The Garden City Telegram
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Snow a no-show so far this winter
Published 1/19/2009 in News
By MONICA SPRINGER
Parents in Garden City spent the weekend pushing their children on swing sets in the city's parks, with the children wearing T-shirts and jeans. Joggers were out exercising on Saturday and Sunday, dressed in tank tops and shorts.
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Brad Nading/Telegram — Josh Salazar, left, pushes his daughters, Naimea, 3, center, Jeserie, 1, and Mayely, 7, right, on a piece of playground equipment Saturday at A. Harold Long Park. The family was taking advantage of the warmer weekend temperatures for a family outing.
It was 69 degrees at 4 p.m. Sunday. The weather left parents, children, joggers, and farmers with a question: Where's the snow?
They won't get an answer this week, according to the National Weather Service.
So far, the winter has been noticeably drier than normal. The average winter snowfall by mid-January is 8 inches, according to Jeff Johnson, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Dodge City.
So far this winter, Finney County has received two inches of snow, Johnson said. And that two inches came in the form of several storms producing trace amounts of snow.
The lack of snow is leaving kids yearning for a snow day from school and leaving farmers wondering how their crops will harvest in the summer.
Jarvis Garetson, who farms near Copeland in Gray County, said his 98-year-old grandmother has a saying: If you don't shovel snow in the winter, you won't shovel wheat in the summer.
Garetson said the subsoil, or the soil that is about a foot below the ground, is good soil because of the rain the area received last summer during harvest. The topsoil, or the soil above the subsoil, needs moisture, he said.
By now, Garetson said, the roots of the wheat are about two to three feet deep. Moisture is needed in February and March when the wheat starts to grow into the top soil, Garetson said.
"We're ready for moisture of any kind," he said, adding the less farmers have to water the wheat, the more money they can save.
Snow or moisture is not in the forecast for the rest of the week. Instead, the area will be in a wind advisory and a red flag warning until tonight, according to the weather service.
The red flag warning means that gusty winds, combined with low humidity could create favorable fire conditions. The weather service discourages outdoor burning because it could quickly become out of control.
Johnson said the red flag warning isn't unusual for winter months.
There is also a wind advisory, which means that winds of 35 mph are expected. The winds can make driving difficult, especially for semitrailers and sport utility vehicles, according to the weather service.
The projected high for today is 68 degrees, with winds between 20 and 30 mph and gusting to 44 mph.
The forecast for the rest of the week calls for more sun and no snow. Highs will be in the 60s and low 70s Tuesday and Wednesday. It will be slightly cooler on Thursday, with highs in the upper 50s. A cool front is expected on Friday, with a high in the mid 30s.
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