Drought in Kansas, May 1 to 31, 2026

Name: Drought in Kansas, May 1 to 31, 2026
Start: 2026-05-01T00:00
End: 2026-05-31T23:59
Location: Kansas

May 1 to 31, 2026 · NWS ICT · 6 events in 6 counties and zones

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 6 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

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The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 6

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 ICT wrote it up.

Areas of drought impacting portions of central and south central Kansas persisted through much of the month. A degradation in the conditions occurred in Barton, McPherson and Rice counties with a classification of the extreme category (D3) beginning on May 5th. Northern Reno County was included in the degradation to D3 with a brief improvement following some rain for about a week before returning back to it by the end of the month.

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 Wichita, KS wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Apr 30, 9:42 PM CST, 2 hours 18 minutes earlier. Its key messages:

Scattered showers and perhaps a few thunderstorms through this evening, and again Friday afternoon-evening. Strong to severe thunderstorms not expected.
Modest potential for strong to severe thunderstorms Monday afternoon-evening.
Mostly near to below average temperatures the next several days, with the exception of warmer 80s Sunday-Monday.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 30, 9:42 PM CST, 2 hours 18 minutes before

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Wichita KS
1042 PM CDT Thu Apr 30 2026

...Updated for 06Z TAFs...

.KEY MESSAGES...

- Scattered showers and perhaps a few thunderstorms through this
  evening, and again Friday afternoon-evening. Strong to severe
  thunderstorms not expected.

- Modest potential for strong to severe thunderstorms Monday
  afternoon-evening.

- Mostly near to below average temperatures the next several
  days, with the exception of warmer 80s Sunday-Monday.

&&

.DISCUSSION...
Issued at 208 PM CDT Thu Apr 30 2026

SHOWER/THUNDERSTORM CHANCES:

THIS AFTERNOON--EVENING...Fleet-footed shortwave energy traversing
Mid-America in concert with a weak cold front approaching from the
north will support scattered rain showers and perhaps a few weak
thunderstorms through the evening, especially generally along/north
of Highway 54. Meager instability will prevent strong/severe
thunderstorms or heavy rainfall.

FRIDAY AFTERNOON--EVENING...A deep trough dropping south through Mid-
America amidst daytime heating and cooling temperatures aloft should
prove sufficient for at least widely scattered showers and perhaps a
few thunderstorms Friday afternoon and evening. Activity should
initiate over central and northern Kansas during the afternoon,
moving south-southeast into southern Kansas during the evening.
Similar to today, meager instability will prevent strong/severe
thunderstorms or heavy rainfall.

MONDAY AFTERNOON--WEDNESDAY...A cold front dropping south through
Mid-America along with a pair of shortwaves approaching from the
west and northwest may support increasing shower/thunderstorm
chances across the region early to mid next week. As things
currently stand, thinking the greatest potential for a handful of
strong to severe thunderstorms would be Monday afternoon-evening,
when there is a favorable combination of shear, buoyancy, and large
scale forcing. While this doesn't appear to be a widespread severe
weather event, stay tuned as we refine forecast details in the
coming days.

FOG:

TONIGHT--EARLY FRIDAY...Light boundary layer winds amidst clearing
skies and moist low-levels may support patchy fog later tonight into
Friday morning, especially over central Kansas. Not much model
support for fog, although pattern recognition should support at
least some patchy/shallow ground fog for low-lying areas between
about 4-9 AM.

TEMPERATURES:

Deterministic and ensemble consensus supports mostly near to below
average temperatures the next several days, as an expansive longwave
trough remains anchored over central and eastern North America. The
exception will be Sunday-Monday, as heights/thickness and
southwesterly flow increases ahead of our next cold front. 80s look
probable for daytime highs Sunday-Monday.

&&

.AVIATION /00Z TAFS THROUGH 00Z SATURDAY/...
Issued at 1039 PM CDT Thu Apr 30 2026

We continue to see some mid-level clouds impacting the area
which is expected to persist through much of the night before
diminishing late. Transient clouds and some drier air moving
southward into the area leads to low confidence in for formation
but some brief fog is still possible in low-lying areas of
central KS early on Friday. Another subtle shortwave trough
could bring afternoon showers to the area on Friday afternoon but
the low level moisture will be lacking which may limit coverage
of shower activity. Light north winds may become variable at
times through the period.

&&

.ICT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
None.

&&

DISCUSSION...ADK
AVIATION...MWM

Hazardous weather outlook, Apr 30, 2:46 PM CST, 9 hours 14 minutes before

Hazardous Weather Outlook
National Weather Service Wichita KS
346 PM CDT Thu Apr 30 2026

KSZ032-033-047>053-067>072-082-083-091>096-098>100-011200-
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-
346 PM CDT Thu Apr 30 2026

This hazardous weather outlook is for portions of Central Kansas,
South Central Kansas and Southeast Kansas.

.DAY ONE...Tonight

A few thunderstorms are possible this evening across central and
eastern Kansas, but severe weather is not expected.

Patchy frost is possible later tonight over central and north-
central Kansas.

Patchy fog is possible later tonight through early Friday over
central Kansas.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Friday through Wednesday

A few thunderstorms are once again possible Friday afternoon and
evening across central and eastern Kansas. Severe weather is not
expected.

Patchy frost is possible Friday night through early Saturday across
central and north-central Kansas.

Periodic thunderstorm chances return to the region by late Monday
and persist through Wednesday. Stay tuned as we refine forecast
details in the coming days.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

Spotter activation is not anticipated tonight.

&&

For a graphical version of this information, see our webpage at:
https://www.weather.gov/erh/ghwo?wfo=ict

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

6 drought. Local standard time, as filed.

Drought, Russell

When: May 1, 12:00 AM CST to May 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Russell forecast zone
Reported by: Drought Monitor
Coordinates: 38.915, -98.762 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

West central into southern portions of the county entered the month in severe drought (D2) status with the rest of the county in moderate drought (D1). There were improvements in the southern portion of the county on May 19th after rounds of thunderstorms in the middle of the month produced over five inches of rain south of Wilson according to CoCoRaHS observations. An area in the west central portions of the county remained in D2 status which was then expanded to the north on the 26th. Based on CoCoRaHS and cooperative observer observations, there was from 0.15 to 0.56 an inch through this time period for those locations.

Drought, Barton

When: May 1, 12:00 AM CST to May 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Barton forecast zone
Reported by: Drought Monitor
Coordinates: 38.479, -98.756 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The entire county entered the month in severe drought (D2) status. There was a degradation to the extreme drought (D3) category starting on the 5th in southern portions of the county which continued through the rest of the month. Rounds of thunderstorms in the middle of the month specifically the 17th into 18th improved northern portions of the county to moderate drought (D1) status; a cooperative observer near Galatia measured 3.97 inches on the 18th.

Drought, Ellsworth

When: May 1, 12:00 AM CST to May 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Ellsworth forecast zone
Reported by: Drought Monitor
Coordinates: 38.697, -98.205 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

West central to southeast portions of the county entered the month in severe drought (D2) status. While southern portions of the county remained there through the month, west central portions of the county improved to moderate drought (D1) status after rounds of storms moved through from the 17th-18th with observations in the area ranging from nearly two to over five inches.

Drought, Rice

When: May 1, 12:00 AM CST to May 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Rice forecast zone
Reported by: Drought Monitor
Coordinates: 38.347, -98.201 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The county entered the month in severe drought (D2) which was expanded in the south to extreme drought (D3) on the 5th then further to encompass most of the county on the 19th and lasting through the rest of the month. According to CoCoRaHS and cooperative observers, only around an inch of rain fell for the entire month.

Drought, McPherson

When: May 1, 12:00 AM CST to May 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: McPherson forecast zone
Reported by: Drought Monitor
Coordinates: 38.392, -97.648 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Only western portions of the county entered the month in severe drought (D2) status. The far southwest corner worsened by the 5th when it was put into extreme drought (D3) status. This expanded eastward on the 12th but stayed confined to the southwest quadrant of the county. By the end of the month the county ranged from abnormally dry in the far northeast corner to extreme drought in the southwest. Rainfall totals in much of the drought areas were around an inch according to CoCoRaHS and cooperative observers through the 26th.

Drought, Reno

When: May 1, 12:00 AM CST to May 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Reno forecast zone
Reported by: Drought Monitor
Coordinates: 37.953, -98.086 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Northern portions of the county entered the month in severe drought (D2) status with the rest of the county in abnormally dry to moderate drought status. Unfortunately conditions worsened in the far northwest corner with a degradation in the drought category to extreme (D3) starting on the 5th. This was expanded to more of the northern portion of the county on 12th. A brief slight improvement in the status occurred following thunderstorms in the middle of the month around the 17-18 for the 19th but returned on the 26th. Most of the county was abnormally dry with the far northern portions having extreme drought to end the month. Only around an inch of rain fell in that area compared to the above two to three inches that fell in the rest of the county in the month based on CoCoRaHS observations.

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

Every storm in Kansas in 2026 Every state in 2026 This day in weather history Warnings in Kansas, May 2026

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 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 1344636, 1344640, 1344641, 1344642, 1344643, 1344644.