WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) – Wichita is out of drought, and a quarter of the state is now clear of any signs of drought. This change has come over the last couple of weeks.
This is the first time since February that Wichita has not been highlighted on the drought monitor map. It shows big improvements this week after dry conditions in September and October. ‘
Unseasonable amounts of rain are making the difference.
“The kind of change that we saw these last couple of weeks, it doesn’t happen that often,” said Richard Tinker, National Weather Service meteorologist and drought expert.
At the end of October, more than a third of the state was in severe drought. Now, it’s down to only 3%, said Richard Tinker, the meteorologist who put together the most recent drought monitor.
“This amount of precipitation that we’ve gotten is pretty unusual, for several inches in some cases approaching 7, 8, 9 inches of rain here,” said Tinker.
Given the amount of rain this November, it is normally a relatively dry time of year.
“Right now, the pattern has flipped on us, and it’s been much more beneficial to our moisture,” said KSN Chief Meteorologist Lisa Teachman.
Drought improvements aren’t surprising.
“Extreme drought removed from southeast Kansas in the past few weeks and even other parts of the state with no degree of drought at all,” Teachman said.
Teachman said in the long term, the drought isn’t over.
Meteorologists with Kansas Mesonet, who track long-term data across the state, warn conditions could still fluctuate.
“We’re in a period of long-term dry, and I think this is definitely a bump in a positive direction, but with the current patterns, it’s not likely to offset that long-term dryness,” said Christopher Redmond, a meteorologist at K-State.
“Certainly, for the short term, conditions are looking up,” Tinker said.
Meteorologists say drought conditions in south-central Kansas have been steadily improving since peak dryness in 2022 and 2023, but Redmond said we could potentially be in for a dry spring.