Topeka almost set a heat record, but cooler late-evening weather offered relief

Tim Hrenchir, USA TODAY
·3 min read

Tuesday night may have been Topeka, Kansas' warmest night ever, but the record books won't reflect that.

Topeka's lowest temperature late Tuesday and early Wednesday was 86 degrees, officially recorded early Wednesday at the National Weather Service office near Philip Billard Municipal Airport, said Brandon Drake, a meteorologist for that office.

That put Topeka in a position Wednesday to potentially break its record for the highest low temperature ever recorded on any date since the weather service began keeping records here in 1887.

That record is 85 degrees. It was set Aug. 3, 1930, and tied Aug 1, 1934; Aug. 13, 1936; Aug. 16, 1936; and July 14, 1980, according to the weather service website.

But after topping out at a scorching 103 degrees Wednesday afternoon, Topeka temperatures dipped to 82 degrees late that day, the weather service reported.

Though no all-time record was set, the weather service said Wednesday's 82-degree reading did go into the record books as Topeka's highest low temperature ever recorded on July 26.

Topeka's highest temperature on record is 114 degrees, reached on July 24, 1936.

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A mercury reading of more than 100 degrees is reflected Wednesday afternoon by the thermometer on the exterior of downtown Topeka's Evergy building, across S. Kansas Avenue from a statue of historic Topekan McKinley Burnett.
A mercury reading of more than 100 degrees is reflected Wednesday afternoon by the thermometer on the exterior of downtown Topeka's Evergy building, across S. Kansas Avenue from a statue of historic Topekan McKinley Burnett.

Weather service predicts five straight days of 100-degree temperatures

Wednesday's weather came at a time when Topeka finds itself covered by a "heat dome," which occurs when a persistent region of high pressure traps heat over an area.

The weather service's Topeka office issued an excessive heat warning lasting through the end of the day Friday for the 23-county area it covers in northeast and east-central Kansas.

Wednesday was Topeka's second 100-degree in a row, with a high of 102 having been reached Tuesday, the weather service said.

It predicted Topeka temperatures would reach the century mark for five straight days, topping out near 103 Thursday, 105 Friday and 100 Saturday before dipping to a high of 97 on Sunday.

Friday's anticipated 105-degree reading could threaten Topeka's record high for the date of July 28. That is 106 degrees, set in 1980.

Heat indices in Topeka are predicted to reach 108 on Thursday and Friday, and 104 on Saturday.

Cooling centers offered across Topeka

From left to right, Garreth Palmer, Coby Lowe and Carly Moon cool off from the high temperatures by taking a dip off Wednesday evening off a dock at Lake Shawnee.
From left to right, Garreth Palmer, Coby Lowe and Carly Moon cool off from the high temperatures by taking a dip off Wednesday evening off a dock at Lake Shawnee.

Meanwhile, city of Topeka communications director Gretchen Spiker announced that "cooling centers" had been established at 10 locations through the city where the public is welcome to come in and cool off. Those are as follows:

• The Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library, 1515 S.W. 10th Ave., open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and noon to 9 p.m. Sunday.

• Central Park Community Center, 1534 S.W. Clay, open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and noon to 3 p.m. Saturday.

• Crestview Community Center, 4801 S.W. Shunga Drive, open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to noon Saturday.

• Garfield Community Center, 1600 N.E. Quincy, open from 3:30 to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and noon to 3 p.m. Saturday.

• Hillcrest Community Center, 1800 S.E. 21st, open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 am. to noon Saturday.

• Oakland Community Center, 801 N.E. Poplar, open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday.

• Papan's Landing Senior Center, 619 N.W. Paramore, open from 6 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday through Friday.

• Salvation Army Topeka, 1320 S.E. 6th, open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday. Ice-cold water and granola bars will be provided to visitors there.

• Shawnee North Community Center, 300 N.E. 43rd, open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

• Topeka LULAC Senior Center, 1502 N.E. Seward Ave., open from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Contact Tim Hrenchir at threnchir@gannett.com or 785-213-5934.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Topeka misses marking record for highest low temperature by 3 degrees