Heavy rains that caused some flooding in the Wichita area in late October provided some drought relief, but drought conditions were still rated as extreme for parts of central and southeast Kansas for October.
The National Weather Service said in its October climate report that precipitation was mostly below average, with an area of above normal precipitation along the I-35 corridor. Year-to-date precipitation remains well below average for central and southeast Kansas. October precipitation measured at Wichita’s Eisenhower National Airport totaled 5.98 inches, more than three inches above average. That gave Wichita a tie for the fifth wettest October on record.
October temperatures were mostly warmer than average. Wichita had an average temperature of 60.6 degrees, which is 1.6 degrees above normal.
Severe drought conditions continue in much of central, south central and southeast Kansas. There was some improvement in drought conditions for central and eastern Kansas over the past four to eight weeks, but conditions worsened in northeast Kansas. The report said some continued drought improvement is possible through January.
The Weather Service said an El Nino weather pattern is expected to bring near to above average temperatures for the winter, with near to above average precipitation across mid-America.
