MESONET TICKER ... MESONET TICKER ... MESONET TICKER ... MESONET TICKER ... May 21, 2020 May 21, 2020 May 21, 2020 May 21, 2020
Glub Glub
http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20200521/7day-rain-forecast.png
Wow, fresh off a long Monday and Tuesday of compiling data and asking for local input across western Oklahoma to justify a major expansion of moderate drought, along comes Mother Nature to make it all a moot point (NO, NOT MUTE!).
http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20200521/20200519_OK_trd.png
http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20200521/1week-change-DM.png
Heck no we're not complaining! In a week that saw out moderate drought coverage jump 10 percentage points from 6.49% to 16.66%, we saw the handwriting on the wall. We've done this script before, and it ain't pretty, probably a couple of weeks away from seeing 33% of the state in drought.
Now this optimism comes with some caveats, because we've done THIS act before, too.
1. The forecast has to come true. The rain looks good on paper thus far, but we'll see.
2. We're talking mostly convection, which can leave one county with 3" and another with a tenth. Shoot, that can happen from field to field when it comes to Plains thunderstorms.
3. It has to be enough to overcome the deficits we're seeing over the last 30-90 days, and they are getting substantial.
http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20200521/30day-totals.png
http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20200521/30days.norm_dep.png
http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20200521/30days.norm_pct.png
http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20200521/60day-totals.png
http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20200521/60days.norm_dep.png
http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20200521/60days.norm_pct.png
West central Oklahoma has suffered through its 7th driest last 60 days on record, dating back to at least 1921, and much of western Oklahoma hasn't fared much better than that.
http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20200521/60day-rain-stats.png
And a major concern still exists in the far western Panhandle, which isn't forecast to get nearly enough to overcome what we've seen over the last 6 months or so.
http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20200521/mesonet.rainfall.quarterinch.png
Over the last 30-90 days, we've seen a significant loss of soil moisture available for plants to use, down to at least the 32-inch level.
http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20200521/mesonet.daily.current.PPAW10.grad.png
http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20200521/mesonet.daily.current.PPAW40.grad.png
http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20200521/mesonet.daily.current.PPAW80.grad.png
So the western half of the state, and an area bleeding over into north central Oklahoma, needs rain. And of course, given that it's May, that can often come with some unpleasantness. SPC has pegged far NW OK as a possible danger zone today, with chances of large hail, high winds, and even a tornado or two. Not too bad for May in Oklahoma, however.
http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20200521/day1otlk_1300.gif
http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20200521/day1probotlk_1300_torn.gif
http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20200521/day1probotlk_1300_wind.gif
http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20200521/day1probotlk_1300_hail.gif
Then we'll see marginal risks for severe weather over the next few days after that, but again, nothing really MAY worthy. At least the way it looks at this point. Basically a week of rain chances, off and on through the period.
Okay, let it rain or this will be a MUTE point, at least this week. We'll do moot again next week.
Gary McManus State Climatologist Oklahoma Mesonet Oklahoma Climatological Survey (405) 325-2253 gmcmanus@mesonet.org
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