MESONET TICKER ... MESONET TICKER ... MESONET TICKER ... MESONET TICKER ... August 23, 2018 August 23, 2018 August 23, 2018 August 23, 2018
Out darned drought!
Not bad, August. Not bad at all! How does the 10th wettest August 1-23 since 1921 sound?
http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20180823/aug1-23-rain-stats.png
We still have the clear winners, like Wister and Miami in far eastern Oklahoma at 10.6 inches and 8.4 inches, respectively (and "winners" is a relative term, because flooding is no picnic). And the non-winners, like those parts of SW and NC OK still hovering below 2 inches for the month.
http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20180823/aug1-23-rain-totals.png
http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20180823/aug1-23-rain-pct.png
http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20180823/aug1-23-rain-depart.png
We gave August 2017 a run for awhile, but it doesn't look like we're going to match their 2nd wettest on record standing.
http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20170831/aug-precip-totals.png
However, mostly everybody has had a good drink of water in the last 10 days or so (or at least a gulp here and there).
http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20180823/mesonet.rainfall.tenthinch.png
http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20180823/mesonet.rainfall.quarterinch.png
The moisture, albeit a bit too much in some places and not enough in others, has led to large scale drought relief in the last month. And today's new map is the best we've seen in quite some time with only 32% of the state considered to be in drought, and only 19% in at least severe drought.
http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20180823/20180821_OK_none.png
The question is...will we continue to see drought relief? Well, not for awhile. The rest of August looks dry (and hot!). But those areas that have received the good rains can rest a bit. Unfortunately, those areas in SW and NE OK that are still hurting will have to wait a bit longer. The 7-day rain forecast is pretty bleak for most.
http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20180823/7day-rain-forecast.gif
And the CPC outlooks show possible dry/hot weather continuing deep into the first week of September.
http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20180823/aug30-sept5-temp-outlook.gif
http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20180823/aug30-sept5-precip-outlook.gif
This is nothing to panic about, of course. August and early September are normally hot/dry times of the year. The rains earlier this month (and 2017's August) are the anomaly, not the norm.
The heat will come as a bit of a shock to the system, given that we've been below normal in temperatures for so long. So we need to go back to being aware of what our body is telling us. Stay cool, seek shade and stay hydrated.
Gary McManus State Climatologist Oklahoma Mesonet Oklahoma Climatological Survey (405) 325-2253 gmcmanus@mesonet.org
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