Rain Helps Douse Kansas Fires Caused by Lightning
Heavy rain brought relief from lightning strikes that torched pastureland and some wheat between 6 and 7 p.m. Wednesday.
"We had quite a bit of lightning," said Joe Koch, director of Saline County Emergency Management.
Lightning caused a fire along Armstrong Road near Brookville and at CK Ranch in Ellsworth County. Rural Fire District 3 in Saline County fought both fires, Koch said.
While District 2 firefighters were fighting a pasture fire that charred 70 to 80 acres of pasture south of Assaria, another lightning strike ignited pasture grass and wheat near Lapsley and Niles roads southeast of Salina. Koch estimated 80 acres of wheat were destroyed.
In all of the fires, he said, "heavy rain kind of helped them in those regards."
Rain amounts ranged from 0.68 of an inch in Salina to half an inch near Assaria, Koch said.
"The moisture is definitely welcomed," he said. "I think the hail subsided as it came into the county."
Some road construction signs were blown over, and in Salina, a traffic light at Ohio and Greeley streets was knocked down by a tree that was blown over.
A wind gust of 72 mph was recorded at Salina Municipal Airport just before 6 p.m. About an hour later, the airport gauge measured 0.06 of an inch of rain.
Relatively cool temperatures are predicted for today, with a high of 77 degrees and an overnight low of 48.
There is a 20 percent chance for thunderstorms Friday with a high of 82. Saturday is expected to heat up to 88, with a 90-degree high on Sunday and another chance for storms.
Copyright 2012 - The Salina Journal, Kan.
McClatchy-Tribune News Service