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Most Of Kansas Drought-Free After Heavy Rains

Drought conditions remain severe in parts of northeastern Kansas.
United States Drought Monitor

Kansas' long drought is fading.

Drought covered more than 80 percent of Kansas in April. Now the National Weather Service says most of the state is drought-free.

Still, the dry conditions remain severe in parts of northeastern Kansas.

"We've been behind as much as almost 10 inches to 12 inches of rainfall," said John Woynick at the National Weather Service's Topeka office. "That's really taken a toll on anybody that's growing things or people's yards."

In July, the state said every county in Kansas was suffering from, or nearly suffering from, a drought. Since then, about half have seen their drought status improve with the other half keeping their emergency drought status.

Stephan Bisaha, based at KMUW in Wichita, is an education reporter for the Kansas News Service, a collaboration of KMUW, Kansas Public Radio, KCUR and High Plains Public Radio covering health, education and politics. Follow him on Twitter @SteveBisaha. Kansas News Service stories and photos may be republished at no cost with proper attribution and a link back to the original post.

Copyright 2018 KMUW | NPR for Wichita

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Stephan Bisaha is a former NPR Kroc Fellow. Along with producing Weekend Edition, Stephan has reported on national stories for Morning Edition and All Things Considered, as well as other NPR programs. He provided data analysis for an investigation into the Department of Veteran Affairs and reported on topics ranging from Emojis to mattresses.
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