How much rain did Wichita get this weekend? See what it means for area’s drought

As Wichita continues its second phase of drought restrictions, the rainy weekend could have helped, even if just a little.

Wichita’s official numbers from the National Weather Service show 0.04 inches of rainfall measured Saturday, Sept. 21; 1.4 inches measured Sept. 22; and 0.25 inches measured the morning of Sept. 23 at the Dwight D. Eisenhower Airport.

“It just barely moves the needle on the rainfall that we got, but every little bit helps,” said Janet Salazar, forecaster with the National Weather Service.

The best way to get past the current drought conditions is for a significant amount of rain to fall over Cheney Reservoir, where Wichita pulls its water from. Just upstream of the lake saw about 1.7 inches of rain this weekend, Salazar said, while Hutchinson, about 30 miles north of Cheney Reservoir, saw 2.7 inches.

“It could take 10 to 20 inches of more rain to probably get back to where we were at,” Salazar said.

But the change of seasons could help with the drought, she said.

“It’s really hard to say, but as we go through the fall, and we have less of the trees, bushes, grass, area taking that moisture as the leaves fall, we’re not going to have that taken-up the moisture, so the evaporation rates are going to be lower and that would help recovery of the lake,” Salazar said.

When will we see rain next in Wichita?

This week and next weekend could bring more rain to Wichita, according to the National Weather Service. Here’s the upcoming forecast:

• Tuesday: Chance of showers in the afternoon and a high near 75. Clear night with a low around 52.
• Wednesday: Sunny and a high of about 77. Clear in the night with a low around 53.
• Thursday: Sunny with a high of 76 and a low of 56.
• Friday: Chance of showers in the afternoon and a high of 75. Showers may continue in the evening with a low of 59.
• Saturday: Chance of showers during the day with a high of 76 and a low of 57.

This story was originally published September 23, 2024 at 3:34 PM.

Lindsay Smith

The Wichita Eagle

Lindsay Smith is a suburban news reporter for the Wichita Eagle, covering the communities of Andover, Bel Aire, Derby, Haysville and Kechi. She has been on The Eagle staff since 2022 and was the service journalism reporter for three years. She has a degree in communications with an emphasis in journalism from Wichita State, where she was editor-in-chief of the student newspaper, The Sunflower, for two years. You can reach her via email at lsmith@wichitaeagle.com.