MESONET TICKER ... MESONET TICKER ... MESONET TICKER ... MESONET TICKER ... October 9, 2012 October 9, 2012 October 9, 2012 October 9, 2012
Drought Update: The Little Buffalo Pond That Could(n't)
Before we get started, you say you want to go into farming? Most times, yes.
Sometimes ... ehhhh, not so much.
http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20121009/disaster_map_cropyr_2012.pdf
Speaking of disasters, many of you have followed along as we've tracked the levels (or lack thereof) of the little farm pond just south of Buffalo. The pond, which is spring-fed and had never gone dry since in the 30+ years I fished it, has become something of a symbol of drought the last couple of years in northwest Oklahoma. It's also my favorite place in the world, or used to be. I'm still waiting for the rain that will make it that way again.
First, here are the pictures going forward in time from the pond's zenith back in May 2009. It may not look like much to many of you, but to a High Plains native, this is about as green and lovely as that country can get. Obviously times were good back in May 2009.
http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20120126/may2009.jpg
Following that, the path to drought and its impact on farm ponds is tracked by the declining levels of the pond.
http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20120126/aug2010.jpg http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20120126/may2011.jpg http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20120126/jan10-2012.jpg http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20121009/mar8-2012.jpg http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20120806/aug5-2012.jpg
The picture of from August 5 of this year should have sufficed, but there was that one decent rain across the state that dropped our drought levels a bit. The Buffalo area got rain from that one as well, but only 2.6 inches since that last picture. That's not much over two months, and still well below normal. The picture from last weekend, taken during Buffalo's Homecoming, should not be much of a shock then.
http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20121009/pond-oct7-2012.jpg
That's some bad fishing right there! We look toward our next chance of rain with a system coming in this weekend. It is starting to show up on the HPC 5-day rain forecasts, at least.
http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20121009/5day-rain.gif
As usual, we're gonna need much more than what is showing there, but it's a start. Now if we can just get it to move over a certain farm 8 miles south of Buffalo...
Gary McManus Associate State Climatologist Oklahoma Climatological Survey (405) 325-2253 gmcmanus@mesonet.org
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