Agricultural News
The Latest U.S. Drought Monitor Map Shows Drought Conditions in Oklahoma Remain
Thu, 19 Aug 2021 11:59:34 CDT
Monsoonal moisture returned to Arizona and New Mexico, leading to widespread improvements in drought conditions in those states, although long-term drought remains. Warm, dry weather continues throughout much of the West, into the northern Great Plains, according to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor.
Water shortages in the Colorado River Basin, wildfires exhibiting extreme fire behavior, and exceptional drought continued across the West, with conditions worsening in parts of California, Oregon, Washington, Nevada, and Montana.
Aside from a few pockets of heavier rain in parts of Kansas and in eastern and central Colorado, most of the region was dry this week. Warm temperatures held sway in Colorado, Wyoming, South Dakota, and North Dakota, where temperatures generally ranged from 3 to 6 degrees above normal. In areas of Colorado that received no rain, moderate drought areas grew. Drought worsened and grew in parts of Nebraska and the Dakotas, with some farmers reportedly having to feed livestock.
In the southern plains, rain amounts from 2 to 6 inches occurred in far southwest Texas, in association with heavy monsoonal rainfall this week. Monsoonal rains brought cooler-than-normal weather in southern parts of Texas this week, with temperatures 3 to 9 degrees below normal. Northwest Oklahoma stayed mostly dry, with a few areas of shorter-term drought occurring in northwest Oklahoma along the Red River.
To view the U.S. Drought map, click here.
In Oklahoma, areas experiencing drought remain. Northwest Oklahoma is seeing the worst of drought conditions in the state, with much of Woods County experiencing moderate drought or abnormally dry conditions. Since last week, Cimmaron and Texas counties in the northwestern part of Oklahoma, and Ottawa County in the northeastern part of the state are newly experiencing abnormally dry conditions. Drought conditions in northwestern Oklahoma are expected to remain this month.
To view the Oklahoma drought map, click here.
Additionally, temperatures have a slight chance of being higher than normal, with precipitation expectations on track with average numbers for this time of year. Predictions show Western Oklahoma may see less rainfall than expected this time of year, throughout the next month.
To view the 6-to-10-day temperature outlook, click here.
To view the 6-to-10-day precipitation outlook, click here.
To view the monthly drought outlook, click here.
To view the three-month precipitation outlook map, click here.
The U.S. Drought Monitor Map is developed through a partnership between the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the United States Department of Agriculture, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
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