during winter, because western kansas lies both on the edge of the subtropical anticyclones and in the rain shadow of westerly winds crossing the rocky mountains, the region is generally dry: no measurable precipitation fell in elkhart between 25 december 1903 and 2 april 1904, while monthly precipitation above has never been recorded during january and is observed fewer than one year in ten during november, december or february. temperatures can vary greatly during this season: strong chinook winds can drive temperatures above even in the depth of winter, with reached on average during six days between december and february, seven during november and eight during march. nevertheless, cold outbreaks from canada drive temperatures to or below on an average of 3.6 nights per winter. the coldest temperature recorded in elkhart has been on january 19, 1984, while the hottest winter temperature has been on february 1, 1963.