Even though Lawrence received more than 2 inches of rain over the three-day holiday weekend, the area remains short on moisture compared with an average year.

Lawrence got 2.3 inches of rain on Sunday and Monday, but that still leaves the area 2.59 inches below a normal year through Labor Day, according to National Weather Service meteorologist Matt Wolters.

But the rain was welcome news for area soybean farmers, whose blooming crops were in need of moisture after a few dry weeks, said Leroy Russell, agriculture agent for K-State Research and Extension in Shawnee County.

“It made a big difference because I noticed it perked everything back up and greened it up and kind of gave it a shot in the arm because it was getting pretty desperate,” he said. “I noticed the same in pastures: Pasture ground perked up right after that (rain).”

The local soybean crop still needs moisture and cool weather in the months ahead to make for a successful harvest, Russell said. The area corn crop, however, is already mature and ready to be harvested in the coming weeks, he added.

“Farmers are also getting ready to plant wheat in about three weeks, so you want moisture in there to get your wheat to sprout,” he said. “The rains have helped; they just need to continue.”

The U.S. Drought Monitor still shows Douglas County to be abnormally dry, a step above average, but predicts an improvement in the drought conditions for east-central Kansas over the next several months.

According to the Kansas Water Office, soil moisture in the east-central division of Kansas, which includes Douglas County, is considered abnormally dry (1 to 1.9 inches short in the topsoil). Satellite imagery showed the vegetative condition in the area is poor, the office reported.

Meanwhile, the Clinton reservoir conservation pool is about a half foot short of being full (compared with 4 feet in May), while local stream flows are normal, the Water Office also reported.

The month of August saw above-average precipitation for Lawrence, or almost 6 inches, which is 1.5 inches above normal, Wolters said.

In addition, more rain is in the forecast, with a 50 percent chance of precipitation Thursday night through Friday night and more predicted for early next week, Wolters noted. “We could see a good soaking across the area,” he said.