Throughout April 2022, at least portions of five of the six North Central Kansas counties were assigned Severe Drought (D2) by the U.S. Drought Monitor as a steadily-worsening late-winter/early-spring drought situation peaked in intensity, driven by significant precipitation/snowfall deficits since late-fall 2021. Exacerbating the situation were relentless winds, as this was in fact the overall-windiest April since at least 1996 in North Central Kansas (per analysis of data from nearby Concordia/Hill City airports). Impacts-wise, although the local area did not endure massive wildfires such as those that occurred in nearby south central/southwest Nebraska, the combination of increasingly-parched soils and relentless winds prompted an above average occurrence of blowing dust on several days. April marked the third-straight month with D2 assigned to portions of the area. The entirety of Rooks County spent April in D2, along with large parts of Phillips County and smaller sections of Osborne, Smith and Mitchell counties. The remainder of the area, including all of Jewell County, was categorized as Moderate Drought (D1).
Turning to April 2022 precipitation data, over 90 percent of the six-county domain tallied at least slightly below normal monthly precipitation (mainly less than 2.30 inches). Of greater concern, roughly three-quarters of the area received less than half its normal (mainly less than 1.15) and at least 20 percent of it less than one-fourth its normal (mainly less than 0.60). The very-driest places of all concentrated within Mitchell, Osborne and west-central Phillips counties, including NWS/CoCoRaHS observer totals of merely 0.18 ten miles south-southwest of Beloit, 0.37 in Logan and 0.41 in Natoma. The only small section of the local area to feature above normal April precipitation was within northern Phillips County, largely stemming from a heavy rain event on the 28th that dumped 3-6 (and localized higher) in just a few hours. To gain fuller perspective on the magnitude of the longer-term drought situation, precipitation trends over the six-month span from Nov. 2021-April 2022 told a more complete story. During this time, not only did most of North Central Kansas receive less than one-half of normal precipitation, but some places checked in closer to one-third of normal. To list a few of the very-driest official NWS observer precipitation totals over these six months: 1) Smith Center: 2.61 (38% of normal...9th-driest on record out of 113 years)...2) Logan 2.61 (41% of normal...6th-driest of 71 years)...3) Beloit 2.98 (38% of normal...9th-driest of 116 years).

Drought in PHILLIPS, KANSAS
From 01-APR-22 00:00:00 to 30-APR-22 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Drought Monitor

Drought in ROOKS, KANSAS
From 01-APR-22 00:00:00 to 30-APR-22 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Drought Monitor

Drought in MITCHELL, KANSAS
From 01-APR-22 00:00:00 to 30-APR-22 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Drought Monitor

Drought in OSBORNE, KANSAS
From 01-APR-22 00:00:00 to 30-APR-22 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Drought Monitor

Drought in SMITH, KANSAS
From 01-APR-22 00:00:00 to 30-APR-22 23:59:00 (CST-6)
Property damage: 0.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Drought Monitor