Rain

The rain over the weekend helped Cheney Reservoir.  The City of Wichita says the rain on Saturday March 9th added six inches of water to the reservoir.  It's now 59% full, up from 58%.  Although until it's 100% full, the city is asking residents to conserve water.  Cheney Reservoir is where Wichita gets much of its drinking water. City leaders are considering water restrictions if conditions do not improve soon.

A storm system coming over the Rockies tonight will bring scattered showers and a few thunderstorms to the area. The best chance will be in central and eastern parts of the state, and the activity should remain isolated. No severe weather is expected with any storm that develops. Look for the rain to move out early Friday with a return to some sunshine for the afternoon. Highs will range from the mid 60s in the southwest to the mid 50s across northern Kansas. Winds will be out of the east or northeast through much of the day. There's going to be another chance for some rain coming up Friday night into Saturday.

Grilling on the barbacue is an Edmond family tradition. Whether it's chicken, pork chops, or hot dogs, Otha Edmund says he knows how to prepare them to perfection. But he won't reveal his secret recipe. "You just got to know what you're doing," he says. "You just got to know what you're doing. " On July 4th, the Edmunds got together under a gazebo at Riverside Park to escape from the rain. They seriously had the entire park to themselves because no one else was there. "They said this party was going to happen whether it was rain, sleet or snow," said Kalvin Hill.

A cold front has stalled out over central Oklahoma and clouds continue to develop along the front. Kansas has not seen any rain through Friday evening, but that will change on Saturday as low level moisture begins moving back across our area. Expect low temperatures to range from the mid 30s in the northwest tonight, to the lower 40s in southcentral Kansas. Clouds will be thickening overnight, and scattered showers and storms will develop Saturday morning and be rather scattered during the afternoon.

Kansas will be between storm systems Wednesday with a mix of clouds and sun, lighter winds and unseasonably cool afternoon highs in the mid 50s to near 60 degrees. Expect a northeast to easterly breeze around much of the state with wind speeds less than 20 mph. Another weather-maker will move in from the west Thursday into Friday dragging clouds back to Kansas along with chances for scattered showers and storms by Thursday afternoon. A few of the storms may produce small hail on Thursday, but widespread severe weather is not expected.

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) - A new report confirms what most Kansas farmers already know: The state's wheat harvest stalled almost as soon as it began. Kansas Agricultural Statistics Service reported Monday that just 1 percent of the winter wheat crop was cut last week before heavy rain hit much of the state. The agency says about 6 percent of the wheat is normally cut by this time of year, although the harvest hadn't even started at the same point one year ago. Wheat condition was pegged as 9 percent excellent, 48 percent good and 30 percent fair.

Rain has forced the postponement of the NASCAR Sprint Cup race in Atlanta until Tuesday at 10 am Central Time. NASCAR president Mike Helton made the announcement on the race broadcast that they made the unusual decision to move the race back 48 hours out of a concern for public safety. Sunday nights rain is the front end of Tropical Storm Lee and forecasters expect the rain to linger for the next 36 hours. NASCAR held in a rain delay for an 2 hours and 15 minutes and where just moment from having the track dry and calling the cars to the track, when the rain began again, washing out the race.

Weekend rain has raised the level of Cheney Reservoir by a couple of inches.  Runoff the next couple days should continue that trend.  That's after a scorching summer that has left the water level more than five feet below normal. This reversal of fortune comes just a week before the last holiday weekend of the summer.  It's traditionally a busy one at the lake.  However, this summer has been a quiet one at Cheney, and that has hurt business at the lake's only marina which has lost a quarter of a million dollars.

A storm system will approach the central and southern Plains on Tuesday, increasing the clouds and bringing a chance for rain showers to the area mainly Tuesday night. Clouds will gradually increase through the night and into Tuesday afternoon. Temperatures are expected to be in the upper 40s across western and extreme northern Kansas, with everybody else reaching the low 50s. Rain showers will slide across southern Kansas Tuesday night, but with temperatures staying above freezing, icy roads are not expected to be a problem for most areas.

Recent rains have helped fill up Kansas rivers and back yard ponds, but it's only making a dent in our ongoing drought. This week, much of the state is still experiencing extreme to exceptional drought conditions. Click here to see US Drought Monitor The Arkansas River is full again and flowing strong. A few people kayaking were on the water Sunday, something that hasn't been possible in months due to dry conditions. They can thank a wet spring for some of that extra water.

Rain and some thunderstorms will move through Kansas through the night and throughout the day on Friday. Severe weather is not expected and rainfall amounts will likely be less than .50" Temperatures overnight will mainly be in the 40s with decreasing south winds. Rain and isolated storms will push east throughout the day on Friday with temperatures in the upper 50s and low 60s. The wind will likely switch to the north during the late afternoon and evening hours, but wind speeds are expected to be under 20 mph. Dry and warmer weather is expected for the weekend ahead with 70s for highs on Saturday and some low 80s for western Kansas on Sunday.

From drought conditions to fields too muddy to plant, Kansas farmers like Kent Winter are happy to wait out the rain this spring.  So far all the rain has come at just the right time for Central Kansas crops.  But that could change if things don't dry out and warm up, at least for a little while. "We'll take the moisture any way we can get it.  And it's just a matter of trying to play the hand that we're dealt as best we can," said Winter, who farms wheat, milo , alfalfa and corn in Western Sedgwick County.

The weather is about to change again in Kansas, going from spring back to winter for a short period of time. Scattered showers and storms are expected in northwest through the night, but most areas will remain dry. Lows will be in the 40s around much of Kansas, and any storms overnight will most likely not be severe. Monday will be mostly cloudy with a few showers and storms. Heaviest rainfall will be north and east of Salina in the afternoon. Temperatures will range from the low 50s northwest to mid 60s in south central Kansas.

Our warming trend will continue into the weekend with afternoon highs soar back into the 60s and 70s, pretty average for mid-April. Clear skies and light winds brought a another hard freeze to Kansas early Friday as temps dipped into the upper 20s to around 30. Friday afternoon will be a bit warmer than Thursday as highs climb into the mid and upper-50s and even some lower-60s over southwest Kansas. The wind will be from the north, but less than 20 mph under a mostly sunny to partly cloudy sky. We could see a few widely scattered showers late Friday night or early Saturday morning, especially over southern Kansas but nothing too heavy.

Clouds will be increasing across the state tonight. There will be a few evening rain showers in the east and patchy fog overnight in the west. Tomorrow looks mostly cloudy but still mild with some hit and miss late day showers, even a few late day thunderstorms. Saturday looks to turn partly cloudy in the west but stay mostly cloudy in the east with scattered showers and storms. High temperatures Saturday should reach the 60s and 70s over the state. Easter Sunday looks dry and mild.

Milder weather has finally returned to Kansas  and should be around into the upcoming Easter weekend. Some high clouds will be returning to the area overnight with lows in the 30s, except in the northwest where snow on the ground allows the temperature to fall into the upper 20s. There shouldn't be much wind on Thursday with increasing clouds throughout the day. Dry weather is expected with highs in the low to mid 60s areawide....