Agricultural News
Localized Rainfall Helps- But Drought Maintains Strong Grip on Oklahoma
Fri, 15 Jul 2011 06:33:56 CDT
Recent rains do little to relieve drought across much of Oklahoma.
A wandering tropical system has given Oklahoma a brief interlude from the dry
weather over the last couple of days. As seen on this map of rainfall from
the Oklahoma Mesonet (shown below), a couple of areas received quite generous totals. Kay and
Osage counties in northern Oklahoma totaled 2-4 inches with localized amounts
of more than 5 inches according to the radar estimates. And the far western
Panhandle received upwards of 2 inches. Not a massive total, but for that area,
it's a huge gulp of water.
At the top of the page is the latest Drought Index for this week. The heat and drought remain untouched for the most part, however, and the latestU.S. Drought Monitor report reflects that. Exceptional (D4) drought now covers
more than 40 percent of Oklahoma, including the entire western one-third of the
state. Extreme (D3) and Severe (D2) drought continue their eastward march as
well as the heat withers vegetation and dissipates the remaining soil moisture.
Exceptional-to-extreme drought now covers 58 percent of the state, up 14 percent
from last week. Again, a testament to the heat and its ability to hasten the
drought's impacts.
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