Winter storms lift drought in some counties
Governor removes several counties from drought declaration

The snowstorms in western Kansas, which caused widespread damage and economic losses, also provided much-needed moisture.

Governor Kathleen Sebelius has updated county drought stages, removing many counties from the drought warning declaration.  Fifty-seven counties have been downgraded from a Drought Warning to a Drought Watch, leaving only three counties under a warning.

Despite these changes, Sebelius urged homeowners to take precautions to prevent fires.

“Here in Kansas, we know we can never take the weather for granted.  Routine safety measures, such as keeping a buffer between buildings and brush and checking with local officials regarding burn conditions will help us reduce fire damage and prevent wildfires,” she said.

Stream flow, which provides a measure for drought conditions, has improved since fall. Only 20 percent of measured streams had below normal stream flow in late February, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.  Last November, nearly two-thirds of the streams were below normal.

The changes in drought status were recommended to the Governor by Tracy Streeter, director of the Kansas Water Office and chair of the Governor’s Drought Response Team. The change in drought status has been made via Executive Order 07-04, which can be found at http://www.governor.ks.gov/executive/Orders/.

For more detailed information, see the Kansas Drought Report on the Kansas Water Office web site at http://www.kwo.org.

County Drought Stage Declarations

Drought Warning: Barber, Harper, and Sumner

Drought Watch: Barton, Butler, Chase, Chautauqua, Cheyenne, Cowley, Clark, Clay, Cloud, Comanche, Decatur, Dickinson, Elk, Ellis, Ellsworth, Geary, Graham, Gove, Greeley, Greenwood, Harvey, Jewell, Kingman, Kiowa, Lane, Lincoln, Logan, Marion, McPherson, Mitchell, Morris, Ness, Norton, Osborne, Ottawa, Phillips, Pratt, Rawlins, Reno, Republic, Rice, Riley, Rooks, Rush, Russell, Saline, Scott, Sedgwick, Sheridan, Sherman, Smith, Stafford, Thomas, Trego, Wallace, Washington, and Wichita.

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