Weekend rain setup & more 70s next week!

It was just 2 months ago that we needed the rain to pause for a moment so the wheat harvest could begin on time. And now, we need to turn the faucet back on for so many areas.

Salina is more than 5 inches below normal on precipitation since June 1st. So it's going to take some serious rainfall to make up that deficit, but hopefully it doesn't all come at once.

Weekend Setup:

Couple of things going on this weekend. We have a system pushing out of the Rockies Friday night-Saturday that should start the rain making machine once again. It will start in western Kansas late Friday night and then push east Saturday. Rain and storms could be off and on Saturday, but where will the heaviest setup? That's the tricky part. Confidence is growing that most of the heavier rains will go to the Flint Hills and east. Southeast Kansas will get some good rains, but if you are west of 135, you'll probably have to settle for .50 or less. But, that's more than some of us have had in quite some time.

Sunday: Most of the rain will be east of Kansas by then. 

Why are we getting such cool weather for August?

It's all about the pattern and where that "heat dome" decides to position itself. Just look at these incredible high temperatures from yesterday (Thursday):

• 105° Vancouver (Canada)
• 104° Fresno, CA
• 103° Portland, OR
• 103° Yakima, WA

That's the kind of stuff we expect in Kansas, not in the Pacific Northwest. So our steering winds aloft (call the jet stream) continue to come down from Canada, we get the benefit of having a cool August. Doesn't happen every year, but this time around, we are getting to enjoy some beautiful weather.

Next Week:
The pattern favors more 70 degree weather with chances for spotty rains across western Kansas and into Colorado. I have to say, the chances for rain in central and eastern Kansas DO NOT look promising at all. So you're going to see some big changes to the 7 day forecast on the air later today. Have a great weekend. I know this rain setup is frustrating, but once again, some of us just aren't in the right spot right now.