The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-12-29
Every Extreme in the AtmOs.
pheric Program.
EVERY MONTH BREAKS RECORD
DrOuth, Snow, Rain, Wind, Cold
and Sunshine.
Now Comes Wettest December
ON Record.

in the recollection Of the earliest set
tiers There have been extremes in
atmospheric conditions in numerous
seasons since the settlement Of the
state, but never SO many varieties Of
extremes punched in period Of
twelve months.
The summer season up to Septem-
ber 10 broke the heat record for To-
peka, or rather for the twenty seven
years in which records have been kept
by the government. The summer was
also a record breaker in respect to
drouth, and yet the year 1913 has
been with nine exceptions the wettcst
twelve months noted by the govern
ment observers. The famous dr0uth
Of 1913 was broken September 10 and
II by ala inch rain. The fall was
the wettest on record.
There was something abnormal
about the weather every month of the
entire year. A review of the weather
by months consequently will be of
interest.
Weather by Months.
January was mild and dry ana
broke the record for wind.
February with three exceptions had
the heaviest fall of snow recorded for
any month.
without exception since the wind rec
ords were first kept fifteen years ago.
However, it was month favorable TO
the farmers.
April eclipsed previous Aprils for
amount of sunshine.
The first three weeks of May were
the most favorable for crops ever
known in that month. The last three
days of the month broke the May heat
record.
June was unusually warm and dry.
July was the second warmest July
ever experienced in Topeka. It was
also the windiest July on record. ano
had the largest number Of clearest
days and the fewest number on which
there was rainfall. With the excep-
tiol. Of 1887 it was the driest July
August. with the exception Of July.
1901, was the warmest month ever
known in Topeka. There was more
sunshine than in any previous month
with the exception of August. 1912. 1t
was one of the windiest Augusts on
record. The hottest ten-day period
known at Topeka ended with Au-
gust IS.
Drouth Broken in September.
September 10 and IL the drouth was
broken by a 3.13 inch rain. Septem-
ber had almost as much rainfall as the
three previous months combined. The
month was a favorable one for the
growing Of crops.
October was the second wettest and
third coolest october on record. There
was deficient sunshine and the month
was favorable from the standpoint Of
the growth of wheat The first killing
frost came October 20. The lowest
October temperature on the books of
the weather office was 20 degrees on
October 20.
November was the warmest, and with
one exception, the cloudiest November
in q years. It was the first time that
there were no temperatures below 25
degrees. In the last half of the month
the temperature was above normal ev-
cry day. On several occasions a Sep
tember brand of temperature was the
order of things.
December will go down on the rec
ords as the wettest December in twen-
ty-seven years. The total precipitation
to date is 3.55 inches. The previous
record was Eli inches in 1909. The
depth of snow has been AZ inches
This Is not an unusual amount. The
depth of the soft stuff in December.
1892, was 1873 inches. With possibly one
exception this will be the cloudiest De-
cember on record. There have alrady
been seventeen cloudy days and If
there are two more the record of 1902
will be tied. There have been but nine
clear and three partly cloudy days.
The total rainfall for the year to date
is 1929 inches. Normal for a year is
SS.76 inches. The spring and fall were
the most favorable crop growing peri
DDS known, while the summer period
was the most disastrous on account Of
the drOuth and heat.