Drought Buster? Not Exactly.

An upper-level low slowly moved across the southern Plains these past several days, bringing much-needed rainfall to Oklahoma and surrounding states.  Due to the scattered nature of the showers and thunderstorms that this system brought, the rainfall totals varied widely across the state.  The highest rainfall amounts were across drought-stricken western Oklahoma.  Unfortunately, even with all this rain, a great deal of the state is still in a drought, with exceptional drought still present in parts of western Oklahoma.

The map to the right, courtesy of the Oklahoma Mesonet, shows the rain that was picked up over the past seven days, valid through this afternoon.  The "winner" for the most rainfall is Hobart at 4.79 inches.  Again, rainfall amounts varied widely across the state as storms were mainly scattered.  Parts of the panhandle and northeast Oklahoma also picked up on the heavier rainfall.

So how does this affect the drought?  The animated GIF at the top of this post compares the drought monitors from last Thursday to this Thursday.  Keep in mind, however, that the data for the drought monitor ends on Tuesday morning.  Though some rain was received after this deadline, the latest monitor still provides a good reflection of the drought situation.  Exceptional drought still plagues the panhandle and northwestern Oklahoma as well as parts of western and southwestern Oklahoma.  Severe to extreme drought is occurring across central Oklahoma, while eastern Oklahoma is either in no drought or a moderate drought at worst.  Please visit the U.S. Drought Monitor for the latest drought data,

If you think that the lack of rain is abnormal, you would be correct.  In fact, north central and central Oklahoma are recording the lowest year-to-date totals on record.  Overall, the state is recording its third driest year-to-date rainfall totals on record.  The table to the left is provided by the Oklahoma Mesonet.

Rain chances will remain minimal throughout the forecast period, with chances anywhere between 20 and 40 percent across central and eastern Oklahoma today, expanding to parts of western Oklahoma by the weekend.  After this time, rain chances will be sporadic across the state next week.  Rain chances will be concentrated in northern Oklahoma early in the week and may move farther south by mid-week.

AC

Sources: Oklahoma Mesonet, U.S. Drought Monitor