Rain keeps coming - some severe & flooding too

It's now been a month since the wet pattern set in across the Plains and it just keeps on coming! Later this week I'll take a more in-depth look at the end of April and into early May. But for this week, we have two particular storms we are watching that will have an impact as the week continues.

First, look at the rainfall comparison for 2017 (year to date) compared to 2016:

Dodge City: 

• 2017: 9.19"    /     2016: 6.10"

Wichita:

• 2017: 10.92"  /     2016: 3.53"

Goodland

• 2017: 2.93"   /      2016: 4.06"

So northwest Kansas hasn't quite had the big rains that other parts of the state have had. In fact, look at this map from the last two weeks. Northwest Kansas has only recorded trace amounts. So that's an areas of the state that would like to have more moisture before the faucet gets turned off.

Severe Setup Wednesday:

Another cold front is scheduled to arrive during the afternoon/early evening hours. While this is not going to be anything more than some isolated severe storms, some hail and wind will be possible.

Late Week Storm - Flooding Concerns:

I'm most interested in the late week storm that is headed for the Plains. This system has the potential of producing more heavy, widespread rains that could cause some serious flooding issues. The ground is so wet in many places that another 1-3" of rain could be harmful. This is not looking like a big severe weather setup for Kansas, but it's a slow mover that will likely drench much of the Plains.