Tue, Oct 10, 2023
Winter/Spring 2024 Mesonet OK-First Classes Winter/Spring 2024 Mesonet OK-First classes for public safety officials are now open for enrollment! We will be offering a mix… Read More »
Thu, Apr 27, 2023
Summer/Fall 2023 Mesonet OK-First Classes Summer/Fall 2023 Mesonet OK-First classes for public safety officials are now open for enrollment! We will be offering a mix… Read More »
Tue, Jan 03, 2023
December Caps 2022 Rain Record December provided a fitting end to Oklahoma’s tumultuous 2022 weather story. This final chapter came complete with a half-dozen tornadoes,… Read More »
Tue, Nov 01, 2022
October Drought Relief Mixed Drought held on through October in Oklahoma for the fifteenth consecutive month, its roots dating back to August 2021 and… Read More »
Tue, Oct 11, 2022
Winter/Spring 2023 Mesonet OK-First Classes Winter/Spring 2023 Mesonet OK-First classes for public safety officials are now open for enrollment! We will be offering a mix… Read More »
Mon, Oct 03, 2022
September Continues Dry Dusty Weather Drought surged across Oklahoma as the driest September since 1956 took its toll on the state’s landscape. The amount of… Read More »
Wed, Aug 17, 2022
Fall 2022 OK-FIRE Classes Free training workshops will be offered this fall for both new and experienced users of OK-FIRE, the statewide weather-based decision support system… Read More »
Mon, Aug 01, 2022
July Heat Punishes Oklahoma The seemingly impenetrable heat wave and dry spell that had punished Oklahoma since early June continued through nearly all of… Read More »
Fri, Jul 01, 2022
June Teases Several Seasons June managed to pack pieces of three seasons into a single month. The first 10 days were quite springlike, with… Read More »
Wed, Jun 01, 2022
May Rains Dent Drought May’s reputation as Oklahoma’s most prolific severe weather month was confirmed within the first week with as many as… Read More »
Mon, May 02, 2022
April Winds Highest in Mesonet Era Opinions on Oklahoma’s weather are often more variable than the weather itself. Some Oklahomans will look back on April… Read More »
Wed, Apr 13, 2022
Summer/Fall 2022 Mesonet OK-First Classes Summer/Fall 2022 Mesonet OK-First classes for public safety officials are now open for enrollment! We will be offering a mix… Read More »
Fri, Apr 01, 2022
Variety Describes March Weather March’s weather ran the gamut of nearly all the hazards Oklahoma has to offer, befitting a seasonal transition month in… Read More »
Tue, Mar 01, 2022
Wintry Weather Rules February Three impactful winter storms struck Oklahoma during February, snarling traffic on state highways, bringing down power lines, and forcing… Read More »
Tue, Feb 01, 2022
Winter Arrives In January Winter arrived with conviction at the dawn of the new year in Oklahoma and delivered a startling counterpunch to the… Read More »
Tue, Jan 04, 2022
December Shatters Temperature Record In what could best be described as a climatological anomaly on steroids, Oklahoma soared to its warmest December on… Read More »
Wed, Dec 01, 2021
November Caps Off Warm, Dry Fall An extended pattern of warm, dry weather exacerbated drought conditions during November. Drought impacts, including fire danger and soil… Read More »
Thu, Nov 18, 2021
Spring 2022 Mesonet OK-First Classes Spring 2022 OK-First classes for public safety officials are now open for enrollment! We will be offering a mix of… Read More »
Mon, Nov 01, 2021
October Sets Tornado Record Oklahomans are growing accustomed to Mother Nature’s October weather shenanigans following a snowstorm of up to 13 inches in… Read More »
Tue, Oct 05, 2021
Fall 2021 OK-FIRE Classes Free training workshops will be offered this fall for both new and experienced users of OK-FIRE, the statewide weather-based decision… Read More »
Thu, Mar 27, 2014
The dust storms, wildfires and reports of struggling crops and pastures that have plagued the state over the last few weeks are evidence that drought has continued to strengthen across Oklahoma. Recent rains did help curb the drought's growth across a few select areas, mainly in south central and southeastern Oklahoma where 3-5 inches fell over the last 30 days. Up to a half-inch of moisture fell in localized areas on March 26, but most of the state recorded less than a quarter-inch. That continued lack of moisture has allowed the drought, which had been growing slowly but steadily through the dry winter, to intensify more quickly as we entered spring. The latest U.S. Drought Monitor report released Thursday morning indicated a significant increase in extreme to exceptional drought across the western third of Oklahoma, now encompassing 24 percent of the state. That's an increase of nearly 10 percent in just the last week, and 20 percent since October 1, 2013.Moderate to severe drought covered approximately 53 percent of the state and nearly 19 percent was considered to be in "Abnormally Dry" conditions. Only four percent of Oklahoma was portrayed devoid of any dry conditions. The Drought Monitor’s intensity scale slides from moderate-severe-extreme-exceptional, with exceptional being the worst classification. Abnormally dry is not a drought intensity, but can signify areas that are approaching or escaping the moderate drought category.
March has seen a continuation of dry weather that began late last summer and deepened through the winter. The climatological winter (December-February) was the 11th driest on record across the state, dating back to 1895, with an average deficit of nearly 3 inches. Central Oklahoma suffered its ninth driest winter on record at 3.65 inches below normal. Oklahoma City's December-February total of 1.69 inches was its ninth lowest total since records began back in the winter of 1890-91, 3.16 inches below normal. Tulsa fared a bit worse in the rankings with a total of 2.23 inches, a deficit of 3.77 inches for their sixth driest winter on record dating back to 1893-94. March has not been much of a help outside of south central and southeastern Oklahoma. Most of the northwestern half of the state has received less than an inch of rainfall for the month thus far, from 40 percent to less than 20 percent of normal over that time frame. The Oklahoma Mesonet sites across far western Oklahoma and the Panhandle have recorded less than a half-inch through March 27.
The impacts from the drought intensification are both subtle and obvious. Massive dust storms, fueled by the barren, drought-afflicted fields across the High Plains from Colorado down through Texas, have reminded some of the 1930s Dust Bowl days. Wildfires have been a particular problem since January, associated with an abundance of days with low humidity and high winds, weather patterns which also act to accelerate drought intensification. The latest "Oklahoma Crop Weather" report released on March 24 from the USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service indicated 42 percent of Oklahoma's winter wheat crop was in "Poor" to "Very Poor" shape, an increase from 24 percent in those two categories from early February. The latest report categorized 72 percent of the state's topsoil and 80 percent of the subsoil to be "Short" to "Very Short" of moisture. Most lakes across western Oklahoma remain in perilously depleted conditions. Tom Steed Lake, the main water supply reservoir for the city of Altus, is down to 25 percent of normal capacity. Nearby Lake Altus-Lugert, an important supplier of agricultural irrigation, is down to approximately 11 percent of capacity. Canton Lake and Foss Lake are down to 23 percent and 48 percent, respectively. Even a few bigger reservoirs outside of western Oklahoma show serious impacts of the long-term drought. Skiatook Lake in northeastern Oklahoma is approximately 10 feet below normal at 72 percent, and Lake Texoma along the border with Texas is at 67 percent.
The key to drought recovery is an active spring rainy season. Twenty years of statewide rainfall data from the Oklahoma Mesonet pinpoint Oklahoma's primary rainy season to be from mid-April through mid-June, although a secondary rainy season can be found during the fall months. The latest April-June outlooks from the National Weather Service's Climate Prediction Center (CPC) provide no clues for spring rain chances. The state is portrayed in the "Equal Chances" category, which means the forecasters see equal chances of above-, below- and near-normal precipitation amounts in the absence of any strong climate indicators. The forecasters do see increased odds for above normal temperatures across the state during spring. CPC's U.S. Seasonal Drought Outlook for that same period has encouraging news for the eastern half of the state with "drought remains but improves" indicated for the I35 corridor and "drought removal likely" farther to the east. A dreary prediction for the western half of the state, however, with "drought persists or intensifies" forecast for that area.
In the longer term, CPC experts continue to see good chances of El Niño developing this summer and possibly lasting into the next fall and winter. CPC issued an El Niño watch earlier this month indicating conditions are favorable for the development of El Niño conditions within the next six months. This warming of the ocean waters in the equatorial pacific often brings the southern tier of the United States cooler and wetter weather during the cool season, October through April. Many experts think this could be a particularly strong El Niño, which would be important for Oklahoma since a weak or moderate El Niño would diminish the chances for above normal precipitation. Historical precipitation data suggest a weak El Niño could bring dry weather to the state. El Niño has little impact across Oklahoma outside of the cool season.