Ticker for November 9, 2017

                
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November 9, 2017   November 9, 2017   November 9, 2017   November 9, 2017


Here comes drought!




Gosh, it seems like it was just last month when we got a good rain. Oh wait, for
western Oklahoma, it WAS last month (if not a bit longer). And for southeastern
Oklahoma, they're dealing with deficits going back 60 days and longer. Check out
these maps. And those 30 day maps for western Oklahoma are pathetic to say the
least.









So yeah, folks might remember when it used to rain uphill both ways, but we've
got problems of a dry nature currently multiplying. Now you might say to
yourself "But Gary, we've had a hard freeze. Why does it matter?" And we've
talked about his before...if you're calling yourself Gary and that's not your
name, seek help. BUT, there are still things growing out there. Down in the
southeast, all sorts of vegetation is still growing, from grass to trees. And
up in the northwest, the big thing is the winter wheat, which gets planted in
the fall and needs some sort of moisture throughout the winter. Especially right
after it's planted, which some folks are doing now. It needs to germinate, which
requires water. That wheat planted earlier back in September and October needs
water as well. So when we get impact reports from western Oklahoma like this
(note: the names have been changed to protect the dry):

Gary,

It?s dry and getting serious. Wheat pasture is short everywhere and
showing signs of stress. Starting to turn yellow on terrace tops and
sandy areas. Ponds are drying up pretty fast, ground is hard with
little to no topsoil moisture. We are in need of some rain, missed it
again this morning! I think we are definitely in a D1.

Thus the reason I asked for broad expansion of at least Abnormally Dry (D0)
conditions across much of the western third of Oklahoma. Unfortunately, the
national Drought Monitor author wasn't biting this week, but we'll try next
week. We did get some minor expansion up in the NW and down in the SE.




So we did go from about 3% of the state in Moderate (D1) drought to a bit over
8%, but I think we'll see both those numbers continue to increase if our
meager moisture chances continue through the next two weeks.





And to top that off, it looks like it might get on the warm side again.




So yes, it DOES matter if we go into a dry spell this time of year. It matters
for those winter crops, it matters for fire danger (ever see what a eastern red
cedar does when it dries out and encounters fire??), and it matters for
recharging the soil just in case we are dry in the spring.

And remember that we are also headed into La Nina, which can mean an extended
period of warmer and drier than normal weather.

http://ticker.mesonet.org/select.php?mo=10&da=19&yr=2017

At this point, send us any moisture you got, Mother Nature. We'll take it!

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