Splash: a rainy day in October
As I pen this blog (Oct. 8) it comes at a time of unusual rain. Yes, longtime observers will be the first to say this is not normal—this past weekend more than 3 inches fell in Dodge City, Kansas.
Mother Nature does not like to be second-guessed and that might be the theme of this year. As noted before the first six months of the year were void of snow and rain but the spigots opened after July 1. The second half of 2018 was a changeup thrown by Mother Nature.
One look at the Drought Monitor (www.droughtmonitor.unl.edu) and I can see how it has dramatically changed since late June. I would not have guessed that on Oct. 4 it would show western Kansas as classified as “None” for drought intensity and impacts. (Meanwhile in eastern Kansas a significant slice still was classified as being in “Extreme Drought.”
People who have grown up on the Plains their entire lives love to talk about the weather, its extremes, the winds, etc. Days when weather lacks any sign of activity gives even the most talkative person at a coffee break a moment to pause. Often that period is now when moisture is usually on the dry side although the winds in western Kansas do generate a few comments (and some cuss words.)
Most weather comments in October go along the lines of, “It’s not good that we missed out on the band of rain as we really needed it.” Another line is, “I’m hoping some of that Gulf moisture will get up in our neck of the woods as we ‘dusted in’ our wheat crop.”
After church, farmers feel blessed by God’s gift of rain. “We can work around moisture” is one of the most pleasant phrases to hear and I heard them at the church I attend. Our own Weather Watch expert Regina Bird did write for our Oct. 1 edition: Above average precipitation is expected within the next month for the southern Plains into southwest Kansas and southern Colorado as well.
The above normal precipitation trend is actually expected to continue the next several months for Texas and Oklahoma. Above average precipitation is also favored through December for western Kansas and much of Colorado as well.
She hit the nail on the head.
Once the dry weather returns—and it will—there will be much work to be done in the fields. Farmers will do so with a smile on their face.
What all this means for winter is an unknown. As expected, various outlets that do long-term weather forecasts mildly disagree on what farmers and ranchers can expect. Through December, Bird forecasts temperatures to be average above climatological normals for the entire Plains.
There will be a lot of eyes on what the winter brings once November gets here. For now, I’ll enjoy the rain. I maybe less inclined to second-guess Mother Nature.
