Kansas Soil Moisture Update – November 4, 2026
Soil moisture rose across nearly all of Kansas during October 28–November 4, with widespread rainfall lifting the wettest counties to a full profile. The statewide average fraction of plant available water (FAW) in the top 2 feet (60 cm) of the soil profile increased from 0.64 to 0.76, while the area below the water stress threshold fell to just 7% of the entire state. Smith, Osborne, and Jefferson counties were the wettest (FAW of 0.98–1.00), while Cherokee, Cheyenne, and Rice counties reported the lowest county averages (FAW of 0.37–0.46).
Understanding Plant Available Water and FAW
Plant available water is the portion of soil moisture that plants can use. It is the water held between the wilting point and field capacity. The maps show the fraction of available water (FAW) in the top 2 feet (60 cm) of the soil profile on a scale from 0 to 1. A value of 0 means that any existing water is tightly held in the soil and generally not available to plants. A value of 1 means the soil holds its full supply of plant available water after excess water has drained away. A value of 0.5 means about half the plant available water remains, a level at which many crops may begin to experience water stress. Because each mapped location is scaled to its own wilting point and field capacity, the same color represents the same fraction of available water statewide, allowing comparisons across different soil textures.
About the Kansas Soil Moisture Update
The Kansas Soil Moisture Update will provide regular snapshots of soil water conditions across the state under rainfed conditions, particularly when soil moisture can influence crop and field management decisions. The maps are developed by the Soil Water Processes Laboratory in K-State’s Department of Agronomy under the direction of Dr. Andres Patrignani and use Kansas Mesonet observations. Interactive daily maps are also available from the Soil Water Processes Laboratory at soilwater.github.io/Kansas-1km
Andres Patrignani, Associate Professor in Soil Water Processes
andrespatrignani@ksu.edu