State’s worst drought grips county
Staff writer
Marion and Chase counties officially are being listed as the Kansas counties most impacted by drought.
Both counties are listed as experiencing at least moderate drought — a long-term condition that even this week’s rainfall can’t automatically resolve.
Worse, a triangular swatch — roughly bounded by Lehigh, Lincolnville, and Florence — across the center of Marion County and the northern two-thirds of Chase County are listed as experiencing severe drought.
Those are the only areas in Kansas classified as having more than moderate drought. Two worse categories — extreme and exceptional drought — occur primarily along the U.S.-Mexico border.
The area of severe drought locally had been classified as experiencing only moderate drought as recently as April 29.
The last time any part of Marion County was classified as experiencing severe drought was a year ago, when the northwestern third of the county fell into that classification. The southeastern two-thirds of the county was classified as being in extreme drought in October, 2023.
The designation is based on multiple long- and short-term factors evaluated individually by scientists at the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The report lists some hope. It notes that forecasts from the National Weather Service for the rest of this month offer the possibility of removal or improvement of drought in the area.