Summer pattern is here... finally

I wasn't sure if we'd ever make it through the hail, wind, endless flooding, and tornadoes that this spring delivered to Kansas. It has been an unbelievable stretch when you get down to it. Kansas is currently running above normal on the tornado count and in second place across the country. The official numbers might change a bit, but we average about 80 tornadoes in a year and we are now above 100.

Since the beginning of April, our longest dry spell for south central Kansas has been roughly 10-11 days. It's a similar stat for Salina. 

Dodge City went 23 days without measurable rain in April, but shortly after that, the rains started falling and we really haven't been able to shut it off in the last two months. 

How long will this upcoming dry pattern hang around?

First, it doesn't look like we are headed to a major heat wave. We've been saying this will NOT be the summer for that kind of setup. The additional moisture that covers our area will help to moderate the temperatures, likely keeping us away from any long stretches of above normal temperatures. 

In fact, I'll show you a map for average temperatures just after the 4th of July holiday. It shows a big pocket of cool weather across the central Plains. So we could end up with some pretty decent temperatures through much of July (when we would otherwise be getting some of our hottest weather of the year).  

As for rainfall, we may start to get some chances of storms back around the 4th. That's when our next front may reach the area, but between now and the middle of next week, much of the area should get to enjoy some calmer weather. Most of us will appreciate that I'm sure.