Update - 04/02/19

If you missed the previous post, you can read it by clicking here.  As expected this past week to 10 days the weather had settled down a bit.  There was still some rain and snow but amounts were generally "light" across the high plains.  Although temperatures have been warming lately due to the higher sun angle, overall there was only one day of pretty mild conditions.  Soil temperatures, although warming, continue well below normal for early April across much of the region.

Drying has been slow across much of the region.  Here is the accumulated precipitation since the 19th of March ending this morning (4/2)....



Going back to the fall, much of the region of western Kansas has seen precipitation amounts 2 1/2 to 3 times what is normal!  It's been a LONG time since soils have been so saturated for this time year.  It's also been very wet across other parts of the country.  The latest drought monitor map (showing long term conditions) indicates continued improvement across many areas.



The dryness across parts of west Texas and the panhandle has improved.  If you go back several posts ago, this was one region I was watching closely.  Typically if it gets really dry across west Texas, the feedback from the dry soils and warmer temperatures can contribute to dryness into Kansas during the spring. Let's see if this trend continues.

Looking ahead....

This mornings satellite image shows a pretty strong weather system just of the west coast....



Although this system will be approaching the central U.S. late Wednesday, it will also be undergoing a weakening trend.  Also, moisture near the surface will be lacking somewhat.  So, widespread heavy precipitation is not expected.  There should still showers and thunderstorms so that some locations will get another good soaking but those areas will be limited.  In general, most areas will get rainfall of less than 1/3 of an inch - and some may not get much at all.

For the next 7 days, there will be a few more opportunities for precipitation that I'll discuss in the next posting.  Also, temperatures should be closer to normal, on average, through about the 9th-10th.  But, then look out!  More cold around then through the end of the 3rd week can be expected, or at least temperatures will average out below normal for that period.    I'll try and post again towards the end of the week if I get a chance.