RAIN BY

MONTH
49.06

December

3.36 in.

SUNDAY january 10, 2016

THE YEAR IN

November

3.13 in.

RAIN

The
National
Weather
Service gets its
weather recordings
from Liberals Brad
Hinkle. Unfortunately,
Hinkle was injured last
month, and a spokesman for
the NWS, Duane Wolfe, said the
service had to use some daily
rainfall totals accumulated at Liberal
Municipal Airport to supplement the
official records.Though those
numbers totalled 50.57 inches,
Hinkles total was 49.06 inches.Wolfe
recommended the NWS will be
using that number as the official
total for 2015 unless further
investigation proves
otherwise.

42.57

September

1.5 in.

FORMER
RECORD

July

percent.

RIGHT: This semi is backing into a lot on

Virginia Avenue north of Pancake Blvd.
The rain total for June 11, 2015 was 5.00
inches, according to Liberals National
Weather Service observer Brad Hinkle.
This has brought the year-to-date total
for Liberal to 23.40 inches after a record
total in May of 13.37 inches in that month
alone. Liberal historically averages 18 to
20 inches a year. L&T photos/Larry Phillips

October

6.10 in.

August

4.42 in.

set in
1961

5.45 in.

had been historically

43.7
damaging, including the area
north of the Frog Pond and on
south Clay Avenue, due to the citys
flood projects that have been completed
in the last 10 to 15 years.

36.47
34.97

34.14 in.

2015 SETS RECORD

The
average
rainfall in
Liberal is 18 to
CENTER: Cars parked on the morning
20 inches.The
of June 12, 2015 at a mobile home
record for annual
park on East Second Street in
rainfall since it has
Liberal sit in 4 to 6 inches of
been recorded in Liberal
water throughout the eastwas 34.14 inches set in
side driveway. Many areas
saw flooding, like near Cain
1961.With the accumulation
and Seventh, where
of precipitation for 2015 at
several cars flooded out at
49.06
inches nearly double
dawn and had to be
the annual average the
removed with tow trucks.
former record was
Many areas were drained
off by 7:30, especially
shattered by 14.92
where previous flooding
inches, or

45.70

30.55

24.45

May

13.37 in.

June

6.53 in.

17.92

2015
had seven
months
with more than
3 inches.
May 2015 was
wettest month
with

13.37 inches
in 31 days.
4.55
March

Hatcher: Rains help

crops, wildlife, but
hinder construction
By ELLY GRIMM
Leader & Times

The rainfall amount in Liberal set a new record in 2015 at nearly 50 inches
after being at a paltry 34 inches since 1961.
While people throughout the whole Liberal community saw effects from
the extra moisture, local farmers were especially grateful.
I was a little skeptical simply because I knew any minute it was going to
quit. 10 years of drought had brainwashed me into thinking any given minute,
it would stop, admitted local farmer Nick Hatcher. But all the extra moisture
was absolutely amazing, just amazing.
Hatcher said his farming operations saw less input expenses due to not
needing to pump as much water as usual, which Hatcher added was a costsaver and helped save natural resources.
I dont have as much dry land as what other farmers have in the area and from
that perspective...Ive heard multiple stories of 150-160 bushel dry land milo and
those are phenomenal yields from the milo crop in the area, Hatcher said.
And that extra milo is a benefit all its own. The Conestoga plant, which
Hatcher is involved with, is seeing a substantial amount of milo and
employees at the plant will have access to that crop for use in the ethanol
plants.
Thats something we havent had much of in years past and that is just a huge
boom for agriculture because it gives those milo growers a better market and
somewhere to go with their product, Hatcher said. It helps add more value to the
crops we grow, which is great.
Even with the boom for local agriculture, Hatcher added there are a few detri-

N See RAIN/Page 3A

Vol. 130 Iss. 228 18 Pa ges

1.2 in.

DRY
2014
January

0.08 in.

April

2.56 in.

1.99

0.79
0.08

February

0.71 in.

22.37 INCHES

LESS THAN HALF OF 2015

Only a few months before the heavy

rainfalls began in 2014, a 12-car pileThe
up occured south of Liberal on U.S.
Highway 54 when low visibility
largest
caused by dry and dusty
single day of
conditions made it
rain had
impossible for drivers to
see hazards only a few
feet in front of their
vehicles. One person
on June 12, 2015.
was extricated from
Unofficial
a vehicle in the
observers said it
fracas that occured
all fell in about
April 27, 2014. L&T file
photos/Chris Linenbroker
5 to 6 hours.

5 inches

www.leaderandtimes.com

Liberal, Ka nsas