Wrapping up May - June preview

How often do you see northwest Kansas get more rain than everybody else? It's a rare occurrence for sure, but this month of May was quite wet (again) for some areas.

Take a look at the following maps. One shows how much rain fell during the month, while the other shows how far above or below most areas ended up. And generally speaking, most of the rainfall amounts from around Kansas were near normal for the month. The HUGE rains in April pushed us way ahead, and May just kept us safely above average.

Observed rainfall - May

Difference from normal

It still amazes me that Dodge City is about 4 inches away from reaching the typical average annual rain, and we aren't even halfway through the year yet. Here are the latest May rainfall stats from around the area.

Salina Rainfall Stats:

• May = 3.71" / -0.69"
• Year = 13.08" / +1.44"

 In case you missed it in my blog last week, I'm expecting the first half of June to have several days with near to below normal temperatures. That would likely mean more days with highs in the upper 70s and low 80s. There's good chance we will be sticking with the stormy weather pattern too. One piece of data shows the central Plains could be getting some decent rains in the first couple weeks of the month. I know this isn't what wheat farmers need or want right now, but it's something to watch for in the coming days.

As we approach the second half of the month, hotter weather and drier conditions should return. A large high pressure system may help to shut the faucet off. Time will tell for sure.