Ticker for August 23, 2018

                
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August 23, 2018    August 23, 2018    August 23, 2018    August 23, 2018


Out darned drought!


Not bad, August. Not bad at all! How does the 10th wettest August 1-23 since
1921 sound?



We still have the clear winners, like Wister and Miami in far eastern Oklahoma
at 10.6 inches and 8.4 inches, respectively (and "winners" is a relative term,
because flooding is no picnic). And the non-winners, like those parts of SW
and NC OK still hovering below 2 inches for the month.







We gave August 2017 a run for awhile, but it doesn't look like we're going to
match their 2nd wettest on record standing.



However, mostly everybody has had a good drink of water in the last 10 days or so
(or at least a gulp here and there).





The moisture, albeit a bit too much in some places and not enough in others,
has led to large scale drought relief in the last month. And today's new map
is the best we've seen in quite some time with only 32% of the state considered
to be in drought, and only 19% in at least severe drought.



The question is...will we continue to see drought relief? Well, not for awhile.
The rest of August looks dry (and hot!). But those areas that have received the
good rains can rest a bit. Unfortunately, those areas in SW and NE OK that are
still hurting will have to wait a bit longer. The 7-day rain forecast is pretty
bleak for most.



And the CPC outlooks show possible dry/hot weather continuing deep into the
first week of September.





This is nothing to panic about, of course. August and early September are
normally hot/dry times of the year. The rains earlier this month (and 2017's
August) are the anomaly, not the norm.

The heat will come as a bit of a shock to the system, given that we've been
below normal in temperatures for so long. So we need to go back to being aware
of what our body is telling us. Stay cool, seek shade and stay hydrated.

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