First there was the summer drought and then the heavy rains during the fall months. The drought included high temperatures and wiped out much of the wheat crop, while the rains made fall harvesting and planting late or in some cases impossible.

Geary County Extension Agent Chuck Otte said the county had 50% of normal precipitation the first half of the year, and 159% the second half. “The strangest year that I’ve seen, this is my 37th year here. ” Otte added it was pretty strange with “the extremes all over the place.”

Otte keeps the daily weather records in Geary County.