEGREES ON AUGUST 19 TIED FOR THE SEVENTH HIGHEST  
TEMPERATURE ON RECORD FOR TOPEKA. HEAT INDICES DURING THIS STRETCH  
PEAKED FROM 109 TO 125.  
 
THE YEAR STARTED WITH LIMITED VISIBILITY DUE TO DENSE FOG THAT  
SPANNED FROM SUNRISE JANUARY 2ND THROUGH THE PRE-DAWN HOURS OF  
JANUARY 3RD. LIGHT FREEZING DRIZZLE...FREEZING RAIN...AND SLEET FELL  
ON FEBRUARY 24. A STRONG COLD FRONT CAUSED THE TEMPERATURE TO DROP  
EIGHTEEN DEGREES IN AN HOUR ON MARCH 16. WIND GUSTS OF 50 TO 60 MPH  
WERE COMMON ON THE AFTERNOON OF MARCH 30. THUNDERSTORMS ON APRIL 20  
PRODUCED 61 MPH WINDS AT TOPEKA REGIONAL AIRPORT AND ISOLATED TREE  
DAMAGE ACROSS THE CITY. THE HIGHEST ONE-DAY PRECIPITATION TOTAL IN  
JUNE WAS 0.51 INCHES -- ONLY THREE OTHER JUNES HAD LOWER SUCH  
VALUES. THUNDERSTORMS ON THE EVENING OF JUNE 30 PRODUCED 62 MPH  
WINDS AT BILLARD AIRPORT AND SCATTERED TREE DAMAGE AND POWER OUTAGES  
ACROSS TOPEKA. STRONGER STORMS ON THE AFTERNOON OF JULY 14 PRODUCED  
73 MPH WINDS AT BILLARD AIRPORT WITH CONSIDERABLE POWER OUTAGES AND  
WIDESPREAD TREE DAMAGE ALONG WITH A RECORD 2.56 INCHES OF  
PRECIPITATION. ASIDE FROM THE EXTREME HEAT IN LATE AUGUST MENTIONED  
ABOVE...HEAT INDICES ALSO REACHED 115 ON AUGUST 1ST AND 110 ON  
AUGUST 11TH. A RECORD SNOW OF 6.3 INCHES FELL ON NOVEMBER 25...AND  
COMBINED WITH 0.9 INCHES THE FOLLOWING DAY FOR A STORM TOTAL OF 7.2  
INCHES. THE 6.3 INCH AMOUNT WAS THE SECOND HIGHEST ONE-DAY TOTAL ON  
RECORD FOR NOVEMBER AND THE 7.2 INCH AMOUNT WAS THE FOURTH HIGHEST  
TWO-DAY NOVEMBER TOTAL ON RECORD. THE LATTER AMOUNT WAS THE HIGHEST  
STORM TOTAL SNOWFALL SINCE FEBRUARY 2014. CHRISTMAS EVE HAD A RECORD  
1.39 INCHES OF PRECIPITATION FROM RAIN.  
 
-- SEASONAL AVERAGE TEMPERATURES PLACING IN THE TOP 20 ON RECORD --  
 
WINTER...14TH WARMEST /DECEMBER 2022 THROUGH FEBRUARY 2023/  
AUTUMN...13TH WARMEST  
 
-- SEASONAL TOTAL PRECIPITATION PLACING IN THE TOP 20 ON RECORD --  
 
AUTUMN...17TH DRIEST  
 
-- SEASONAL TOTAL SNOWFALL PLACING IN THE TOP 20 ON RECORD --  
 
WINTER...15TH LOWEST /DECEMBER 2022 THROUGH FEBRUARY 2023/  
 
-- MONTHLY AVERAGE TEMPERATURES PLACING IN THE TOP 20 RECORD --  
 
JANUARY.....18TH WARMEST  
AUGUST......19TH WARMEST  
SEPTEMBER...10TH WARMEST  
DECEMBER.....4TH WARMEST /TIED/  
 
-- MONTHLY TOTAL PRECIPITATION PLACING IN THE TOP 20 ON RECORD --  
 
FEBRUARY....17TH WETTEST  
JUNE........16TH DRIEST  
DECEMBER....11TH WETTEST  
 
-- MONTHLY SNOWFALL PLACING IN THE TOP 20 ON RECORD --  
 
NOVEMBER.....6TH HIGHEST  
 
-- DAILY RECORDS --  
 
HIGHEST MAXIMUM - MAY 6.....98 F  
AUG 19...111 F  
SEP 29....95 F /TIED/  
NOV 7.....79 F /TIED/  
 
HIGHEST MINIMUM - JUL 26....82 F /TIED/  
JUL 28....81 F  
AUG 23....79 F  
OCT 25....65 F  
OCT 26....67 F  
DEC 21....51 F  
 
LOWEST MAXIMUM -- NONE  
 
LOWEST MINIMUM -- NOV 1.....18 F  
 
PRECIPITATION --- FEB 9....0.66 INCHES /TIED/  
JUL 14...2.56 INCHES  
DEC 15...0.86 INCHES  
DEC 25...1.39 INCHES  
 
SNOWFALL -------- NOV 25...6.3 INCHES  
 
-- THUNDERSTORM-RELATED SEVERE WEATHER REPORTS --  
 
WIND - 61 MPH WIND GUST AND MINOR TREE DAMAGE APRIL 20  
- 62 MPH WIND GUST AND SCATTERED TREE DAMAGE JUNE 30  
- 73 MPH WIND GUST AND WIDESPREAD TREE DAMAGE JULY 26  
 

 
 
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