Recent rainfall leaves farmers wanting more; no crop damage reported from cold temps

Despite several recent days of thunderstorms and rain, farmers in northeastern Kansas are wanting more precipitation, one weather expert said.

Since Thursday, the Lawrence area has seen just over a half inch of rain, shy of the expected monthly average of just over two-thirds of an inch of rain, said Mary Knapp, assistant state climatologist with Kansas State University.

“The producers that I spoke to in the Kansas River Valley area were very happy with what they got,” Knapp said. “But they’re eyeing the dry conditions to our west with a concerned eye.”

Between Thursday and Friday just over .55 of an inch of rain fell in the Lawrence area, Knapp said. No precipitation was recorded on Saturday or Sunday, and only a trace-amount of rain fell Monday.

Average area rainfall by the end of April should total around 4.06 inches, Knapp said. And although the month is off to a drier-than-normal start, more rain can be expected as we approach May and June, the two wettest months for Kansas.

The weekend weather also dipped below freezing in some areas, Knapp said. But she has yet to hear any adverse affects from the brief cold snap.

“At this point I haven’t heard anything,” she said. “But for freeze damage it could take some time for that to become visible.”

Tuesday’s forecast is calling for about a 50 percent chance of scattered storms early in the day and throughout the evening.