Game-Changer
Wow! The whole world changed overnight. Or maybe it was just Reno County. I thought our overnight 3.2 inches of rain was a real drought game-changer, especially on the heels of seven tenths inch the night before. Then when I turned on my computer I saw news of Hutchinson having received nearly 7 inches in the same time period, with widespread flooding and evacuations of health care facilities and opening of a Red Cross shelter underway. Rain is still falling, and the county sheriff has urged everyone in Hutchinson to stay off the roads.
We who live in the western half of the county have consistently gotten less rain than Hutchinson has had. Last night this was a good thing. Hutchinson, though, has usually gotten less than the counties north (and west?) of us in Kansas, and some of their flooding has gradually moved into Hutchinson's waterways and brought them to nearly flood stage. With the natural drainage systems already at capacity, seven inches of local rainfall leaves the newly-arrived moisture with no place to go--except back up, in the form of high water, wherever it collects.
I woke up once during the night to hearing either small hail or jet-propelled water droplets pinging off the top of our window air conditioner.
If anyone doubts that Kansas can be green in August, you should see it now. The green is almost luminous, as though it's giving off light from within.
The frog chorus is loud enough to be audible inside the house, with the windows closed.
********************
Later: I saw also that water rescues are underway in Barton County, several counties to the northwest of us. Most of last night's rain was predicted to fall across the southern half of Kansas (We are slightly south of our north-south state center), and I thought previously flooded areas had a good chance of being spared last night's deluge. The news from Barton County tells a slightly different story, although I believe most of the earlier flooding happened east of Barton County. MDS worked in Lindsborg the past several days to help remedy flood damage there.
So far, Southwest Kansas has stayed dry--still stuck in a long drought. I really hope they got a good rain last night also.
We who live in the western half of the county have consistently gotten less rain than Hutchinson has had. Last night this was a good thing. Hutchinson, though, has usually gotten less than the counties north (and west?) of us in Kansas, and some of their flooding has gradually moved into Hutchinson's waterways and brought them to nearly flood stage. With the natural drainage systems already at capacity, seven inches of local rainfall leaves the newly-arrived moisture with no place to go--except back up, in the form of high water, wherever it collects.
I woke up once during the night to hearing either small hail or jet-propelled water droplets pinging off the top of our window air conditioner.
If anyone doubts that Kansas can be green in August, you should see it now. The green is almost luminous, as though it's giving off light from within.
The frog chorus is loud enough to be audible inside the house, with the windows closed.
********************
Later: I saw also that water rescues are underway in Barton County, several counties to the northwest of us. Most of last night's rain was predicted to fall across the southern half of Kansas (We are slightly south of our north-south state center), and I thought previously flooded areas had a good chance of being spared last night's deluge. The news from Barton County tells a slightly different story, although I believe most of the earlier flooding happened east of Barton County. MDS worked in Lindsborg the past several days to help remedy flood damage there.
So far, Southwest Kansas has stayed dry--still stuck in a long drought. I really hope they got a good rain last night also.
posted by Mrs. I (Miriam Iwashige) at
6:34 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home