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Heavy Rain Helps Drought Conditions but Causes Flooding in Parts of Northwest Kansas
After several soggy days across the region, much of northwest Kansas has received some much-needed moisture, with some areas picking up several inches of rain.
Clint Alexander with the U.S. National Weather Service in Goodland joined NWKS Radio News Director Lucas Kenney to discuss rainfall totals, drought conditions and what residents can expect heading into the weekend.
According to Alexander, the majority of northwest Kansas received more than an inch of rain during the multi-day event, while some locations received considerably more.
“Places between Oakley down to Leoti and Tribune, they were looking at five to six inches possibly,” Alexander said.
Those numbers remain preliminary, with the National Weather Service continuing to tally rainfall from the multi-day event. Alexander explained that determining exact storm totals can take some time because precipitation is typically recorded in 24-hour increments.
One of the biggest positives was how the rain fell. While totals were impressive in some locations, much of the precipitation came at a gradual enough rate to allow the ground to absorb it.
That could also mean some welcome improvement in drought conditions.
Alexander said the latest drought outlook was already showing improvement across the region, and the additional rainfall should help even more.
“We’re looking at our drought status going back down and potentially even being eliminated across a good portion of our area up here in northwestern Kansas,” Alexander said.
Too Much Rain in Some Areas
While the rain was welcome for much of the region, portions of Greeley and Wichita counties received more water than the ground could handle.
Alexander said numerous roads in those areas had experienced flooding, closures or washouts following the heavy rainfall.
Drivers are reminded to never attempt to cross a flooded roadway. If water is moving across the road, find another route and obey all road closure signs.
“Turn around, don’t drown is always a great saying to have in mind,” Alexander said.
Cooler Temperatures, Then a Weekend Warm-Up
Following the rain, northwest Kansas will get a brief taste of cooler weather, with temperatures potentially dropping into the 40s overnight.
That cool-down won’t last long.
Alexander said temperatures are expected to rebound into the 80s over the weekend, with the region also getting an opportunity to dry out for a few days.
Looking farther ahead, the outlook is a little more mixed. Some drier conditions could be favored at times over the next few months, but the three-month outlook shows at least a slight lean toward above-average precipitation.
After weeks of concern about dry conditions across northwest Kansas, the recent stretch of rain has delivered significant moisture to fields, pastures and communities across the NWKS Radio listening area.
Keep up with the latest local weather information, forecasts and alerts with NWKS Radio on-air, online and on our social media pages.
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