Cold shatters old records
By MIKE CORN
The National Weather Service delivered on everything it promised this week, right down to the bone-chilling temperatures that swept through northwest Kansas on Thursday morning.
First, meteorologists called for heavy snow, with 7 to 10 inches being delivered around the area, closing schools and altering schedules.
On the heels of the snow, they promised sharp winds that were sure to cause the snow to drift, making travel nearly impossible. Winds ultimately were gusting in excess of 30 mph, moving snow and blocking roads.
Then they promised the cold temperatures.
"It got awful cold," said Ness City's Gary Gantz, confirming that weather forecasters made good on their final promise.
Cold indeed.
At Ness City, the temperature Thursday morning dipped to 12 below zero, beating the old record set in 1972 by 4 degrees.
But Bison, on the east side of Rush County, outdid Ness City, dropping to 14 degrees below zero Thursday morning. The previous record was 6 degrees below zero, also set in 1972.
At Cedar Bluff Reservoir, the National Weather Service reported, the temperature dropped to 4 degrees below zero, beating the old record of 2 above zero, set in 1966.
Everywhere, it was cold.
In Russell, the low dropped to 9 below zero, a new record. The daytime high Wednesday reached only 11 degrees, the coolest high temperature ever.
Goodland dropped to 12 below, but that was a far cry from the record low of 23 degrees below zero set in 1919.
Hill City hit 7 below, about half the record of 14 below, also set in 1919.
Hays had an identical situation, right down to the low of 7 below and a still-standing record of 14 below, also set in 1919.
It is, however, the fourth coldest Dec. 10 on record.
While Ness City residents coped with the record-breaking cold weather, it was cause for concern for a while.
"We couldn't make coffee," Gantz said of what greeted employees at Bondurant Grain.
Quickly, he said, city crews were on hand and thawing out the meter.
"The coffee's perking and the toilets are flushing," Gantz said. "So we're happy."
Gantz knows first-hand how cold it was. He was out Wednesday evening until about 8:30 p.m., and the thermometer in his pickup showed 8 below.
The cold weather was complicated by snowfall of about 8 inches, much of it blown around by Wednesday's winds.
"I've got a 5-foot drift in my backyard, and I've got buffalo (grass) showing in the front," he said.