Ticker for May 17, 2004

                
MESONET TICKER ... MESONET TICKER ... MESONET TICKER ... MESONET TICKER ...
May 17, 2004       May 17, 2004       May 17, 2004       May 17, 2004



Very Dry Spring For Much of Western Oklahoma

With the exception of a few locally heavy totals, significant
precipitation events have been few and far between this spring
for much of the Sooner State.  This particularly true as one moves
west across the state.

In fact, Mesonet stats indicate that the 30 days from April 17th
through yesterday were the 3rd-driest such period since 1921 for
the west-central climate division:

30-DAY PRECIPITATION STATISTICS: APR 17 - MAY 16, 2004

Climate      Total  Diff from   Pct of  Driest  Wettest  Rank Since '21
Division    Precip     Normal   Normal   Since    Since  (83 periods)

Panhandle    1.94"     -0.66"      75%    2002     2001    37th driest
N. Central   3.16"     -0.66"      83%    2002     1999    37th driest
Northeast    6.00"     +1.30"     128%    2002     2000    19th wettest

W. Central   0.87"     -2.88"      23%    1996     2002     3rd driest
Central      2.56"     -1.99"      56%    2002     2000    18th driest
E. Central   5.87"     +0.81"     116%    2002     1999    34th wettest

Southwest    2.01"     -1.80"      53%    2002     2001    16th driest
S. Central   3.89"     -0.76"      84%    2002     1999    33rd driest
Southeast    4.20"     -1.18"      78%    2002     1999    17th driest

Statewide    3.42"     -0.83"      80%    2002     1999    28th driest


Notice that the southeast division recorded its 17th-driest such period
but it was the wettest since 1999!  This means that 2000, 2001, 2002
and 2003 (along with 2004) all finished in the driest fifth of the
Apr17-May16 periods in its modern record.

Here's a map of OK climate divisions: