Douglas County farmer John Pendleton isn’t pretending Tuesday’s rain will work a miracle on the area’s ailing corn and soybeans.

But the tapping sounds on his roof Tuesday morning sure were welcome after a nearly bone-dry summer that has threatened the livelihood of more than a few Kansas farmers.

Motorists drive carefully as rain covers the Kansas Turnpike east of Lawrence. Tuesday's early morning rain was the first significant precipitation in the area in nearly half a month.

“I think there are probably a lot more smiles out in the county right now than what there were the last two months,” he said. “We were just so desperately needing rain.”

Pendleton said his farm east of Lawrence soaked up about 1.75 inches during showers that started early Tuesday morning and ended about noon. A little more than an inch of rain fell at Lawrence Municipal Airport.

But the spigot went dry Tuesday afternoon and won’t be replenished in this area until at least early next week. Forecasters are predicting a slight chance of rain Monday.

Nevertheless, Tuesday’s rain lifted some area farmers’ spirits.

“It kind of gives you renewed hope,” said Brenna Wulfkuhle, who farms southwest of Lawrence with her husband.

The rains also ushered in uncharacteristically cool August temperatures. Tuesday’s high reached just after midnight was 74, making it the fourth coolest Aug. 13 since 1887, said Scott Dergan, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Topeka.

“That is really unusual,” he said. “It’s a nice respite before the heat comes back.”

It could be a record-setting respite, said 6News meteorologist Matt Makens. He predicted the overnight low would either tie or break the city record of 55 degrees set back in 1929.

The moisture and cooler temperatures should allow gardens, dormant lawns and crops not yet bitten by the draught-like conditions to come up for air.

“I think it’s going to take more than this to make a big difference,” said Bruce Chladny, Douglas County’s horticulture extension agent. “But this rain is coming at a great time since we’re getting ready for the fall growing season. So this is going to help us get that soil moisture that we need.”

Wulfkuhle said the meager 0.35 inches her fields received might help green up the grass for her cattle. But as for her corn and soybeans, “It’s a little bit too little, too late.”

“We’ll probably start picking corn next week what corn there is out there,” she said. “It just ran out of steam.”

Tuesday’s was Lawrence’s first significant rainfall since July 29, when the city received about half an inch, Makens said. Before that, the area hadn’t seen precipitation since 0.67 inches fell July 4. Those figures put Lawrence about 2.5 inches below normal for July, Makens said.

If more rains don’t come soon, Wulfkuhle said, area farmers could decide to keep less cattle, plant less wheat or sit out next year on some crops altogether.

“A lot of decisions will be made in the next few weeks,” she said.

Temperatures should remain on the mild side today, with highs in the mid-80s and evening lows in the lower 60s, the weather service said. The rest of the week and the weekend should hover in the lower to mid-90s.