By BECKY KISER
Hays Post
A slow moving thunderstorm dumped nearly three inches of rain in Hays early Thursday evening.
As officially measured at the K-State Agricultural Research Center south of town, 2.73 inches of rain fell in Hays, along with 10 minutes of intermittent small hail pea and marbled-size.
After a high temperature of 102 degrees (The record high for August 12 is 115 degrees in 1936), the weather system blew in from the northwest shortly after 6:30 p.m. with a peak wind gust of 49 mph recorded at the Hays Regional Airport.
Small tree limbs and leaves littered lawns and streets and some blue refuse polycarts were overturned and pushed off properties.
The storm also produced lots of lightening and minor street flooding.
Hays has received 3.01 inches of rain so far this month; the average is 3.02 inches by the end of August.
The year-to-date accumulation is 22.11 inches, almost 5 inches ahead of the 152-year cumulative average of 17.73 inches.