Ticker for August 8, 2024

                
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August 8, 2024     August 8, 2024     August 8, 2024     August 8, 2024


WOOOO!




I was GONNA do a Ric Flair meme, but all the pics I could find scared me, and I'm
already scared from (looking in a mirror? NO!) this week's U.S. Drought Monitor
map, which saw drought DOUBLE in one week.



And when you look at the 60-day rainfall maps, it's easy to see why.







Hey, when the Panhandle leads the state in rainfall for ANY 60-day period, you
know things have gotten a bit odd. And the stats bear that out.



So it's not exactly shocking that we have another resurgence of flash drought,
our third time this year. Every time it gets interrupted, we have another long
run of little rainfall to kick it back into gear.



So IF we get that type of rainfall, it won't cure things altogether, especially
those areas expected to get less than an inch, but it will maybe halt the flash
drought's widescale intensification and spread. And with our much talked about
cold front finally entering the state today, the lower temperatures for a few
days will help.



Now it's not gonna last forever, but we will eventually get on the downward
temperature slide climatologically. That is inevitable, as much as we all joke
about summer lasting until October. That will also help. But the key ingredient
is rain. And what we should see starting later today and then through the
weekend will be key.

Heck, it's raining right now for crying out loud!



Heck part 2, it's cold fronting right now for crying out even louder!



Still, another hot day left for much of the state. Sorry!





Just find your happy place until Friday. Or even better...Saturday.



WOOOO!

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