Ticker for May 16, 2011

                
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May 16, 2011       May 16, 2011       May 16, 2011       May 16, 2011


Fill 'er up!!

I went back home to Buffalo to do a bit of fishing and drought chasing. My
favorite fishing spot is about 8 miles south of Buffalo and is fed by a natural
spring, so I'm not accustomed to seeing it very low. I had a bad feeling as I
drove the Northwest Passage highway and saw the foot-tall wheat being cut and
baled ... if it was this bad where they had more rain than back home, what will
I find when I get there? Well, this is what I found.



For perspective, here's what that pond looked like back in the May of 2009.



I show you these pictures to underscore what is going on in much of western
Oklahoma. Pictures like this are common from south to north out that way. The
damage done to this year's wheat crop has been well-covered, but imagine you are
trying to raise cattle in this type of environment. Not only do you not have
pasture for grazing, you also don't have water. Those lucky enough to have a
windmill -- at least one that is still able to get down to the water table --
can at least least get their livestock to drink. For those that don't, buying
emergency water on top of emergency hay is a double calamity.

La Nina is nearly gone, but its effect on the Southern Plains has been obvious,
and horrendous.



The possible drink of water this week needs to happen. The cotton crop in
southwestern Oklahoma is now squarely in this drought's crosshairs.

And for those wondering, I was able to find a pond with water left, and I was
able to catch a few largemouth bass before I left. It was easy, I used a net!



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