Weather in Emporia area (Topeka, Hays: house, college, taxes)

[Cblueberry1]

I am moving to Emporia. I have lived on the East Coast my whole life, where summers are very humid and hot. What are Emporia KS summers like by comparison? Are they very humid or drier? When I visited Emporia in September it felt drier than our east. Thanks

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by Cblueberry1

I am moving to Emporia. I have lived on the East Coast my whole life, where summers are very humid and hot. What are Emporia KS summers like by comparison? Are they very humid or drier? When I visited Emporia in September it felt drier than our east. Thanks

Emporia can be extremely hot and humid or moderately humid. Temperatures during summer can often be much hotter than the East Coast, especially the interior Northeast. The average for Emporia in July is in the low 90s for highs, but 100-110F high temperatures are not uncommon at all. You have to go further west to Hays at 100 degrees west longitude line to see a consistently dry semi-arid/steppe climate. Hays averages 15 inches of precipitation, and anything well over 20 inches is a wet year for them.

[Cblueberry1]

Wow ok, good to know. Thanks for the info.

[AnywhereElse]

"GraniteStater" was pretty close, but as with everywhere else, it can really vary. We have lived in Emporia for 5 years, will be leaving the area next month. It was unusually dry in September, when it comes to rain here it is either dry or flooding, usually nothing in between. Humidity has been running really low, less than 50%. We had one really bad month this summer with temps over 90 during the day and getting down to 72-75 at night. Humidity was higher at that time too. The high winds with gusts up to 35 miles per hour can dry out the air fairly quick, thus our current conditions as it has been unusually windy.

We do get ice in the winter. Having grown up in MI, I prefer snow to ice, and they aren't very good here about treating the roads in the winter, especially the side streets. I found that very annoying, and they don't cancel work here despite road conditions for most businesses.

If you want to get away from humidity, the southwest is the only way to go. We lived in AZ for 6 years and only during the summer monsoons was it over 20% humidity.

Be ready for "culture shock"!

[KSinmyrearviewmirror]

As a Native, I refer to KS weather as "flush bowl" in nature.

Kansas has not shaken its well-deserved reputation for extremes in climate and rapid (often violent) changes in the weather. Most Kansans are familiar with the expression, "if you don't like the weather, wait 'till tomorrow." Often, this is not an overstatement.

https://www.kshs.org/kansapedia/weather-in-kansas/14281

My wife is from Emporia. We spent the winter of '79 X-country skiing in the Flint Hills outside of Emporia (snow fell in Jan & remained on the ground until mid-March EXTREME).

We spent the summer of 1980 in Michigan. Most of Kansas experienced 30 consecutive days of temps over 100 F . . . . EXTREME

The wind is pretty much a constant in Kansas (Kanza => French trader term for natives who called themselves Wind People). The wind aids in evaporation of sweat in summer, & bone-chilling cold in winter.

Snow removal => IF Emporia (& most KS towns) had more equipment & manpower, the taxes would reflect the need. Kansans primarily rely on solar snow removal. The event of snow on the ground for a week EXTREME easily causes one to complain about snow-packed streets. Then again, ~ 2006, when my township started salting our street, our 1988 vehicle quickly started rusting.

Ice Storms (another EXTREME) => we went for 7 days without power ~ 2010. Bill Snyder got power restored to his house the same day we did. KS weather shows little favoritism.

[Mattks]

Originally Posted by KSinmyrearviewmirror

As a Native, I refer to KS weather as "flush bowl" in nature.

Kansas has not shaken its well-deserved reputation for extremes in climate and rapid (often violent) changes in the weather. Most Kansans are familiar with the expression, "if you don't like the weather, wait 'till tomorrow." Often, this is not an overstatement.

https://www.kshs.org/kansapedia/weather-in-kansas/14281

My wife is from Emporia. We spent the winter of '79 X-country skiing in the Flint Hills outside of Emporia (snow fell in Jan & remained on the ground until mid-March EXTREME).

We spent the summer of 1980 in Michigan. Most of Kansas experienced 30 consecutive days of temps over 100 F . . . . EXTREME

The wind is pretty much a constant in Kansas (Kanza => French trader term for natives who called themselves Wind People). The wind aids in evaporation of sweat in summer, & bone-chilling cold in winter.

Snow removal => IF Emporia (& most KS towns) had more equipment & manpower, the taxes would reflect the need. Kansans primarily rely on solar snow removal. The event of snow on the ground for a week EXTREME easily causes one to complain about snow-packed streets. Then again, ~ 2006, when my township started salting our street, our 1988 vehicle quickly started rusting.

Ice Storms (another EXTREME) => we went for 7 days without power ~ 2010. Bill Snyder got power restored to his house the same day we did. KS weather shows little favoritism.

My last year of college, must of been 2007, it even snowed in mid-April. I drove to Coronado Heights just north of Lindsborg and got some excellent pictures of flowers blooming and snow on the ground. The snow only stuck around for a couple hours before it all melted. That afternoon it was over 70 degrees...

Be prepared to hit all weather extremes, and sometimes in less then 24 hours! I live about 35 minutes north of Emporia, but I rarely go there as I work in Topeka. The wind the last few days has been crazy, and that can make the air feel dry, but a typical, not windy day can feel quite humid during the summer. The last few summers have been quite mild, and not many 100+ days, but when I was younger I remember working outside and it seemed like it was 100+ for weeks on end, but memories get hazy, so I'd check annual weather reports to get more accurate weather and temperature information.

Summer storms can be quite impressive (and dangerous), but if you don't live in a flood area, you should be fine. Tornados can look dangerous, but in reality, they typically only damage small areas. Hail and flooding is where most damages is done. You can't get away from hail, but flooding can be by living in elevated areas and away from rivers and streams.

[Cblueberry1]

Thanks for all the information

[JM01]

Cblueberry,

Last fall, you stated that you were moving to Emporia. I'm curious of your thoughts after spending some time there. I'm looking at a job there.

Thanks

[scimitar12]

Originally Posted by GraniteStater

Emporia can be extremely hot and humid or moderately humid. Temperatures during summer can often be much hotter than the East Coast, especially the interior Northeast. The average for Emporia in July is in the low 90s for highs, but 100-110F high temperatures are not uncommon at all. You have to go further west to Hays at 100 degrees west longitude line to see a consistently dry semi-arid/steppe climate. Hays averages 15 inches of precipitation, and anything well over 20 inches is a wet year for them.

Yup, I got two masters degrees from Emporia State. Spent almost four years there. Summers are very very hot and mildly humid. Winters are mild but can get some really bad cold snaps.