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May 2, 2008
In the midst of another wet spring, why would the Oklahoma Climatological Survey post a story about drought? That's because portions of the Oklahoma Panhandle are in an extended dry period. This week, the Drought Monitor (http://www.drought.gov/) moved portions of Cimarron and Texas Counties up to D2 - Severe Drought.
While the year-to-date total for the state stands as the 13th wettest on record, the Panhandle and far northwestern Oklahoma have recorded their 11th driest January-April period on record. Boise City has recorded less than one inch of precipitation in the last 6 months. In fact, the meager total of 0.81 inch from November 2007 - April 2008 is their lowest accumulation on record by a wide margin. It has been 220 days since the Mesonet station at Boise City recorded one-quarter inch of precipitation from a single storm. The last time the area recorded significant precipitation was during the December 2006 blizzard.
Worse news yet is that forecasters expect the drought to continue through the summer. As the region moves towards its rainy season, it will be important to keep a close eye on the weather and the impacts. We encourage you to tell us about how the drought is impacting you. Send a report in to the Drought Impact Reporter (also on the Drought Portal website, www.drought.gov), or e-mail us at ocs@ou.edu.
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