Released: January 08, 2003

March Seen Critical Month For Drought-Plagued Kansas

MANHATTAN, Kan. – So is Kansas still in a drought or isn’t it? Reporters and other weather watchers have been tying up the phone lines in Mary Knapp’s office wanting to know.

"It is very much a case of the haves and the have nots," said Knapp, who is the State of Kansas Climatologist. "The southern third of the state, which has seen repeated winter storms, received near normal to above normal moisture in December," Knapp said. Southwest Kansas has improved to 70 percent of normal precipitation at the end of the year, from 45 percent of normal at the end of July.

"In contrast, northwest Kansas, which missed out on much of the December moisture, only improved to 57 percent of normal precipitation by the end of 2002 from 35 percent at the end of July," said Knapp, whose office is on the campus of Kansas State University.

March will be a critical month, she said, because even under the best of circumstances, Kansas typically does not receive much precipitation in the winter months. So even if snow or rainfall is "normal" or "above normal," normal is not that much.

"March starts the ‘wet season,’" she said, and favorable moisture that begins then and continues through the spring could quickly end the drought. "At this time, the long-range outlook calls for equal chances of above normal, normal or below normal moisture," she said.

For the year, Salina received 13.79 inches in 2002, which was about 18 inches or 57 percent below normal. Dodge City received 12.57 inches, which was about half of the normal 22.35 inches.

In contrast, Wichita received 33.40 inches of precipitation – about 3 inches or 10 percent above normal and Kansas City received 28.04 inches, down from the average 35.51 inches.

Besides general concern about the winter wheat crop and lake levels, many urban observers are concerned about their landscaping.

Ward Upham, Director of the K-State Research & Extension Horticulture Response Center, said, "Though our trees and shrubs don’t lose as much moisture during the winter as during the summer, they still may lose enough that winter watering is needed. Evergreen plants are especially sensitive. Normally, watering about once a month is recommended if it is a dry, warm winter. It is best to water deeply (about 12 inches) so that the majority of the root zone is moistened. The depth of watering can be checked by pushing a wooden dowel or metal rod into the soil."

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K-State Research and Extension is a short name for the Kansas State University Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service, a program designed to generate and distribute useful knowledge for the well-being of Kansans. Supported by county, state, federal and private funds, the program has county Extension offices, experiment fields, area Extension offices and regional research centers statewide. Its headquarters is on the K-State campus, Manhattan.

Story by:
Mary Lou Peter, Communications Specialist
mlpeter@oznet.ksu.edu
K-State Research& Extension News