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Ventenata�(Ventenata dubia) is an invasive annual grass that is rapidly becoming a serious threat to prairie ecosystems. Our previous findings regarding the increase in ventenata suggested that, unlike cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum), this invasive grass has been increasing regardless of fire and that fire has not necessarily facilitated its spread.� However, annual variation in precipitation is linked to the production of annual grasses and can vary widely year to year. Therefore, our objective in this study was to evaluate the role of annual variation in ventenata abundance on burned/unburned sites by resurveying frequency and cover on plots sampled in 2008 and 2015. Specifically, we asked 1) Did sample year determine the change in ventenata abundance across all sites? 2) Did sample year determine ventenata abundance on burned/unburned sites? and 3) Did sample year determine if there was more ventenata in burned/unburned plots within a sampling year? We found that differences in ventenata appear to be related primarily to differences in precipitation between 2015 and 2016 rather than fire history of the sites. Support for this can be seen in our results showing frequency of ventenata had not significantly increased in the last year, although it had since 2008. Also, that frequency was not different between burned/unburned plots regardless of sampling year. In contrast, ventenata cover had increased in the last year across all plots, closely following different inter-annual precipitation patterns. Furthermore, it only increased on the unburned plots and there were no significant differences between burned/unburned plots within the same sampling year. Our findings suggest that the cover of ventenata is more sensitive to differences in annual precipitation than to historical fire and that fire may not be a driving factor in the expansion of ventenata in this prairie system.