Ticker for March 23, 2004

                
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March 23, 2004     March 23, 2004     March 23, 2004     March 23, 2004



Southeast OK Continues Long Dry Run

Late February and early March brought some promising rainfall to much
of the state, but the last couple of weeks have unfortunately behaved
much like the last year-plus for southeastern Oklahoma.  In fact,
below-normal rainfall is plaguing the region on multiple scales dating
to last year.

Here's a table of precipitation, precipitation deficit and the period's
rank in history since 1921 (1st=driest).  We've added a column noting
the Standardized Precipitation Index.

Time Period   SE OK Rain   vs. Normal    Rank     SPI
Last 30 Days        2.32"       -1.73"    21st   -0.65
Last 60 Days        6.18"       -0.95"    36th   -0.18
Last 90 Days        8.95"       -1.23"    35th   -0.22
Last 120 Days       10.10"       -4.28"    16th   -0.94
Last 180 Days       16.24"       -7.91"    18th   -1.02
Last 365 Days       36.02"      -14.77"     5th   -1.71

The SPI gives information about how the precip total fits into the
historical pitcure, or its "unusualness". Values below zero are on
history's dry side.  Values exceeding -1.00 (in the negative sense)
are considered "moderately" dry.  Those more extreme than -1.50
are "severely" dry.

The list indicates that southeast Oklahoma has experienced dryness
on several scales, especially in the long-term.  This isn't good news
when heading into Oklahoma's warmer and winder seasons, which demand
more moisture from plants and soils.