Information below is on the on going drought in our state. Keep in mind, OKC and other communities are in constant water restrictions now which at the very least means odd/even watering.


http://d6673sr63mbv7.cloudfront.net/archive/x1233047285/g0002580000000000006402d94a4263d340487c380c4060563 f166224ad.jpg

http://www.mesonet.org/data/public/mesonet/maps/daily/mesonet.rainfall.quarterinch.png

http://climate.ok.gov/data/public/mesonet/maps/daily/drought/last30dayspct.png

http://www.mesonet.org/data/public/mesonet/maps/realtime/rainrfc.720hr.png

Really hope we don't slip back into this cycle. Fortunately it works like SW Oklahoma will get a little bit more than they have been tomorrow, so hopefully that starts tipping the scale back a little.

Oklahoma City, driest start in nearly 120 years | Oklahoma City - OKC - KOCO.com (http://www.koco.com/weather/oklahoma-city-driest-in-nearly-120-years/25693376?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=koconews)

From Oklahoma City's Facebook page


Please remember, mandatory odd/even watering (Stage 1) is now permanently in effect. If the drought worsens, additional conservation measures will take effect.

How does odd/even watering work?

• If your address ends in an even number, you can water on even-numbered calendar days.

• If your address ends in an odd number, you can water on odd-numbered calendar days.

Example:

• If your address is 1400, you can water on the 2nd, 4th, 6th of the month and so on.

• If your address is 1401, you can water on the 1st, 3rd, 5th, etc.

https://scontent-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-frc3/t1.0-9/10259752_10152026440437312_1649175434641574683_n.p ng

- https://www.facebook.com/cityofokc/photos/a.278136232311.153278.53385692311/10152026440437312/?type=1

http://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/data/jpg/20140422/20140422_OK_trd.jpg

Yesterday's rain helped refill some of the creeks and ponds around where I live. Lake Hefner though is starting to look pretty bad and it did very little to better that situation.

Yesterday's rain helped refill some of the creeks and ponds around where I live. Lake Hefner though is starting to look pretty bad and it did very little to better that situation.

Any help the rainfall did yesterday, for those that got it, will be gone by the end of the week as we stay dry. The vast majority of people didn't get anything worth writing home about.

http://www.mesonet.org/data/public/mesonet/maps/realtime/rainrfc.48hr.png

This looks like its going be so dry this year that about all I will be doing is just trying to keep trees, bushes and grass alive with minimal watering.

But don't forget about the foundation......

Yesterday's rain helped refill some of the creeks and ponds around where I live. Lake Hefner though is starting to look pretty bad and it did very little to better that situation.

I drove by Lake Hefner on Sunday and was paying close attention to the water level. It certainly wasn't full but it doesn't look "pretty bad" either.

It's a little more than 8' below normal elevation. The rain we've had the last few days should help that a bit.

Looks like Oklahoma won't have much of a wheat crop again this year.

Looks like it is likely to get worse before it gets any better
http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/expert_assessment/season_drought.png

It was pretty clear the gamble they made to do a release at Lake Canton last year was a loss, we may be losing again on that this year since there was not hardly any meaningful replenishment to Canton if we do not get enough local rain.

Mustang Times, Wheat woes (http://www.mustangpaper.com/82633/1586/wheat-woes)

It will take time but maybe this ends our drought?

Intense El Niño May Be Developing (Photo) (http://news.yahoo.com/intense-el-ni-o-may-developing-photo-143309053.html)

El Niño conditions seem to be developing in the equatorial Pacific Ocean, data from satellites and ocean sensors indicate.
A natural climate cycle that brings abnormally toasty temperatures to the Pacific Ocean, El Niño occurs when winds pile up warm water in the eastern part of the equatorial Pacific, triggering changes in atmospheric circulation that affects rainfall and storm patterns around the world.*

Fantastic (and disturbing) article about both the short and long term impacts of the drought in Oklahoma.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/05/140516-dust-bowl-drought-oklahoma-panhandle-food/?sf2968524=1&&utm_content=buffer50c27&utm_medium=social&utm_source=linkedin.com&utm_campaign=buffer

Is possible we will see desertification in the state? Are any areas in the state going to be added to desertification warning map?

Is possible we will see desertification in the state? Are any areas in the state going to be added to desertification warning map?

I believe there are parts in the state that already are.

On the other hand, as drastically changeable as Oklahoma weather can be, OKC could go back to not being bypassed by flash flooding next year with talk wondering if an all time record total for annual precipitation will be set.

I'm not sure any of the state qualifies as true desert in the climatological sense, does it? I mean, certainly I would guess that rainfall totals over the past few drought-ridden years in some portions of Oklahoma are approaching desert levels of aridity, but historically that is not the case. Lots of people think of the area around Little Sahara State Park as desert, but that is actually a geological formation, not a true desert in the climatological sense.

If I remember right doesn't Oklahoma have some of most diverse terrain besides Hawaii and California? I thought I read somewhere we have like 10 climate zones. Could be wrong on that though and mistaking it

On the other hand, as drastically changeable as Oklahoma weather can be, OKC could go back to not being bypassed by flash flooding next year with talk wondering if an all time record total for annual precipitation will be set.

Which we almost set last year, but we can see that rapid flash flooding does nothing for long term drought improvement. The problem with quick heavy rain is majority just runs off and we see no lasting benefit of it. Perhaps we need to start revisiting new lake development to start taking advantage of those events to retain the water for more than a few days (or however long it takes for it to flow down the Canadian).

Do you think we would be allowed to build new lakes? I thought the EPA stopped that or something happened to prevent it. Would be nice to see though.

From my knowledge the Great Plains has natural wet/dry cycles that last 10-15 years at a time. How far along is the current dry cycle?

Which we almost set last year, but we can see that rapid flash flooding does nothing for long term drought improvement. The problem with quick heavy rain is majority just runs off and we see no lasting benefit of it. Perhaps we need to start revisiting new lake development to start taking advantage of those events to retain the water for more than a few days (or however long it takes for it to flow down the Canadian).

The city has already been in the process of getting more capacity for years but from south east Oklahoma where there is multiple times the rainfall per square inch, will likely also likely get runoff from mountains and the quality of lake water is generally higher than either of the Canadian rivers.

There are some issues with the N & S Canadian rivers that make it a bit of a gamble in making it our primary water source. The aquifer they feed has been over tapped by Texas ans western Oklahoma for years, so the amount coming downstream to us has been declining even before the drought. They both have fairly narrow catchment areas so even when thunderstorms near us that dump a lot of water them will only channel a small percent of what storms drop near us.

The city has already been in the process of getting more capacity for years but from south east Oklahoma where there is multiple times the rainfall per square inch, will likely also likely get runoff from mountains and the quality of lake water is generally higher than either of the Canadian rivers.

There are some issues with the N & S Canadian rivers that make it a bit of a gamble in making it our primary water source. The aquifer they feed has been over tapped by Texas ans western Oklahoma for years, so the amount coming downstream to us has been declining even before the drought. They both have fairly narrow catchment areas so even when thunderstorms near us that dump a lot of water them will only channel a small percent of what storms drop near us.

I'm definitely aware of all of that. I'm not saying we need something the size of Texoma or Eufaula here, but it would seem to be wiser to retain what we do have that falls in this area instead of relying on an pipeline from SE OK.

Wouldn't it be wise to make Lake Hefner deeper? Part of the reason it tends to try up is not only its size but its shallowness. Many parts of it are very shallow so the sun reflects off the lake bottom and increases evaporation.

I believe there are parts in the state that already are.

The Panhandle already is classified as semi-arid desert with less than 20" of precipitation annually. Parts of Western Oklahoma are close. If you've been to the Wichita Mtns or to Lake Altus it looks like a desert landscape with brush and cactus and few large trees. The continuous drought has made things worse for farming/ranching and I imagine there is plenty of once-productive land that is now useless which is an example of desertification, most likely in the far southwest which has been in an exceptional drought for several years.
http://oceanworld.tamu.edu/resources/environment-book/Images/US-Precipit.gif

Pipeline from San Diego County may be the solution to meet future needs...

Carlsbad Desalination Project | Home (http://carlsbaddesal.com/)

Pipeline from San Diego County may be the solution to meet future needs...

Carlsbad Desalination Project | Home (http://carlsbaddesal.com/)

It would have to be pretty far in the future before Oklahoma is using desalinization, it generally costs more than any of the other methods, uses a lot of power to run and we are not super close to an ocean. Though who knows, maybe several decades from now there will be a national system of pipelines for water similar to fuel, crude and natural gas today.

It would have to be pretty far in the future before Oklahoma is using desalinization, it generally costs more than any of the other methods, uses a lot of power to run and we are not super close to an ocean. Though who knows, maybe several decades from now there will be a national system of pipelines for water similar to fuel, crude and natural gas today.

Snowman...The cool thing about this, I was living in Carlsbad when I was in the 8th grade (1966) when this was on the drawing board a lil over 4 decades ago. So, you just could be right.

It would have to be pretty far in the future before Oklahoma is using desalinization, it generally costs more than any of the other methods, uses a lot of power to run and we are not super close to an ocean. Though who knows, maybe several decades from now there will be a national system of pipelines for water similar to fuel, crude and natural gas today.

A national system would be interesting. Though I could imagine the Great Lakes states going absolutely ape over the thought of more people tapping into that resource.

I asked a friend (who had connections and responsibilities to be in the know) about this once and he (very politely) laughed my idea into oblivion due to cost. All the same, here it is.
We're worried about global warming (with concurrent rising oceans) AND low aquifer levels. I think desalinization plants that feed into central aquifers is the way to go.

but I don't want to pay for it, personally

I asked a friend (who had connections and responsibilities to be in the know) about this once and he (very politely) laughed my idea into oblivion due to cost. All the same, here it is.
We're worried about global warming (with concurrent rising oceans) AND low aquifer levels. I think desalinization plants that feed into central aquifers is the way to go.

but I don't want to pay for it, personallyI think if solar and wind energy can be made more efficient coupled with more energy efficient desalinization techniques, it will be more feasible.

I think if solar and wind energy can be made more efficient coupled with more energy efficient desalinization techniques, it will be more feasible.

Or wait for people in Southern California, Las Vegas, and Phoenix to find a way to make the technology to make it cheaper. They'll be worrying about it way before we do.

Agreed. Although, it solar is still in its infancy, imo, and needs to be researched further to produce more energy.

Central Oklahoma registers 29-inch rain deficit » Local News » The Edmond Sun (http://www.edmondsun.com/local/x1396856588/Central-Oklahoma-registers-29-inch-rain-deficit)

Central Oklahoma registers 29-inch rain deficit » Local News » The Edmond Sun (http://www.edmondsun.com/local/x1396856588/Central-Oklahoma-registers-29-inch-rain-deficit)

For May, so far, at my station in Stillwater, only .28" has fallen. Average for all of May, the rainiest month, is 5.41".

Wow

Oklahoma Drought Impacting Meat Prices Across The State - News9.com - Oklahoma City, OK - News, Weather, Video and Sports | (http://www.news9.com/story/25624389/oklahoma-drought-impacting-meat-prices-across-the-state)

Central Oklahoma registers 29-inch rain deficit » Local News » The Edmond Sun (http://www.edmondsun.com/local/x1396856588/Central-Oklahoma-registers-29-inch-rain-deficit)

And just how are those Putting Greens looking, out on 1515 West Oak Tree Drive in Edmond?

Haven't really checked lately, although, I'm sure they're doing great after this rain.

Holiday-weekend rain raises Oklahoma City's six reservoirs only a few inches | News OK (http://newsok.com/holiday-weekend-rain-raises-oklahoma-citys-six-reservoirs-only-a-few-inches/article/4859275)

Hardly any improvement at Canton Lake. It went from 21% full to 22% full.

CNLO2 : Canton Lakehttp://www.swt-wc.usace.army.mil/images/lakes/CANT.lakepage.gif
Current Readings:

Pool elevation is 1602.74 feet on Thursday 29May14 Time: 1100 hours.
At this elevation the total amount of water stored in Canton Lake is 35477 acre-feet.
Reservoir release is 0 cubic feet per second on Thursday 29May14 Time: 1100 hours.
Conservation pool is 22.52% full.
Conservation storage filled is 21580 acre-feet which is equivalent to 0.05 inches of runoff over the entire drainage basin.
Conservation storage empty is 74265 acre-feet which is equivalent to 0.18 inches of runoff over the entire drainage basin.

Nice line of storms firing up around Woodward and look to be training which is what this area needs to get water into Canton!

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S5

Does canton get much runoff? That area has been getting a fair amount of rain and it's still sitting at 22%. At least Hefner is almost back to full.

Does canton get much runoff? That area has been getting a fair amount of rain and it's still sitting at 22%. At least Hefner is almost back to full.

While the last few have finally been hitting it's catchment area. It seemed like until this last month, the closest everything the year before would just barely miss it.

A wu reporting station by Canton Lake has 6.71" of rain for June.

Question for drought experts: last year OKC had one of its rainiest years on record, approximately 50 inches of rain. This year we are at about 16 inches so far, a little less than half of our average annual total. But when I look at the drought monitor it shows Oklahoma County in the "Extreme" drought category. Why? This makes no sense to me at all.

Question for drought experts: last year OKC had one of its rainiest years on record, approximately 50 inches of rain. This year we are at about 16 inches so far, a little less than half of our average annual total. But when I look at the drought monitor it shows Oklahoma County in the "Extreme" drought category. Why? This makes no sense to me at all.

I'm by no means a drought expert, but it doesn't just deal with how much rain falls but rather where, how fast, etc. If the ground is hard from drought and too much rain falls too quickly, much of it will leave the area as runoff and will hardly benefit the soil conditions. Permeability and vegetation type play a huge role. I believe the best "drought buster" to be moderate amounts of rain over a prolonged period of time. Plus keep in mind that even though it has been raining a lot recently, we are still having the 12th driest year (year-to-date) here in Central OK having only received 63% of our normal rainfall.

http://climate.ok.gov/data/public/mesonet/maps/daily/drought/calpct.png

http://climate.ok.gov/data/public/mesonet/maps/daily/drought/caldel.png

http://www.koco.com/image/view/-/28084404/highRes/1/-/maxh/480/maxw/640/-/7egwq7/-/Oklahoma-Drought-png.png

Drought continues to improve across Oklahoma | Oklahoma City - OKC - KOCO.com (http://www.koco.com/weather/drought-continues-to-improve-across-oklahoma/28084414)

There may be a serious dent in that remaining drought if some of the models are right for this weekend.

From no drought at all in Edmond to just two counties away where severe drought affects much of Stillwater after being bypassed by many downpours.

State Climatologist: Drought in Oklahoma is intensifying | News OK (http://newsok.com/state-climatologist-drought-in-oklahoma-is-intensifying/article/5345160)

State Climatologist: Drought in Oklahoma is intensifying | News OK (http://newsok.com/state-climatologist-drought-in-oklahoma-is-intensifying/article/5345160)

Stillwater August was dry where 2/3 of average rain fell, but for September, 4" has fallen or nearly the average amount. Some of eastern half of Oklahoma has had more than that for the last 30 days, so surely parts of Oklahoma aren't having an intensifying drought. Much of the eastern half isn't even in a drought.

The problem is between droughts, OKC and it's water dependents grow, and they all use the same small water source. Today, after all this time, Canton Lake is LESS than 21% full. Anyone who tries to explain the situation gets shouted down. Most of OKC has plenty of water, but not those dependent on Hefner. Those people were so close to running out of water, most would not believe it! According to the engineers, Hefner needs water when they get to 40,000 acre/feet, you have 57,000 now. The pumps cavitate if it goes any lower. The Sardis deal is far in the future. Drawing water from Canton is difficult. You'll loose at least 10-15 thousand acre/ft to the riverbed.

Oklahoma drought takes toll on Chickasha's aging water infrastructure | News OK (http://newsok.com/oklahoma-drought-takes-toll-on-chickashas-aging-water-infrastructure/article/5346550)

Oklahoma drought sees minor improvement | Oklahoma City - OKC - KOCO.com (http://www.koco.com/weather/oklahoma-drought-sees-minor-improvement/29579154)

Oklahoma drought sees minor improvement | Oklahoma City - OKC - KOCO.com (http://www.koco.com/weather/oklahoma-drought-sees-minor-improvement/29579154)

Unfortunately this is a pointless story for them to run. No appreciable precip in the forecast for 10+ days. Thankfully we aren't too warm right now to speed the drying out.

Does anyone know where a current drought update can be located?
Surely a huge chunk of the drought must be improved?

United States Drought Monitor > Home > State Drought Monitor (http://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/Home/StateDroughtMonitor.aspx?OK)

As of yesterday's update (conditions through Tues), eastern Oklahoma County was free of drought, western part "abnormally dry". The western half of the state still largely in drought but improved. Should be much better next Thursday when the new conditions are released.