Ticker for December 28, 2010

                
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December 28, 2010  December 28, 2010  December 28, 2010  December 28, 2010


Oklahoma continues to dry out

No reports of cows giving evaporated milk yet, but Oklahoma's dry ways have
continued into the last week of December. There was a bit of moisture in the
southeast last week with up to an inch and a half being reported in some areas
on the Oklahoma Mesonet.



As I mentioned last week, however, the dry conditions in that part of the state
are going to require a bit more moisture before we see a lessening of the
drought. On the bright side, it's a good start for that area with more rain a
possibility in the next couple of days.

Precipitation totals are now fairly dry from the 30-day out to the 120-day
period according to the Oklahoma Mesonet. The last 30 days have been the 9th
driest across the state since 1921, and that includes a 2nd-driest and a
4th-driest rank for the northeast and east central sections of the state,
respectively.



A couple of singular rain event in October and mid-November in the western
one-third of the state has helped their statistics look a bit less gruesome,
but even that rainfall is becoming a faded memory now.  The 90-day percent
of normal precipitation map give a pretty good snapshot of what is going on. The
eastern two-thirds of the state and the western Panhandle are suffering due to
20-60 percent of normal rainfall.



And the same map for the last 30 days looks even worse.



While winter is Oklahoma's driest time of the year (January and February are
the driest and 2nd-driest months of the year, respectively), the deficits we are
seeing are significant since they are exacerbating dryness that began in the
fall. Above-normal precipitation would certainly be welcome as we head into
spring and the demands for water increase dramatically.

And as usual, hope spring eternal for Oklahomans...the beginning to our wet
season is just two months away!



Gary McManus
Associate State Climatologist
Oklahoma Climatological Survey
(405) 325-2253
gmcmanus@mesonet.org