Aiexpress – Kansas faced bone-chilling temperatures early this week, with Manhattan Regional Airport recording the state’s coldest readings of minus 12 on Monday and an even frostier minus 15 on Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service (NWS). The brutal cold followed a weekend storm that blanketed parts of Kansas with up to 18 inches of snow, leaving conditions colder than those in Anchorage, Alaska, where temperatures were a relatively mild 40 degrees on Tuesday.
Kansas Not the Coldest in the Contiguous U.S.
Despite the extreme cold, Kansas did not claim the title for the lowest temperature in the contiguous United States. On Monday, a site 31 miles northeast of Forest Center, Minnesota, recorded a frigid minus 21. On Tuesday, the coldest temperatures were shared between Stub Creek, Colorado, and Peter Sinks, Utah, both hitting a bone-numbing minus 31, the NWS reported.
Kansas’ Coldest Temperatures on Monday
The following lows were recorded across Kansas on Monday:
- Minus 12 at Manhattan Regional Airport
- Minus 9 near Russell
- Minus 8 at Salina
- Minus 7 at Lawrence Municipal Airport
- Minus 4 at Hutchinson Regional Airport and Marysville
- Minus 3 at Concordia
Topeka experienced a relatively milder low of 2 degrees.
Kansas’ Coldest Temperatures on Tuesday
Tuesday saw temperatures plummet even further in some areas, with these lows reported:
- Minus 15 at Manhattan Regional Airport
- Minus 11 at Horton
- Minus 10 at Lawrence Municipal Airport
- Minus 8 at Salina
- Minus 6 near Russell
- Minus 3 in Topeka and Hutchinson
- Minus 2 at Concordia
The wind chill made conditions even more severe, with Manhattan Municipal Airport recording a wind chill index as low as minus 20 on Tuesday.
Historical Context and Local Observations
Kansas’ record low of minus 40, set in 1905 in Lebanon, north-central Kansas, remains untouched. However, the week’s frigid temperatures highlighted the dramatic disparities between locations. For instance, while Manhattan Municipal Airport recorded a low of minus 12 on Monday, another monitoring station in Manhattan reported a comparatively mild zero degrees.
Nathan Griesemer, a meteorologist with the NWS in Topeka, attributed the differences to the location of monitoring stations. Airports in Manhattan and Lawrence are situated in valleys, which may contribute to colder readings.
A Brutal Start to Winter
The intense cold early this week serves as a stark reminder of Kansas’ harsh winter conditions. With wind chills and plunging mercury levels, residents faced days of brutal weather, underscoring the unpredictability of the Sunflower State’s winter season.
