A prolonged period of extremely dry weather led to drought conditions worsening during the month of August 2022. The hardest hit areas were across southern Kansas, where some locations experienced some of the driest summers on record.
Every event with a place to put it; 20 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
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.
The episode as NWS ICT wrote it up.
A prolonged period of extremely dry weather led to drought conditions worsening during the month of August 2022. The hardest hit areas were across southern Kansas, where some locations experienced some of the driest summers on record. Numerous counties across southern Kansas climbed from severe drought (D2) to extreme drought (D3) by the end of August.
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 Wichita, KS wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jul 31, 10:19 PM CST, 1 hour 41 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Wichita KS 1119 PM CDT Sun Jul 31 2022 .SHORT TERM...(This evening through Wednesday night) Issued at 247 PM CDT Sun Jul 31 2022 Upper ridging will begin to build over the region this evening and continue through Tuesday returning hot and dry conditions to the area. Expect high temperatures to climb into the upper 90s to near 100 degrees Monday through Wednesday. Heat indices Tuesday and Wednesday will approach 100 to 105 degrees, though increased wind gusts should help limit the overall heat stress. The ridge will flatten out, temporarily, on Wednesday as a shortwave trough translates across the Northern Plains. .LONG TERM...(Thursday through Sunday) Issued at 247 PM CDT Sun Jul 31 2022 As a progressive shortwave moves across the Northern Plains Wednesday, a trailing frontal boundary is progged move through central KS Wednesday into Thursday. This feature may be a focus for scattered showers. Upper ridging will quickly fill back in and amplify as we head into late week and the start of the weekend. Thereafter, models start to diverge in how the next shortwave coming out of the Pacific Northwest evolves. Expect high temperatures in the upper 90s to continue throughout the extended period. && .AVIATION...(For the 06Z TAFS through 06Z Monday night) Issued at 1116 PM CDT Sun Jul 31 2022 VFR conditions are expected over the next 24 hours. A couple of showers may try to develop across northern Oklahoma and southern Kansas, but impacts will be minimal. Southerly to southeasterly surface flow is expected to continue. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... Wichita-KICT 72 98 74 101 / 0 0 0 0 Hutchinson 69 98 74 101 / 0 0 0 0 Newton 70 96 74 99 / 0 0 0 0 ElDorado 70 95 73 99 / 0 0 0 0 Winfield-KWLD 72 96 74 100 / 10 0 0 0 Russell 67 98 72 102 / 0 0 0 0 Great Bend 67 97 72 101 / 0 0 0 0 Salina 69 99 75 103 / 0 0 0 0 McPherson 69 98 73 100 / 0 0 0 0 Coffeyville 73 95 74 100 / 10 10 0 0 Chanute 71 95 73 99 / 10 10 0 0 Iola 71 95 73 98 / 10 0 0 0 Parsons-KPPF 73 95 73 100 / 10 0 0 0 && .ICT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... None. && SHORT TERM...KMB LONG TERM...KMB AVIATION...JC
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Wichita KS 456 PM CDT Sun Jul 31 2022 KSZ032-033-047>053-067>072-082-083-091>096-098>100-012200- Russell-Lincoln-Barton-Ellsworth-Saline-Rice-McPherson-Marion-Chase- Reno-Harvey-Butler-Greenwood-Woodson-Allen-Kingman-Sedgwick-Harper- Sumner-Cowley-Elk-Wilson-Neosho-Chautauqua-Montgomery-Labette- 456 PM CDT Sun Jul 31 2022 This hazardous weather outlook is for portions of Central Kansas, South Central Kansas and Southeast Kansas. .DAY ONE...Tonight No hazardous weather is expected at this time. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Monday through Saturday Heat indices will approach the 100 to 105 range in the afternoon and early evening Tuesday and Wednesday. A few storms will be possible Wednesday evening through early Thursday morning. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation is not anticipated tonight. && For a graphical version of this information, see our webpage at: https://weather.gov/crh/ghwo?sid=ict
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
20 drought. Local standard time, as filed.
Extreme drought (D3) continued across the entire county due to continued well below normal rainfall.
Extreme drought (D3) continued across the entire county due to continued well below normal rainfall.
Severe drought (D2) expanded to extreme drought (D3), during the the middle of the month due to continued well below normal rainfall.
Moderate drought (D1) rapidly expanded to severe drought (D2) and eventually extreme drought (D3) by the end of the month, due to well below normal rainfall across the county. The Airport in Chanute, Kansas only reported 0.87 inches of rainfall for the month. This was 2.97 inches below normal. This was the third consecutive month that was 2 inches below normal.
Moderate drought (D1) rapidly expanded to severe drought (D2) and eventually extreme drought (D3) by the end of the month, due to well below normal rainfall across the county.
Moderate drought (D1) rapidly expanded to severe drought (D2) by the end of the month, due to well below normal rainfall across the county.
Moderate drought (D1) rapidly expanded to severe drought (D2) by the end of the month, due to well below normal rainfall across the county.
Moderate drought (D1) rapidly expanded to severe drought (D2) by the end of the month, due to well below normal rainfall across the county.
Moderate drought (D1) rapidly expanded to severe drought (D2) by the end of the month, due to well below normal rainfall across the county.
Severe drought (D2) rapidly expanded extreme drought (D3) by the end of the month, due to well below normal rainfall across the county.
Moderate drought (D1) rapidly expanded to severe drought (D2) and eventually to extreme drought (D3) by the end of the month, due to well below normal rainfall across the county.
Severe drought (D2) rapidly expanded to extreme drought (D3) by the end of the month, due to well below normal rainfall across the county.
Severe drought (D2) rapidly expanded to extreme drought (D3) by the end of the month, due to well below normal rainfall across the county. Wichita Eisenhower National Airport reported 1.04 inches of rainfall, which was 3.26 inches below normal. This marked the third month in a row with below normal rainfall.
Moderate drought (D1) rapidly expanded to Severe (D2) and eventually extreme drought (D3) by the end of the month, due to well below normal rainfall across the county.
Moderate drought (D1) rapidly expanded to Severe (D2) and eventually extreme drought (D3) by the end of the month, due to well below normal rainfall across the county.
Severe drought (D2) rapidly expanded to extreme drought (D3) by the end of the month, due to well below normal rainfall across the county.
Moderate drought (D1) rapidly expanded to Severe drought (D2) by the end of the month, due to well below normal rainfall across the county.
Severe drought (D2) continued across the entire county due to continued well below normal rainfall.
Moderate drought (D1) rapidly expanded to Severe drought (D2) by the end of the month, due to well below normal rainfall across the county.
Moderate drought (D1) rapidly expanded to Severe drought (D2) by the end of the month, due to well below normal rainfall across the county.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Kansas in 2022Every state in 2022This day in weather historyWarnings in Kansas, August 2022
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 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 1052337, 1052338, 1052339, 1052341, 1052343, 1052345, 1052348, 1052349, 1052350, 1052352, 1052353, 1052354, 1052355, 1052356, 1052357, 1052358, 1052359, 1052360, 1052361, 1052362.