Ticker for July 9, 1998

                
MESONET TICKER ... MESONET TICKER ... MESONET TICKER ... MESONET TICKER ...
July 9, 1998       July 9, 1998       July 9, 1998       July 9, 1998


Heat, Part 24

Today is the 24th consecutive day that at least one Mesonet station has
observed a temperature of 100 F or more.

The Keetch-Byram Drought Index (KBDI) is a tool used in wildfire danger
assessment.  It gives an indication of the moisture of the upper layers
of the soil.  KBDI values of 600 or more are "often associated with more
severe drought with increased wildfire occurrence".  Currently, six
Mesonet locations have KBDI values above 600, according to the Oklahoma
Fire Danger Model:

Altus (639), Hollis (634), Durant (633), Mangum (626), Walters (612),
and Washington (601).

The latest KBDI image and tables are available via:

The Oklahoma Fire Danger Model
http://agweather.mesonet.org/fire/data.html