January Precipitation In Kansas Rranked No. 7 In In 123 Years Of Records, But State Still Dry

 

A winter storm that brought ice and snow to parts of Kansas in mid-January pushed the statewide average precipitation to 1.60 inches, more than double the normal amount for the month, but did little to relieve extremely dry conditions in all but the state’s midsection.

 

The month ranked as the 7th-wettest January in the 123 years statewide records have been kept, said assistant state climatologist Mary Knapp, but the U.S. Drought Monitor, released Jan. 31, showed the bulk of Kansas counties in abnormally dry to severe drought conditions. That was not unexpected, because January tends to be the driest month of the year.  So, even with above-normal precipitation, western Kansas and the state’s more eastern counties saw little relief. The central part of the state received closer-to-normal precipitation during the fall months, which has kept it in better conditions.

 

Higher-than-normal temperatures returned in January, with the statewide average at 39.9 degrees F –  which is 2 degrees warmer than normal – said Knapp, who is based at the state’s Weather Data Library at Kansas State University. That made it the 35th-warmest since 1896. A total of 23 record-high maximum temperatures were set across the state while 68 record-high minimum temperatures were set during the month. The highest temperature reported was 78 degrees at Pratt, Kansas, on Jan. 31, 2017.

 

The outlook for February is for a continuation of warmer-than-normal conditions, but is neutral on precipitation, according to the Climate Prediction Center of the National Weather Service. Precipitation is equally likely to above or below normal in February.

 

Video: From Conventional to Regenerative: Will Groeneveld’s Journey Back to the Land

"You realize you've got a pretty finite number of years to do this. If you ever want to try something new, you better do it."

That mindset helped Will Groeneveld take a bold turn on his Alberta grain farm. A lifelong farmer, Will had never heard of regenerative agriculture until 2018, when he attended a seminar by Kevin Elmy that shifted his worldview. What began as curiosity quickly turned into a deep exploration of how biology—not just chemistry—shapes the health of our soils, crops and ecosystems.

In this video, Will candidly reflects on his family’s farming history, how the operation evolved from a traditional mixed farm to grain-only, and how the desire to improve the land pushed him to invite livestock back into the rotation—without owning a single cow.

Today, through creative partnerships and a commitment to the five principles of regenerative agriculture, Will is reintroducing diversity, building soil health and extending living roots in the ground for as much of the year as possible. Whether it’s through intercropping, zero tillage (which he’s practiced since the 1980s) or managing forage for visiting cattle, Will’s approach is a testament to continuous learning and a willingness to challenge old norms.

Will is a participant in the Regenerative Agriculture Lab (RAL), a social innovation process bringing together producers, researchers, retailers and others to co-create a resilient regenerative agriculture system in Alberta. His story highlights both the potential and humility required to farm with nature, not against it.