This last week in March started out with significant wind across Kansas. While wind is not unusual during the spring months in Kansas, how windy did it get? What will the month of April bring to Kansas? Read more here in this article.
While drought has deepened across the Plains, persistent winds have also been an issue. Measuring the drought is difficult and measuring wind can be even more challenging. Wind is often hard to reasonably sample because small changes in terrain/obstacles significantly influence measurements. However, we can all agree it has FELT windy but how windy has it been? This article summarizes the wind climatology, wind magnitude, and all about the wind gusts. One third of the 57 tower stations in Kansas have measured gusts over 60 mph since March 1st. This is the strong wind that many are referencing and that is responsible for much of the blowing dust and wildfire concerns.
Late rains across Kansas have caused some farmers to reconsider the yield potential of portions of their wheat crop. Some wheat is being terminated with herbicides, but neighboring wheat may be headed for harvest. This article discusses some strategies that can reduce the likelihood of spray drift.