Summertime heat and humidity are definitely here to start the week.
Sunday’s high temperature got to 96 with a peak heat index of 110 Sunday. Air temperatures will be in the mid-to-upper 90s through Wednesday with peak heat index readings as high as 104 to start the work week. Heat advisories continue until 8 pm Tuesday areawide.
Thankfully, this will be short-lived. A cold front will give us repeated chances of showers and storms to end the work week — and will bring us decidedly cooler conditions, with highs in the low 80s Thursday and close to 80 degrees for Friday and Saturday.
In the meantime, this level of heat and humidity can cause all sorts of issues for the agriculture industry. Prior to the heavy rain areawide Thursday and Friday, Lyon County Extension Ag Agent Brian Rees had said water quality for livestock was a key issues. Now that algae concerns have subsided for now, attention shifts to simply keeping livestock cool.
Heavy rainfall also may have blunted the recent return of drought, albeit on a low level, but Rees says crops were already suffering after two rounds of flooding in June. Soybeans aren’t looking much the worse for wear for now, but corn was starting to dry out before the most recent rainfall and has showing signs of stress for a while.
Unless they are new to the area, ag producers are used to the summertime heat and humidity. Rees says the standard extra precautions are still needed, especially additional hydration, the use of light and loose-fitting clothes and changing work schedules if possible.
Meanwhile, impacts continue after anywhere from 1.5 to 10 inches of rainfall combined for Thursday and Friday.
Most of Greenwood County was under flood warnings almost continuously from Thursday night through Saturday morning after anywhere from 4.2 to 10 inches of rain, with the heaviest reports coming from the Virgil area. A few roads were closed near Virgil on Thursday night, and there have been some unspecified washout areas for roads or low-water crossings. Specifics have not been released.
Most of Chase County, meanwhile, was under a flood warning for Saturday morning. No road closures are currently listed.
Stay with KVOE, KVOE.com and KVOE social media for updates. If you have separate rain totals from Thursday or Friday, or if you want to share combined two-day totals, message the KVOE Bluestem Farm and Ranch Supply text line at 620-342-5863.
