Ticker for October 31, 2014

                
MESONET TICKER ... MESONET TICKER ... MESONET TICKER ... MESONET TICKER ...
October 31, 2014   October 31, 2014   October 31, 2014   October 31, 2014


We got a rock



Sorry we missed the release of the new Drought Monitor map yesterday. We were busy
trying out for a new position...Master of All Time and Space. It's now cold
outside, a sure sign we didn't get the job. Stupid cold front. There's actually
a wind chill too. Stupid cold front. And lows are expected to get way way WAY
down tonight, probably the 20s over most of the state. Stupid cold front. Look
at these maps where you can see evidence of the stupid cold front. Oh yeah, and
most of the state is under a freeze warning. Stupid cold front.






Stupid cold front. Now onto the stupid drought.



Some stupid D4 (exceptional) drought expanded across southwestern Oklahoma, as
well as some equally stupid D3 (extreme) drought. That area continues to be the
worst hit by the stupid dry weather, and has missed out on even those good rains
earlier in October.




For the record, the month is going to end up just a tad below normal with a
statewide average of 3.4 inches, but that's good enough to rank as the 41st
wettest October on record. October has a LOT of dry years there along with some
wet doozies that really skew the statistics.



Still lots of reason for all that significant drought out there, however. As
we've said before, one big October rain ain't gonna cut it. Check out the
maps since Aug. 1 and Jan. 1.











Lots of stupid dry weather to report about, no doubt. But how about some GOOD
NEWS? Rain. There is an increasing likelihood of some nice rains next week, and
if things work out correctly, these totals might even start going up. Here are
the totals for the first storm, scheduled (ahem...tentatively) for early next
week.



And then there might be a second stanza of rain later into next week, depending
on a glorious cut-off low pressure system moving into the area. That shows up
on the 7day-rain-forecast with some additional totals added onto the 5-day.



Very iffy at this point, but some hope to cling to.

Everybody have a safe and enjoyable Halloween. I know I will following my three
kids around in a parka as they trick-or-treat.

We got a rock.

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