Ticker for April 12, 2024

                
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April 12, 2024     April 12, 2024     April 12, 2024     April 12, 2024


Plans within plans




Now come on, do I have to come down there (somewhere close to Guthrie, I presume,
or even assume?) and make your severe weather plan FOR YOU? Okay, but this is
what you'd get:

1. Buy Cherry Pop-Tarts.
2. Eat Cherry Pop-Tarts.
3. Assume fetal position.
4. Cry self to sleep.

I know, I'm amazed I'm still here. Actually, there's a lot more you can do than
cause a sugar rush to prepare for severe weather. Here's a helpful reminder of
some better steps you can take, from our friends down to the National Weather
Service in Amarillo.

https://www.weather.gov/ama/severesafetyplan

And here are some helpful graphics from NWS Norman and Tulsa.





Things are still on track to have a significant severe weather event somewhere
in Oklahoma on Monday. The locations and time frames will be changing and
becoming better refined over the next few days. On the other hand I will never
be better refined, but you knew that. But here's the deal...let's say that this
significant severe weather event falls apart, or shifts away from us. Yayyy,
right? But at least you'll be severe weather ready for the next severe weather
outbreak, which is not an IF but a WHEN.

DON'T be this guy!



And now, an announcement about how YOU can help track drought in Oklahoma!

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How You Can Help Track Drought in Oklahoma
April 12, 2024

Despite recent beneficial rains, drought is on the rise once again in Oklahoma.
Northwest and east-central sections of Oklahoma saw drought increase on this
week’s U.S. Drought Monitor map, and overall coverage has increased from 3% of
the state to more than 15% in the last three weeks. This is the fourth in a
series of drought intensifications Oklahoma has seen since this larger drought
episode began back in late summer of 2021.

Drought can vary greatly across small distances, from one side of a county or
town to another, and sometimes from neighbor to neighbor. While they may
receive over 2 inches of rain from a passing storm, you might only experience a
few sprinkles. When multiplied across several storms, these disparities can
result in significant differences in moisture levels. Such variations make it
challenging for drought experts to accurately classify drought conditions, or
even to detect their presence. In other instances, precipitation might relieve
one drought impact while other impacts remain unchanged. A moderate rain, for
instance, might relieve soil moisture deficits but leave stock ponds and other
reservoirs depleted. This can make it exceedingly difficult to get an accurate
depiction of drought.

Now, Oklahomans can help local, state, and national decision makers better
understand drought conditions across the state by completing a survey via the
Condition Monitoring Observer Reports (CMOR) service at
https://droughtimpacts.unl.edu/Tools/ConditionMonitoringObservations.aspx .

The CMOR system, managed by the National Drought Mitigation Center, collects
reports of local weather conditions and impacts around the country. Your report
will become part of the permanent record. It will appear immediately on an
interactive map visible to the public, including authors of the U.S. Drought
Monitor and the media. The Drought Monitor is used by the U.S. Department of
Agriculture to trigger disaster declarations and eligibility for low-interest
loans and assistance programs. State and local decision makers also use the map
to implement drought response activities.

CMOR reports are one piece of supporting evidence used in the development of
the Drought Monitor each week, providing on-the-ground information used by
authors of the Drought Monitor to better understand local conditions.
Observations shared via CMOR will not be used as sole justification to change
an area’s drought classification.

Information incorporated in a CMOR report includes current moisture conditions
and how they compare to typical conditions, as perceived by the observer. The
system allows users to also note impacts on different sectors, such as crop and
livestock production, municipal water supply, recreation, and public health.
Citizens are encouraged to submit photos along with their reports to illustrate
conditions in their community.

You can submit reports as frequently as you’d like. Frequent reporting is
particularly useful during times of rapid change and extreme weather, but we
encourage users to participate year-round to provide an ongoing comparison of
wet, dry, and normal conditions.

To learn more about CMOR, in English and Spanish, and how you can become an
observer, check out https://go.unl.edu/cmor_drought .



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Gary McManus
State Climatologist
Oklahoma Mesonet
Oklahoma Climatological Survey
gmcmanus@mesonet.org