Rainy season coming to Wichita, but will drought return this year? What an expert says
Well into March, Wichita’s rainiest few months are just around the corner, but city residents could see precipitation this week.
The National Weather Service forecast shows chances of rain moving into the area after 4 p.m. Tuesday, March 10 with thunderstorms likely that night. That rain is the only forecast this week before a chance of snow showers arrive late Sunday, March 15.
Wichita also got rain last week, with a severe thunderstorm warning in effect Thursday night through early Friday morning.
But rain in the forecast is welcome after Wichita has experienced several years of intense drought, which led to dangerously low levels at Cheney Reservoir and permanent watering restrictions in the city.
Though Wichita is not currently experiencing drought and Cheney is above the normal level, the U.S. Drought Monitor indicates Sedgwick County is “abnormally dry,” with some southeast Kansas counties experiencing a “severe drought.”
What is the outlook for drought this year in the area? Here’s what to know.
Will Wichita see another drought?
The federal Climate Prediction Center shows no signals for Wichita to experience an abnormal spring, said Mick McGuire with the NWS.
“There’s not a strong signal … for either wet or dry. When we move farther south, there’s a signal to see below-normal precipitation and normal temperatures, but not a strong signal here,” he said.
The current weather trends don’t favor a drought in the near future, either.
“Given the recent trends, I think some improvement in that near-term drought, we’ll continue to see that, and then as we move spring into summer, we’ll just have to see what kind of pattern unfolds,” McGuire said.
May and June are typically the rainiest months of the year in Wichita, McGuire said.
The month of May averages around 5 inches and June averages a little less, around 4.93 inches, according to McGuire. So no matter what is in the forecast, the area can expect more rain as we move into spring and summer.
We’re also moving into Wichita’s severe weather season.
“As we move into the spring and we start to see more active weather (and) more severe thunderstorms, it’s just a good idea for people to pay attention to the weather and check the latest forecast so they have a plan,” McGuire said.
Here’s this week’s weather forecast from the weather service:
- Wednesday, March 11: Cloudy with a high around 57 degrees and a low of 34
- Thursday, March 12: Sunny with a high around 64 and a low of 45
- Friday, March 13: Mostly sunny with a high reaching 71 and a low around 46
- Saturday, March 14: High around 78 and sunny. Low around 46
- Sunday, March 15: Partly sunny with a high around 61. There’s a 20% chance of snow showers in the evening, with a low around 30 degrees.
