WMOD00274

• Title: Western Kansas Weather Modification Program 2006 - Final Report
• Prepared By: Walter E. Geiger III
• Date: 10/30/2006
• State: KS
• Weather Modification - Doc Type: Report

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FOREWARD

Seasonal rainfall in Western Kansas in 2006 was below normal to various degrees
for most of the target area. Last year, roughly half of the target area counties fell back
into the drought while the other half continued an extended moist period going back to
2004. This year, the area had fallen back into the drought entirely for an extended period,
which spreads across at least half the United States. For a second year in a row, August
turned out to be the best month for rainfall as significant rains fell over much of western
Kansas with 64% of target area counties reporting above average rainfall. Also, for a
second year in a row, July turned out to be the driest month for the area with only 18% of
target area counties reporting a monthly rain surplus. Of course there were some
exceptions to this description at each reporting location, but for most of the target area,
this scenario fit the area fairly well.

Currently, we can only speculate as to the extent of hail damage sustained to the
target area this year. For many years, our program had received hail claim information
from a company in north-central Kansas. However, due to a sharp decline in subscribers
for the claim information, the company has suspended the dissemination of such
information. As a result, we have no information about the extent of hail damage
incurred on those who carry crop-hail insurance. Although hail claims alone are not
meant to be hard evidence to indicate overall hail reduction, our program used the data to
provide us with a fairly quick method of learning the relative amount of crop-hail damage
incurred within the target area. However, one could probably say with a fair degree of
confidence that crop-hail damage was probably lower than normal given the general lack
of storms due to the drought.