History

The oldest weather station in Kansas was established as part of Fort Leavenworth, which has been a critical military and meteorological site since 1827. This station, notable for being one of the oldest continuous weather observation stations in the United States (station ID: 144588), has contributed valuable data for understanding regional climate patterns and weather phenomena. Between 1840 and 1870, additional important stations were established in Kansas, including those at Fort Scott, Hays, Larned, Lawrence, and Manhattan. Today, a comprehensive network of over 500 stations across the state, including federal, citizen-science, regional, and state stations, continuously monitors Kansas’s climate.

In 1973, the Weather Data Library was established through a memorandum of agreement among Kansas State University, the National Weather Service, and the National Climatic Data Center (now the National Centers for Environmental Information, NCEI). Initially part of the Department of Physics under Professor L. Dean Bark (to 1991) as state climatologist, the library later moved to the Department of Agronomy, where Mary Knapp (to 2013) continued its development. Both Bark and Knapp significantly contributed to preserving and advancing Kansas’s climate and weather information. In 2013, Professor Xiaomao Lin became the state climatologist, continuing efforts in climate research, education, and extension.

The Kansas Climate Center, established in 2014, is a recognized State Climate Office by the American Association of State Climatologists (ARSCO designated). As a recognized State Climate Office, the Center strives to:

• Collect and monitor climate data through the in-situ observations of state- and federal-based weather and climate monitoring networks and the simulated data from climate and weather modeling.
• Disseminate climate information to the user community.
• Develop applied research, education, and extension programs aimed at reducing climate and weather risks in agriculture and natural resource management in Kansas and the Great Plains region.

The Center conducts applied research on the impact of climate variability on agricultural and natural resources, emphasizing developing and implementing decision aids used by extension agents, farmers, and natural resource managers to mitigate risks associated with climate variability.