Rainfall needed and an October preview

sunrise Thursday morning - courtesy Terry White (over Hutch)

The month of September was a mainly dry month for much of Kansas. Where we need rain, the deficits continue to grow. There are some areas of central and western Kansas that have fallen 5 to 10 inches below normal for the year. I've highlighted rainfall stats for Russell, Wichita, and Dodge City. There is quite a variation in all of the locations too.

October is a month that can see some radical changes in the weather pattern, temperatures, precipitation, and even the type of precipitation. Our average highs will drop into the 60s during the middle of the month, and go even lower by Halloween. The days continue to grow shorter, and by the end of the month, we will be down about 70 minutes of daylight.

Most of us will experience frost in the next 30 days. On average, the northwest sees frost within the first 10-15 days of the month, while it's much later for south central and southeast Kansas. I don't see any sign of frost in the near future yet, but we know it's coming. Cold fronts are getting stronger and as soon as we see the first sign of frost, we will be sure to post it here on the blog. Have a great day!