Kansas Atmospheres

The Sunflower State has received some bountiful, and beneficial, rainfall over the past week. In my new post in southwest Kansas, the land is greening up and young sunflowers are sprouting again. In the Flint Hills, the quiet rolling waves of land are a vibrant green instead of deep blue. On my recent trip to Wabaunsee County for Symphony in the Flint Hills, the weather was cool and rainy, which was perfect. The lush hills dazzled out-of-towners, and a little cattle drive set to the Kansas City Symphony gave the evening a sparkle of prairie magic. A cattle drive at Symphony in the Flint Hills in Wabaunsee County, 2023. It was a lovely evening of art and culture, and calming vistas. The raindrops didn't bother most spectators, and many folks planned ahead and brought umbrellas or large hats. I highly enjoyed the sprinkles.  The Flint Hills isn't the only region of Kansas that's received helpful moisture recently. According to K-State climatologist Matt Sittel, slow-moving th...

Some years it rains for all three days of the Flint Hills Rodeo. The longest continuously-operating rodeo event in Kansas carries on, rain or shine. This year was mostly rainy, but organizers weren't deterred by the forecast of scattered thunderstorms. That's to be expected on the first weekend of June in the Flint Hills. Plenty of humidity and heat help fuel the creation of pop-up storms, none severe thankfully. This little cell was the first of three that blew up and swept alongside Strong City while people were lining up along Cottonwood Avenue to watch the annual Rodeo parade. I made it to town well in time for the parade -- that meant I could do some storm watching while I waited. I drove in from Garden City, out in southwest Kansas, my hometown. I've moved back west, in a lovely plot twist, with the love of my life. It's an amazing start to a fantastic life together. My change in situation explains the lack of posting on this blog. Now that I'm also free from ...