Even with the rain in the forecast today, the drought is really beginning to take its toll. All 105 counties in the state of Kansas have some kind of drought status, and much of the southern half of the state is in exceptional drought. Franklin County was moved into severe drought status for the first time since 2019, and before that 2013. The rains today are not expected to bring relief in the long term, as the 30 day outlook for precipitation is below normal; however, conditions are expected to improve slightly according to the Kansas Drought Monitor.
Miami, Linn, Osage, Douglas and most of Anderson County is in the severe drought status also; however, the southern portion of Anderson County is in extreme drought status. A lot of people are asking how much rainfall do we need to bring our area out of drought status. Right now, our entire area needs 6 to 9 inches of rain for that to happen, 9-12 for southern Anderson County.
We all have been enjoying the past several days of sunny skies with temperatures in the 70’s, but, as the rain begins to fall, and the temperatures cool down, don’t complain, because we could really use a little, well…maybe a lot of rain.
