The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1914-12-29
But Conditions Were Nearly
Ideal for Good Crops.
NINTH DRIEST IN Is YEARS
Precipitation in IL Months
Amounted to 80 Inches.
Highest Temperature Was 1O2,
July 163 Coolest, 5 Below.

OF 1914 has been year OF many freaks.
There was something unusualEas there
generally is in Kansas-about every
month. But considering all interests.
the year has been one OF the most ia
vorable on record. s.=
With the possible exception Of the
corn crop. finer conditions never pre-
vailed for Kansas products than in the
last twelve months. The fact that last
summers wheat crop broke all records
Of the state is evidence of this.
The warmest day of the year was
July 16. when the mercury climbed to
102. The coolest day was December 26.
when the temperature dropped to five
below. The wettest month was June
when the total precipitation amounted
to $50. The driest month was Janu-
airy when the total precipitation was
only OF of an inch.
The year was the ninth driest in
twenty-eight years: the total precipi-
tation was 30 inches 3.76 inches below
normal. The snowfall for the year was
29.1 inches.
Summary by Months.
Following Is summary Of the year
by months:
January was by one and one-half- de-
grees the warmest January ever recorded
in Topeka. Grass on the lawns was
still green and dandeIions doomed con-
tinually in sunny locations throughout
the month. 1t was the second driest
January on record and the fourth dri-
est month on record in Topeka. The
mild weather proved a blessing for all
interests and afforded work for those
who were unemployed owing to the
drOuth OF the preceding summer.
February: The weather was sue
cessiOn Of short, alternating warm and
cold periods. The sleet storm on Feb
ruary % was one of the worst expert
wind the sleet froze on trees, te1e-
phone wires and other objects. Train
schedules were Gemoralized. The loss
OF the Bell Telephone company in the
Topeka district aggregated $4,000.
There was more sunshine tSan usu-
al during March. There were no cold
waves with damaging low tempera-
unusual low stage despite the fact that
the soil was well soaked with mois-
ture.
pril: with sunshine enough to
start outdoor work April was an ideal
spring month. There were no damag-
ing cell snaps as is usually the case
during this month. =
May was the fourth driest and
windiest May on record End was more
unfavorab1e than May usually is for
crop growth.
Plenty Of Rain in June.
June: Contrasting with the preced-
ing month June was the most favor
able month for crops and other inter-
ests in the Topeka district since the
weather records were established
twenty-eight years ago. 1t was the
windiest June on record and was the
second warmest recorded. The pre-
cipitation was greater than that Of the
preceding five months of the year
July: Although unusually warm
and dry there was enough moisture to
be favorable to crop conditions. An
unusual high wind and thunderstorm
occurred on July 16. The wind
caused much damage to fruit trees in
the vicinity Of Topeka.
August: The weather was warm
with much sunshine. There was
more wind than is common for Aug
ust. The end Of August completed the
warmest summer months, June, July
and August. on record since 1887.
Conditions were unfavorable for corn
and pastures.
with enough precipitation to make
crop conditions the most favorable in
history. September was the seventh
consecutive month with Temperatures
above normal.
October Was Pleasant.
October was a mild and pleasant
month with temperatures generally
above normal. The first killing frost
occurred October 81. which was
twelve days later than the usual time
for it. 1t was the cloudiest October
on record. ~ 8. . .ssss'.
November broke all records for SUM-
shine for any November on record. II
was pleasant month with only q
small amount OF precipitation and
only lacked one degree of being the
mildest on record. A dense smoke
evidently from the burning forests in
Arkansas spread over Topeka on the
morning of November %, making II
impossible to tell whether the sky wa
clear or cloudy. The smoke prevailed
until midnight when 1t was cleared BY
shifting Of the wind z
December: The snowfall for this
month was the heaviest of any De.
cember on record and it was the Sec
ond coolest December on record. The