Friday’s rainfall may well have put the drought on pause for the short term. Saturday, meanwhile, started with a mix of rain and the area’s first snowfall of the season.
The KVOE studios received 2.5 inches between 7 am Friday and 3 am Saturday, reaching 2.8 inches total after additional rainfall. KVOE records indicate it’s the heaviest rainfall for a 24-hour period so far this year.
At the Emporia Municipal Airport, the total was 2.34 inches between 8 am and midnight Friday, with another 0.34 inches afterward. The total shatters the prior daily record of 0.92 inches set in 1956.
Other totals as of 1 pm Saturday:
*3 miles east of Emporia Municipal Airport: 4.11 inches
*900 block Graphic Arts: 3.5 inches
*1100 block Constitution: 2.9 inches
*1600 block Coronado: 3.5 inches
*1800 block Coronado: 3.6 inches
*Ninth and Burns: 5.75 inches
*Tenth and Weaver: 3 inches
*South and Sylvan: 3.05 inches
*3.5 miles west of Americus: 2.8 inches
*Burlington: 1.91 inches
*Cottonwood Falls: 2.67 inches
*6 miles southeast of Cottonwood Falls: 1.89 inches
*Between Hartford and Olpe: 2 inches
*Lebo: 2.7 inches
*Neosho Rapids: 2.5 inches
*Olpe: 3 inches
*Reading: 2.5 inches
*1 mile north of Saffordville: 2.5 inches
*Thorndale: 3 inches
*1.5 miles east of Thorndale: 3.1 inches
*Toledo (two miles west of Plymouth): 1.5 inches
The next update from the US Drought Monitor is Thursday. Severe to extreme drought covers the KVOE listening area at this time.
Friday’s rain was beneficial for a lot of reasons, but it didn’t help drivers moving at highway speeds. Emergency crews responded to several crashes with reported injuries, including one on the Kansas Turnpike near the Flint Hills cattle pens exit before 10 am. One person was taken to Newman Regional Health for treatment, but troopers haven’t provided details yet. Another reported injury crash in that same location a few minutes later led to no hospital trips, and details are pending after a wreck on the Turnpike near the Matfield Green service exit around 11 am. In addition:
*A crash around 2 pm between the Turnpike’s Emporia service exit and the Admire tollgate was reported as an injury crash, but nobody was taken to the hospital afterward.
*Nobody went to the hospital after a reported injury crash on the Kansas Turnpike about 30 miles northeast of Emporia in Osage County.
*Nobody went to the hospital after a one-vehicle crash in Chase County between the Matfield Green service exit and Flint Hills cattle pens exit Friday night.
Light snow developed shortly before 5 am Saturday. There has been no accumulation at the KVOE studios.
We’ll keep you posted on KVOE, KVOE.com and KVOE social media. If you have rain totals, message the KVOE-Bluestem Farm and Ranch text line at 620-342-5863.
