30 October, 20092:29 p.m.
Wichita recorded 1.33 inches of rain Wednesday and Thursday, pushing the total for October to 3.82 inches. That’s 1.37 inches above the normal October total of 2.45 inches – or about 56%.
This latest rainfall event brings the total for 2009 to 36.58 inches, which is more than 9.5 inches above normal so far.
But the 36.58 inches this year is well behind last year’s record-setting total through late October of 51.19 inches. That number was boosted by the torrential rains dropped by the remnants of Hurricane Lowell in mid-September, and 2008 went on to become the wettest year in Wichita’s history.
30 October, 20098:05 a.m.
Daylight Savings Time ends early Sunday morning, so don’t forget to set your clocks back an hour.
While you’re at it, change the batteries in your smoke detectors and weather radios. It’s also a good time to create or refine your emergency plan, as well as check emergency kits.
Among the items you should include in an emergency kit are:
One gallon of water per person, per day
Canned goods
Canned juices, milk and soup
High-energy foods such as peanut butter, jelly, granola bars, trail mix, and crackers
Comfort foods such as cookies, hard candy, cereal, instant coffee and tea bags
Clothing and Bedding
Sturdy shoes or work boots
Rain gear
Blankets and sleeping bags
A hat and gloves
Tools and Supplies
A battery-operated television or radio
Extra batteries
Flashlight and batteries
Cash or traveler’s checks and change
Manual can opener
Utility knife
Matches in a waterproof container
Paper or plastic eating utensils
Soap and other personal hygiene items
First Aid Kit
Sterile adhesive bandages
Sterile gauze pads
Adhesive tape
Scissors, tweezers, needles and safety pins
Antiseptic spray
Thermometer
For a complete list of items to include in your kit, visit Sedgwick County Emergency Management at www.sedgwickcounty.org.
30 October, 20097:13 a.m.
A windy, partly sunny day is on tap for the Wichita area today, forecasters say.
Highs should nudge into the low 50s, with west winds blowing steadily in the teens and gusting to nearly 30 miles an hour. Lows will slip to the mid-30s, and patchy frost is likely overnight.
Halloween should be sunny with highs in the low 60s, forecasters say. Winds will be in single digits, and then overnight lows will be in the low 40s.