An early-morning thunderstorm Friday, accompanied by high winds and brilliant lightning and thunder, dropped in excess of two inches of rain on Kingfisher.

The wind caused tree damage throughout the city and vicinity.

Limbs were blown down and at least one tree was uprooted and blown over.

The rain further delayed the 2023 wheat harvest, which was halted Thursday morning by another thunderstorm.

Friday’s storm caused a temporary blockade of U.S. Highway 81 at the north end of Kingfisher because of local runoff water covering the highway. It reopened later in the morning after the deluge subsided.

The State Highway 33 underpass also was closed temporarily by flooding.

The 2023 wheat harvest has entered the windup stage.

It is expected to be remembered for all the wrong reasons – early drought that reduced yields and frequent rains during harvest time.

There were reports in some areas of the state that acreage would be abandoned due to reduced yields.

Elevators across the county gave the same answer Thursday when asked about the harvest progress.

There are still a few fields left to cut, but a shower Thursday morning, ranging from .4 inch and .3 inch respectively at Cashion and Hennessey to .6 inch at Omega, stopped combines in their tracks.

An Omega CHS spokesman said water could be seen standing in the fields.

The Mesonet site on the Mueggenborg Farm west of Kingfisher recorded .51 inch.

Other area Mesonet reports included 1.56 inches at Watonga, .89 inch at El Reno, .53 inch at Guthrie and .16 inch at Marshall.

The Oklahoma Panhandle recorded heavier amounts including 2.27 inches at Hooker, 2.1 inches at Beaver and 1.85 inches at Goodwell.

Local harvest reports from elevators included:

• Okarche CHS – a few loads came in Wednesday and nearing the end stage.

• Wheeler Brothers Grain, Kingfisher – Pretty well finished with a few fields left to cut. Manager Randall Varnell said grain quality had lost a little with test weights in the middle to upper 50s. He said a few loads arrived on Wednesday, but none was expected Thursday after early morning rain.

• Cashion Grain and Feed – Harvest is nearing the finish line with a few fields left. A few loads arrived on Wednesday.

• Omega CHS – A few loads arrived Wednesday, but a.6 inch rain Thursday morning stopped harvesters completely.

• Okarche Grain and Feed – a few loads arriving Wednesday, but the number of harvesters dropping. A couple of producers were still cutting Wednesday but slowing down. Rain there stalled any harvesting activity on Thursday.

• Hennessey CHS Elevator – A few loads arrived on Wednesday, but many producers are harvesting rye at this point and aren’t expected to get back in their wheat until the rye is harvested.

Area Mesonet rainfall reports from Friday’s rain included: Kingfisher 2.02, Guthrie 1.85, Watonga 1.28, El Reno .71 and Marshall .35.

The Oklahoma Wheat Commission reported harvest is wrapping up in most locations across the state with the exception of some locations in north central Oklahoma, east of Enid on the U.S. Highway 412 corridor, and areas along the I-35 corridor around Tonkawa, Ponca City, Blackwell and Braman.

Harvest is also just getting a good start on the irrigated wheat in the Panhandle regions.

Not much dryland wheat will be harvested in the Panhandle and in many areas producers will be harvesting for seed wheat with very little going to the elevators.

It is thought some elevator locations will take in 25% of what is generally taken within a normal year.

Other locations where irrigation is not utilized, might be fortunate to take in 5% of what they would in a normal year.

Harvest is considered completed in most all other regions with a few minor exceptions of producers needing to get some fields out.

The rain has continued to hinder producers in several of those locations and it will remain to be seen if producers will try to finish cutting if the rains continue through this weekend in central and northern Oklahoma.

(Test weight and quality has held up for the most part with not much sprout damage being reported; however producers have been fighting with mud and weed issues. Some are utilizing harvest aides, but if the rain continues it is thought several acres will be abandoned because the quality with yields will make the remainder of the crop not salvageable.)