A slow steady rain drenched Kingfisher County and a large area of Oklahoma Monday and part of Tuesday.

While too late to provide optimum benefit to small grain fields, the rain boosted pastures, gardens, lawns and early summer crops.

Kingfisher County OSU Extension Director/Agricultural Educator Brian Kennedy said most area wheat fields appeared still green enough that the rain wouldn’t cause significant damage although some early maturing stands were well advanced, but said the county was still looking at a less than average crop due to the extended spring drought, including the driest April on record over the past 128 years.

The National Drought Information System listed this the driest year over the past 128 years (January through April 2022).

There will be some fields that will match the county average (about 40 bushels per acre) but as a whole, we’ll be hurting,” he predicted.

Local Weather Observer Steve Loftis reported 2.04 inches in Kingfisher from Monday and Monday night’s rains and a three-day total of 2.31 inches but heavier rainfall amounts were reported elsewhere in the county – up to 5.25 inches in some localities.

The Mesonet site at the Mueggenborg Farm west of Kingfisher recorded 3.43 inches.

Other amounts reported by county residents and elevators included:

Cashion (Cashion Grain and Feed Elevator) – 4.5 inches.

Dover (Jane Witt, northwest of Dover) 4.3 inches.

Hennessey (CHS Elevator) – 4.5 inches.

Kingfisher– 4.8 inches at Twila Adams residence, east of Kingfisher; 4.0 inches at residential gauge near Shafenberg Road one mile east of Kingfisher.

Okarche – 4.3 inches at the Mike and Donna Reid residence northwest of Okarche at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday and 5.0 to 5.5 inches generally in the area around Okarche Grain and Feed Elevator, eight miles west of Okarche.

Omega – 3.3 inches at the CHS Elevator at Omega.

Other Mesonet readings included:

El Reno – 3.73 inches.

Marshall 2.58 inches.

Watonga – 3.04 inches.

Lahoma 2.04 inches

Guthrie 4.32 inches.

Yukon – 4.11 inches.

Hinton – 3.32 inches.

Chickasha – 1.95 inches.

Woodward – 1.86 inches.

Oilton – 5.64 inches (The heaviest rain recorded).

Skies began clearing shortly before noon Tuesday.