Kansas, 2018

Drought in Kansas, October 1 to 9, 2018

October 1 to 9, 2018 · NWS EAX · 5 events in 5 counties and zones

After a very dry summer, exceptional drought (D4) conditions were experienced area-wide, resulting in heavy losses for local farmers. Things changed in October when widespread heavy rain effectively ended that drought.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 5 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
5

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS EAX wrote it up.

After a very dry summer, exceptional drought (D4) conditions were experienced area-wide, resulting in heavy losses for local farmers. Things changed in October when widespread heavy rain effectively ended that drought. Widespread 6 to 9 inches of rain fell, with some locations receiving over a foot of rain over the 4 day stretch from October 6 through October 9. By October 9th, the drought was effectively ended by the UNL drought monitor.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Kansas City, MO wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Sep 30, 5:35 PM CST, 6 hours 25 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Sep 30, 5:35 PM CST, 6 hours 25 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, Sep 30, 4:15 AM CST, 19 hours 45 minutes before
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The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

5 drought. Local standard time, as filed.

Drought, Atchison

When
October 1, 12:00 AM CST to October 9, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Atchison forecast zone
Reported by
Drought Monitor
Coordinates
39.532, -95.313 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Due to widespread dry conditions through the summer and early fall of 2018 most counties experienced extreme to exceptional drought (D3-D4). While some counties saw marked improvement through the late summer and early fall the drought continued into the second week of October. The drought improved area-wide after 6-12 inches of rain fell in a four day stretch in early October. This effectively ended the drought area-wide. While the exact damage costs are unknown, it is estimated that farmer across the entire region suffered millions of dollars of losses due to the extremely dry conditions.

Drought, Leavenworth

When
October 1, 12:00 AM CST to October 9, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Leavenworth forecast zone
Reported by
Drought Monitor
Coordinates
39.199, -95.038 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Due to widespread dry conditions through the summer and early fall of 2018 most counties experienced extreme to exceptional drought (D3-D4). While some counties saw marked improvement through the late summer and early fall the drought continued into the second week of October. The drought improved area-wide after 6-12 inches of rain fell in a four day stretch in early October. This effectively ended the drought area-wide. While the exact damage costs are unknown, it is estimated that farmer across the entire region suffered millions of dollars of losses due to the extremely dry conditions.

Drought, Wyandotte

When
October 1, 12:00 AM CST to October 9, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Wyandotte forecast zone
Reported by
Drought Monitor
Coordinates
39.115, -94.764 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Due to widespread dry conditions through the summer and early fall of 2018 most counties experienced extreme to exceptional drought (D3-D4). While some counties saw marked improvement through the late summer and early fall the drought continued into the second week of October. The drought improved area-wide after 6-12 inches of rain fell in a four day stretch in early October. This effectively ended the drought area-wide. While the exact damage costs are unknown, it is estimated that farmer across the entire region suffered millions of dollars of losses due to the extremely dry conditions.

Drought, Johnson

When
October 1, 12:00 AM CST to October 9, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Johnson forecast zone
Reported by
Drought Monitor
Coordinates
38.884, -94.822 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Due to widespread dry conditions through the summer and early fall of 2018 most counties experienced extreme to exceptional drought (D3-D4). While some counties saw marked improvement through the late summer and early fall the drought continued into the second week of October. The drought improved area-wide after 6-12 inches of rain fell in a four day stretch in early October. This effectively ended the drought area-wide. While the exact damage costs are unknown, it is estimated that farmer across the entire region suffered millions of dollars of losses due to the extremely dry conditions.

Drought, Miami

When
October 1, 12:00 AM CST to October 9, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Miami forecast zone
Reported by
Drought Monitor
Coordinates
38.564, -94.838 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Due to widespread dry conditions through the summer and early fall of 2018 most counties experienced extreme to exceptional drought (D3-D4). While some counties saw marked improvement through the late summer and early fall the drought continued into the second week of October. The drought improved area-wide after 6-12 inches of rain fell in a four day stretch in early October. This effectively ended the drought area-wide. While the exact damage costs are unknown, it is estimated that farmer across the entire region suffered millions of dollars of losses due to the extremely dry conditions.

What these are

Drought
A drought reaching severe (D2) or worse on the US Drought Monitor, or with notable impacts.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Kansas in 2018Every state in 2018This day in weather historyWarnings in Kansas, October 2018

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 790262, 790263, 790264, 790265, 790266.