Ticker for June 18, 2018

                
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June 18, 2018      June 18, 2018      June 18, 2018      June 18, 2018


What's your vector Victor?




Well, that's what happens when you predict a dose of rain in the summer, even
during mid-June when we're still in the rainy season. The remnants of Hurricane
Bud did eventually help some showers form in the High Plains, and the Panhandle
did get a good dose.



That's another good bout of moisture out that way, especially considering their
rainy season is just beginning. Two inches is about a tenth of their annual total,
more or less. The rest of the state is still waiting. We promised it all last
week, which is probably why it looks just a wee bit more uncertain this week. As
you can see on that 7-day rain forecast map, Oklahoma is caught between two heavy
rain makers...the trough of low pressure across the Northern Plains (with some
interaction with the remnants of Bud in there somewhere), and a great disturbance
in the Force...I mean a TROPICAL disturbance down off the SE Texas Coast.
Certainly a lovely bullseye painted on Brownsville. I doubt they want OR need
that much rain in the next 7 days.

For Oklahoma, watch for rain on-and-off rain chances here and there over the
next several days. Wednesday and Thursday appear to be the best bet, but even
that is still a bit uncertain. One thing that is somewhat likely will be for
heavy rains from any storms that do form. They will likely be slow movers, and
there's a ton of moisture to work with in the atmosphere. Typical June-like
storms...pulse up and rain a bunch then die down. There will be chances for
some severe storms again...nothing organized and nothing too serious looking
at this point, but flooding will remain the biggest concern over the next
few days.

We do need the rainfall. For parts of northwestern OK, it's the driest water
year (which begins on Oct. 1 of the previous year) on record, and the southeast
is really starting to hurt in the latest short term as well.





We don't believe in superstitions, so talking about it won't jinx it. It WILL
rain this week.

Knock on wood.

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