Wichita, other parts of Kansas set heat records on sunny December day

On Thursday, Wichita reached its hottest temperature of any December 2 dating back to when records were started in 1888, according to National Weather Service meteorologist James Cuellar.

The 74 degrees recorded just before 3 p.m. surpassed the previous record of 69 degrees set in 2012. The record temperature was measured at the Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport. Salina also set a December 2 record with 72 degrees, surpassing the 70 degrees measured in 1988. Those records are for the day, but Chanute and Russell both set all-time highs for the month of December with a staggering 79 degrees. Record keeping at those locations dates back to 1869 and 1949.

The average daily temperature in the Wichita area this time of year should be in the 50s, based on a rolling 30-years average.

The warm temperatures are coming off a slightly warmer and much drier November. It was the driest November on record in Salina, where there’s been no measurable precipitation for 36 days, Cuellar said.

The drier weather usually makes for higher daytime temperatures and lower nighttime lows, he said.

“We just really haven’t got the good push of cold air in,” he said.

Friday will also be on the warmer side, with a chance of another record in Chanute, he said. Cooler weather will move in on Saturday, but much cooler weather should hit the Wichita area Monday, when the high temperature could be around 40 degrees.

“It will finally start to feel like December here,” he said.