Parched western Kansas got welcome relief Thursday evening with many areas receiving their first recorded rainfall in September.
Reports from the Hays area varied from just less than an inch to 1.4 inches of soaking rain.
The official amount of rain for Hays reported by the K-State Agriculture Research Center south of town was 0.80 inches.
Southern Rooks County reported just over a half an inch of rainfall. While the Russell area received only trace rain, according to CoCoRaHS, there was a report of 0.84 inches of rain in northern Russell County. The Hill City area also reported more than an inch of rain.
Even with Thursday's precipitation, Hays remains more than an inch behind average moisture in September and just less than 7 inches behind normal for the year.
There is a slight chance of additional showers or thunderstorms after midnight Friday before skies clear and the mercury rises. Highs Saturday through Tuesday are expected to be in the mid- to upper-90s, according to the National Weather Service in Dodge City.