Agricultural News
Drought Holding On Across Oklahoma
Thu, 14 Aug 2014 18:32:21 CDT
Drought continues to hold strong across Oklahoma after big improvement a week ago. The latest US Drought Monitor Map shows 2.25 percent of the state was in exceptional drought (D4), 16.12 was in extreme drought (D3), 48.39 was in severe drought, 71.08 was in moderate drought, 80.44 was abnormally dry and 19.56 percent does not have a drought ranking.
In the weekly map from the National Drought Mitigation Center there was some spread of the abnormally dry area in central Oklahoma and some intensification of drought to the southwest of Oklahoma City from Custer County down to Garvin County. There was also areas of severe drought (D2) that dropped to moderate drought (D1) in the northwest and the northeast.
In the weekly Oklahoma Climatological Survey Mesonet Ticker, State Climatologist Gary McManus said this phenomenon has become known at the National Weather Center as the "Norman Bubble", where Norman gets 9.8 inches of rain over the last 90 days while Oklahoma City receives 18 - 20 inches. He said parts of Cotton County only received 7.4 inches over that same period.
Soil moisture conditions don't look to improve in the near future ahead of winter wheat and canola planting. The seven day forecast calls for highs in the 90's, lows in the 70's and 20 - 30 percent chances for precipitation. McManus said the state is under the influence of a ridge of high pressure that puts the state back into summer conditions with hot dry weather forecasted and weak chances for precipitation through August 21st.
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