More than half of Kansas now in drought; Saline County currently listed at 0% in D1-D4

More than half of Kansas is now officially in drought, according to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor data released Thursday, April 16, with conditions valid as of April 14. Drought.gov’s Kansas page shows 52.9% of the state in D1 through D4 drought, including 41.6% in moderate drought, 10.5% in severe drought, and 0.9% in extreme drought. Another 22.2% of the state is listed as abnormally dry, meaning 75.1% of Kansas is at least abnormally dry or worse.

For Saline County, the current county page lists 0% of land area in D1-D4 drought. That means Saline County is not currently shown in official drought status on the county land-area breakdown, even as much of the rest of Kansas remains under worsening or lingering dry conditions. Under U.S. Drought Monitor definitions, D1 is the first actual drought category, while D0 is classified as abnormally dry.

The broader Kansas picture remains mixed. In this week’s High Plains summary, the U.S. Drought Monitor said parts of northeast Kansas and south-central Kansas saw some improvement after recent rain, while severe drought expanded in southwest Kansas and extreme drought expanded in northwest Kansas.

The latest Kansas figures also show how uneven the state’s moisture picture remains. While Saline County is currently listed at 0% in D1-D4, statewide drought still covers more than half of Kansas, leaving much of the state dealing with continued moisture deficits heading deeper into spring.