Ticker for October 9, 2025

                
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October 9, 2025    October 9, 2025    October 9, 2025    October 9, 2025


Drought's on!




I know that when I have to start spending 8+ hours a week gathering data and
impact reports and drawing lines on maps that drought is starting to get serious
in Oklahoma.

No, seriously.

More and more reports of planted wheat never sprouting, wheat being "dusted in,"
(i.e., putting the seed into the ground with no moisture and praying for rain),
dry farm ponds, flagging pastures, have been flooding (no pun intended) my way,
and that's why drought is starting to flourish in Oklahoma once again. After a few
months with NO drought in the state for the first time since 2019, we're back at
it again, and obviously the lack of rainfall AND our extension of summer are the
main culprits.

Brace yourselves, here comes the ugly (don't complain, I have to do this every
morning before I get in front of the mirror)!











So like you'd say after eating a Strawberry Pop-Tart...YUCK!

Oh yeah, extension of summer (minus a brief cooldown or three).



Oh yeah, soil moisture, or lack thereof (and growing fire danger).





Oh yeah, a mostly warm (relatively HOT) and dry week ahead.







Oh yeah, and maybe beyond?



Oh yeah, and La Nina is no longer a threat, it's here. Remember, La Nina has
been a drought starter, amplifier, and extender for the State of Oklahoma in
the past.





At this point, La Nina is expected to persist through the winter, but also
remain weak. Now that doesn't mean we shouldn't expect the same types of impacts
as a moderate or even strong La Nina, just that they're less likely.

The good news is that the atmosphere has overperformed this year quite a bit
when it comes to moisture, and it wasn't that long ago (but it was definitely
a bit ago at least).





Expecting that pattern change any day, errrrrrr...week, errrrrr...month now!

Gary McManus
State Climatologist
Oklahoma Mesonet
Oklahoma Climate Survey
gmcmanus@ou.edu