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MESONET TICKER ... MESONET TICKER ... MESONET TICKER ... MESONET TICKER ... January 4, 2012 January 4, 2012 January 4, 2012 January 4, 2012 October-December: What a difference a year makes Still beating a dead year around here so I thought another look at our Octember (I'm tired of hyphens) period was in order. As has been mentioned many times, last year's catastrophic drought actually got its start in October 2010. Take a look at the differences between the two October-December periods and how we went from some of the driest weather on record to some of the wettest. October-December 2010 http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20120104/oct-dec-precip-2010.png http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20120104/oct-dec-precip-dep-2010.png -****- October-December 2010 Mesonet Precipitation Clim. Div. Precipitation Dep. Rank since 1895 Panhandle 2.76 -0.49 58th Driest North Central 3.92 -2.12 44th Driest Northeast 4.20 -5.33 17th Driest West Central 4.70 -0.73 55th Wettest Central 3.50 -4.98 18th Driest East Central 5.43 -6.12 22nd Driest Southwest 4.51 -1.58 52nd Driest South Central 5.35 -4.53 27th Driest Southeast 7.72 -6.38 27th Driest Statewide 4.56 -3.66 26th Driest -***- October-December 2011 http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20120104/oct-dec-precip-2011.png http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20120104/oct-dec-precip-dep-2011.png -****- October-December 2011 Mesonet Precipitation Clim. Div. Precipitation Dep. Rank since 1895 Panhandle 3.96 0.71 32nd Wettest North Central 8.13 2.09 17th Wettest Northeast 9.52 -0.01 41st Wettest West Central 7.63 2.20 21st Wettest Central 9.47 0.99 23rd Wettest East Central 12.05 0.50 37th Wettest Southwest 8.77 2.68 20th Wettest South Central 11.24 1.36 28th Wettest Southeast 16.14 2.04 23rd Wettest Statewide 9.55 1.33 28th Wettest -***- Combining the two tables above shows just how much our precipitation totals increased during the last three months over the same period in 2010. -****- Clim. Div. 2011-2010 Difference Percent Increase Panhandle 1.20 43% North Central 4.21 107% Northeast 5.32 127% West Central 2.93 62% Central 5.97 171% East Central 6.62 122% Southwest 4.26 94% South Central 5.89 110% Southeast 8.42 109% Statewide 4.99 109% Astounding! In most cases the precipitation amounts more than doubled. That's also the reason there is so much optimism for this year's winter wheat crop. After being devastated by the drought in 2011, this year's crop has risen from the ashes of September drought fears, resurrected by the October-December rains. The latest OK Crop Weather Report from the USDA-NASS Oklahoma Field Office relates that 63% of the current Oklahoma wheat crop is rated Good/Excellent and 93% is rated Fair/Good/Excellent. Only 6% is rated as Poor and 1% rated as Very Poor. Certainly an improvement over last year at this time as the crop was rated as 37% Good/Excellent, 81% Fair/Good/Excellent, 18% poor and 1% very poor. The rains have also brought a great improvement in the topsoil since last year at this time. The NASS report from Jan. 3, 2011, found 76% of the state's topsoil rated as Short/Very Short of moisture and only 24% with Adequate/Surplus moisture. The Jan. 3, 2012 report counters with 33% of the soils rated as Short/Very Short and 67% rated with Adequate/Surplus. The subsoil moisture is a different story, however. The January 2011 report had 70% of the subsoil rated as Short/Very Short and 30% rated Adequate/Surplus. For January 2012, those numbers appear to be quite similar with 69% Short/Very Short and 31% Adequate/ Surplus. With wheat and rain, it's often said the "when" is as important as the "how much." More moisture will be needed for the crop, especially with the continued moisture deficits in the subsoil. But compared to last year at this time, this wheat crop is looking a whole lot better. Gary McManus Associate State Climatologist Oklahoma Climatological Survey (405) 325-2253 gmcmanus@mesonet.org ================================================== The OCS/Mesonet Ticker https://ticker.mesonet.org/ To subscribe or unsubscribe from the Ticker or for questions about the Ticker or its content Phone or Email the Ticker Manager at OCS Phone: 405-325-2253 Email: ticker@mesonet.org --------------------------------------------------- -C- Copyright 2024 Oklahoma Climatological Survey ===================================================