Temperatures in central Kansas in the past two years were among the warmest since World War II.
Records of yearly average temperatures have been recorded by the National Weather Service since 1900 in the Salina area and since 1997 at the Hutchinson Municipal Airport.
In 2024, Salina was the fifth warmest since 1938, which saw the warmest recorded average temperature of a fully recorded calendar year.
While 2017, 1996 and 1995 recorded higher yearly averages than 2024, some months were not recorded in those years.
Average temperatures in Salina rose from 2023.
As for Hutchinson, 2024 was tied for the third-highest average yearly temperature since recording began at the airport. While this is cooler than what was recorded in 2023, that year was missing data from the month of November.
A map of high temperatures for Monday, July 15, 2024 in the central plains showed Salina reaching when the warmest day of the year occurred in the city at 107 degrees. 2024 averaged the fifth-warmest yearly temperature since 1938 in Salina.
Temperatures rising over time in Sunflower State
These temperatures in the central part of the state appear to align with the rise of average temperatures across Kansas since 1900, which have warmed by about 1.5 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the 2022 state climate summary from the NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information.
According to that report, this rising average aligns with the modeled historical increase in greenhouse gas emissions.
A key message from that summary indicated that as emissions are projected to continue to increase, continued warming would following.
“Under a higher emissions pathway, historically unprecedented warming is projected during this century,” it says.
What are the highest average post-WWI temps in Salina and Hutchinson?
Of the fully recorded years of average temperatures since 1945, 2024 was the fifth-warmest, at 58.5 degrees.
Salina’s warmest year since World War II was 2016, which averaged 59.5 degrees.
Coming in second was 1946, which averaged 59.4 degrees, third was 2012 at 59.3 degrees and fourth at 58.8 degrees was 2006.
At 57.8 degrees, 2023 ranks eighth since 1945.
As for Hutchinson, which began recording average yearly temperatures in 1997, all five of the warmest, fully recorded years have come since 2012, which recorded the highest at 59.6 degrees.
The second-warmest year in the Salt City was 2016 at 59 degrees, tied at third were 2021 and 2024 at 58.1 degrees and coming in fifth-warmest was 2015 at 58 degrees.
What were the warmest and coldest days of 2024?
The warmest recorded day in 2024 was July 15 in central Kansas with Salina reaching 107 degrees and Hutchinson getting up to 105 degrees.
Jan. 16 in central Kansas was particularly chilly as the coldest day of the year, with Salina dipping to -11 degrees and Hutchinson reaching -10 degrees.
This article originally appeared on Salina Journal: Salina’s and Hutchinson’s average temperatures rose in 2023 and 2024
