Mother Nature spits, sputters in NW Kansas
By MIKE CORN
Northwest Kansas dodged the severe weather bullet overnight, although hail and heavy rains were reported in a few areas.
Elsewhere in Kansas, there were eight tornado reports and 53 hail reports.
In northwest Kansas this morning, flood warnings remained in effect in southern Rush County as a result of radar-indicated heavy rainfall in Ness and Rush counties. Gauges on the Wet Walnut, however, showed no signs of flooding.
A flood warning remained in effect this morning for northern Rooks and Osborne counties.
That warning, however, stems from two rounds of heavy rain along Bow Creek in Rooks County late last week and then again on Sunday night.
With rainfall totals of as much as 6.2 inches last week, Bow Creek was pushed out of its banks. When the rain came through again, a saturated Bow Creek was quick to overflow.
All of that Bow Creek water, as well as water from the north fork of the Solomon River, is flowing into Kirwin Reservoir. Webster Reservoir also is receiving a healthy dose of water. Both reservoirs now are in flood stage, and water is expected to be released soon to prevent damage to roads and shorelines.
Elsewhere in northwest Kansas, there were scattered reports of hail through northwest Kansas, in Ness, Ellis, Rawlins, Sheridan and Cheyenne counties.
Rainfall amounts were spotty, with reports of 0.42 of an inch near Atwood and near Goodland topping the list. Elsewhere, rainfall was either nonexistent or less than a quarter-inch.
Hays received 0.11 of an inch of rain at the Kansas State University Agricultural Research Center south of Hays.