Rain, more rain and now heat and humidity

Wichita just recorded the second wettest July in its history.

The wettest was in 1950 when 13.37 inches of rain fell. This summer, it has been 9.67 inches, said Jaclyn Ritzman, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Wichita.

“We had a lot of rain, especially the first half of July,” Ritzman said. “It has been unseasonably wet for the month of July.”

In an average year, Wichita typically receives about 20 inches of moisture from Jan. 1 through July 31, Ritzman said. This year, it received 28.06.

On a single day – July 2 – the city got 5 inches of rain.

“We’ve had the rain and then it’s been pretty warm,” Ritzman said.

A ridge of high pressure has set up over the middle of the nation and is causing temperatures to be slightly above normal, Ritzman said.

The average temperature for the end of July is 93 degrees. Sunday’s high temperature and the highs for the rest of this week were expected to be closer to 99 and 100 degrees.

Sunday, the National Weather Service issued a hazardous weather warning for central Kansas, saying a heat index of 100 to 105 would remain through the evening.

That’s not all bad news. It is the perfect growing condition for lawns, gardens, pastures and most crops.

More rain is expected Friday, Ritzman said.

“Any time it is really warm and humid, air masses build and you get more chances of isolated rain storms that can pop up,” she said.

With that in mind, she encourages Wichitans to take precautions:

▪  Don’t leave any passengers behind in parked vehicles.

▪  Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. Drink even more water.

▪  Keep outdoor activities to a minimum – don’t exercise during the extreme heat of the day.

“You just need to pay extra attention on how you deal with the heat,” Ritzman said.

This story was originally published July 31, 2016 at 6:17 PM with the headline "Rain, more rain and now heat and humidity."