Has the rain in Wichita helped drought conditions? What reservoir levels indicate
Recent rainy weather has led to water levels at Cheney Reservoir rising more than a foot since a low point in mid-May, but more precipitation is needed to ease drought restrictions in Wichita heading into summer.
Even with the U.S. Drought Monitor removing Wichita from its drought distinction, the watering restrictions in the city will remain in place for the foreseeable future due to still-low levels at the reservoir, which is the source of Wichita’s water.
“[Cheney] is at approximately 1,350 feet above sea level [on May 18], and as of this morning, they are at 1,351.6, so they’ve risen about 1.6 feet since the low there on May 18,” Bryan Baerg, a forecaster for the National Weather Service, told The Eagle Thursday.
The city’s website shows Cheney sat at 7.37 feet below normal May 27, which means it is 59.84% full. When the city first implemented phase two of its drought response plan — which restricts the watering of lawns and gardens to once a week — the reservoir level sat at just below 62%.
Wichita has experienced persistent drought-like conditions in recent years. The city moved into phase one of its drought response plan in 2023, and moved into phase two in August 2024. In February, the level at Cheney Reservoir sat at 69.2%.
Since May 1, Wichita has seen 7.65 inches of rain, which is above normal for the month and 0.33 inches above normal for the year.
While it’s hard to say exactly how much rain the area would need in order for the city to fully recover from drought conditions, Baerg said rainfall events like those this month only help.
“I would think if we would get a few more, you know, heavy rainfall events like we’ve seen recently, that that would only further put a dent in the drought and trying to remove the drought conditions across the entire area,” Baerg said.
When asked if the rainfall could mean changes for the area’s watering restrictions, city spokesperson Megan Lovely said “absolutely not.”
“Even with the recent rains, it could be years before we fully recover from drought conditions,” Lovely confirmed in an email to The Eagle. Some city officials are also considering implementing permanent watering restrictions.
When will Wichita see more rain? The latest forecast
Those closely monitoring drought conditions are in luck. There is more precipitation possible in the forecast for the next couple of days.
Friday is expected to be clear, but the chances of showers reappear Saturday afternoon, with another chance of thunderstorms before 1 a.m.
Monday night through Wednesday could see high temperatures in the 80s, with chances of showers and thunderstorms.
