Locals celebrate as historic rainfall brings lake levels almost back to normal: 'It's great for the start of the summer'
According to KSN, Cheney Lake, located outside Wichita, Kansas, is sitting just a foot below its normal level after receiving massive rainfall on June 17, 2025.
The lake's elevation now sits at 1,420.61 feet, and the conservation pool is 93.89% full.
According to the National Weather Service, the 4.19 inches of rain Wichita received on June 17 was the fourth-highest single-day June rainfall ever recorded, and the highest single-day total since 1965.
Despite the massive rainfall and the lake's rise, Wichita remains in Stage 2 of its drought plan, which limits water use for irrigation and lawns to once a week for non-critical outdoor watering. The conditions are based on the lake's 12-month average, and the plan could be revised as soon as July 1, 2025.
The drought followed by a massive storm is emblematic of the issues that continue to plague our planet, courtesy of our changing climate. As Earth heats up, weather patterns become less predictable and more severe. Periods of prolonged drought are often followed by massive storms that dump large quantities of rain in a short period, which can destabilize the soil and increase the risk of landslides. It makes farming increasingly difficult, especially in places like Kansas, which heavily relies on agriculture in its economy.
The western United States has been particularly hard hit by the aridification associated with our changing climate; reservoirs in California are now at full or near-full capacity for the first time in years, thanks to historic spring rains.
Residents were also thrilled with the lake's rise.
"It's great for the start of the summer because it means you can finally get your family out here, and we can do things that we wanted to do that we couldn't do the last couple of years out here, so it's pretty awesome," Wichita resident Josh Nelson said.
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