Unfortunately, drought conditions are expected to worsen across the country over the next few months.
The winter weather outlook as announced recently by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration indicates worsening drought conditions regionally and nationally. National Weather Service meteorologist Chad Omitt says it’s hard to gauge how accurate three-month outlooks like this can be for given locations, and he says residents need to be prepared — both for traditional winter weather and dry conditions.
Most of the KVOE listening area is currently in severe drought, including all or parts of Lyon, Chase, Coffey, Morris and Wabaunsee counties. Greenwood County, meanwhile, ranges from severe drought near Madison to exceptional drought just south of Eureka.
The outlook has an equal chance of above-normal and below-normal temperatures, while the Flint Hills are on the edge of equal-chance to below-normal precipitation. Much of the southern third of the country could see below-normal precipitation, based on the outlook, with the worst conditions across southern Texas and far southeast New Mexico.
