Kansas Breaks Monthly Heat Records

Photo by Elizabeth Anderson

Kansas has broken monthly heat records for October and continues to do so through November. Record highs were surpassed in Kansas on Friday, Oct. 28, according to USA National Forecast, moving from 83 to 91 degrees in Garden City. These statistics correspond with Dodge Cities new high of 92, previously 85.

Kansas reached the hottest October day on record globally at 100 degrees, on Oct. 17. Paul Hunter, author of “Weather and its underlying science,” said the temperature map looks more like one of July rather than November with half of the country in the 80’s and 90’s.

In an article by Megan Hart on the Topeka Capital Journal, Justin Gilpin, CEO of Kansas Wheat, explained that plants are being affected by the 65 to 70 degree weather. The main concern is the temperature swings or variations in the high and low temperatures. The warm weather also allows for insects and plant disease to exist longer, Gilpin said.

Sophomore Alex Freeman has noticed the warmer weather in relation to walking to and from school.

“Last year was nice to walk home from school in October,” Freeman said. “There was a nice breeze and plenty of shade. Now my face is pink and my breathing is heavy by the time I get to my house because it’s so much warmer.”

The national average parallels from the Kansas trends. According to National Centers for Environmental Information, Kansas’s average temperature for November has been as high as the rest of the country’s. The average October temperature in the U.S. was 3.6 degrees fahrenheit above the 20th century average, making it 57.7 degrees. This has been the warmest month since 1963, National Centers of environmental reports.

Although this fall has been warmer than in the past, a break from the heat is predicted moving into December. The Farmer’s Almanac predicts snow and cold conditions in the Midwest for the winter season.