Saturday’s rainfall likely put a cork in one of Emporia’s wettest years.
At the KVOE studios, the current total is 59.18 inches of moisture after Saturday’s 2.4 inches of rainfall. This means the 1973 record of over 65 inches of rain will stand another year.
The Emporia Municipal Airport’s total is lower — 43.31 inches — but that is still about seven inches above normal, according to the National Weather Service.
There is a slight chance of rain or snow showers Sunday afternoon and evening, but nothing measurable is expected.
There were five separate notable flooding incidents across Lyon County and several nearby counties during the spring months, thanks to almost 27 inches of rain in April and May.
The year actually ended mainly dry, with almost no precipitation in November and early December before a 2- to 6-inch snowfall Dec. 16 and the rainfall from Saturday. How the rain affects the dry conditions that recently developed across parts of the KVOE listening area west of Emporia will be determined Tuesday and announced Thursday by the US Drought Monitor. Abnormally dry conditions cover southwest Lyon County just west of Olpe, according to the latest information from the US Drought Monitor. Most of Chase County is abnormally dry, as are far northwest Greenwood County and western Morris County.
Other Saturday totals:
*East Emporia: 1.5 inches
*Emporia Municipal Airport: 1.29 inches
*Americus: 2.91 inches
Chase County totals range from 1.5 to 2 inches with radar estimates as high as 2.5 inches. In Greenwood County, gauges and radar estimates are from 1 to 1.5 inches.
If you have rain totals from Saturday, call KVOE at 342-1400, email kvoe@kvoe.com, message the Bluestem Farm and Ranch text line at 620-342-5863 or post to Facebook@kvoenews.
