I'm no weather expert. But from what I read it looks very possible we are possibly entering into another season of drought.

If you look at areas in western Oklahoma, Texas panhandle into New Mexico the lack of meaningful rain is excessive. If this weather pattern is stuck in a 'no rain' pattern -one would hope those who monitor local water supplies would begin to prepare the public for water rationing soon.

I would hope we'd have enough foresight to prepare for drought instead of panicking while in the middle of drought.

Southern Plains will almost always be entering into or leaving a drought. It’s just the “feast or famine” nature of our precipitation patterns. Very rare to get consistent rainfall in Oklahoma. As I’ve mentioned occasionally in some of the monthly weather threads, my personal opinion is that Oklahoma is pretty much the battleground between the eastern half of the country trending wetter over the last decade, and the western half of the country trending drier during the same timeframe. If that trend continues, IMO, it could be a cause for concern with regards to fire weather in this state as our wet periods trend wetter, leading to increased plant growth which could then turn into increased fuels for wildfires if our dry periods trend drier. You saw a classic example of this cycle occur in Colorado during the lead-up to the catastrophic Marshall Fire last December which destroyed over 1,000 homes in suburban Denver/Boulder. This fire was exacerbated due to a very wet spring followed by a very dry summer/fall in that part of the country which led to the pattern I mentioned a few sentences ago.

As for water, I believe I’ve read in multiple threads that OKC’s leaders had a lot of foresight in negotiating favorable water rights decades ago, but will leave any specific explanations of what that entails to other posters who are much more knowledgeable about the subject than I am.

Earth Day today!

SEMIweather is right. Oklahoma and specifically I-35 is the coinflip for moisture lately. Right now the desert properties to the west are winning out big time. As of typing this, there is dozens of 40+mph wind gusts registered on Mesonet sites all across the W half of OK. And there are 50+ out in the panhandle.

The combination of prolonged drought with these high winds is recipe for disaster. I am convinced the only reason we don't have epic wildfires rampaging through all of the dry plains is due to population being very sparse here. I won't get into specifics [not like it is hard to concoct], but if someone wanted to cause actual mayhem - they could in these areas quite easily.


I think the solution is some blurry combination of the following:
Controlled burns across the region.
Limitations or bans on farming (and subsidies).
Eradication of plant species that are moisture hungry.
Addition of plant species that are drought tolerant.
Incentivize removal of population from this area entirely.

Don't forget that it wasn't all that long ago that Hefner was really really low. I mean, you could walk way out there before getting to the water...which was basically confined to the deepest part of the lake and the channels. That problem was solved in a few week period during some major rain events. Things can change very quickly; however, this year has been something different that I haven't really experienced all that much, ie dry, hot, and extremely windy. Unless we get moisture in May and June, it's going to be a very very dry summer.

I'm afraid that we are not going to get much for the rest of the month, we shall see what next brings. I am thinking we are getting into a drought pattern. One thing we do need to realize is around the metro okc/Tulsa and other larger towns/cities is the rural/urban interface challenges of wild fires. Can be an issue. Look back a few years in Edmond. We had guys that got their vehicles paint scorched at St 5's parking lot on that one. I am sitting here with 80 ac to the north of me with 4 ft tall dry grass. I have to do some mowing on my back pasture myself. I cannot change the 80 ac of dry grass next to me. I am in the county across the line from Edmond. Lots of wild fire challenges around folks. Try to keep or limit combustible vegetation near your homes. This includes Eastern Red cedar. As far as western Oklahoma, parts of the state have continued to lose population after the wet years around the time of settlement. Maybe some of these areas should return to native grass wild life parks.

I’ve always thought a new Great Plains National Park taking up sizable portions of NW Oklahoma and some of the panhandle potentially stretching into Kansas and Texas would be cool.

Plu you are right that would be cool . ADd in buffalo and elk. Have places where people can go and watch them from a overlook site.

Plu you are right that would be cool . ADd in buffalo and elk. Have places where people can go and watch them from a overlook site.
Yep. Create one of the largest bison reserves. Miles of hiking trails. Historic dust bowl sites.

Here's a start to that. Though the Osage Nation has not wanted it expanded, at least not under federal ownership.

https://www.nature.org/en-us/get-involved/how-to-help/places-we-protect/tallgrass-prairie-preserve/

I'm no weather expert. But from what I read it looks very possible we are possibly entering into another season of drought.

If you look at areas in western Oklahoma, Texas panhandle into New Mexico the lack of meaningful rain is excessive. If this weather pattern is stuck in a 'no rain' pattern -one would hope those who monitor local water supplies would begin to prepare the public for water rationing soon.

I would hope we'd have enough foresight to prepare for drought instead of panicking while in the middle of drought.

Yep, we're in for a dry summer; drought conditions are unlikely to improve much anytime soon. According to the National Weather Service, drought conditions are predicted to continue through next month, with the probability for above normal temperatures and below normal rainfall highest in the western parts of Oklahoma [link (https://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/predictions/long_range/lead14/)].

"With nearly 60% of the continental U.S. experiencing minor to exceptional drought conditions, this is the largest drought coverage we’ve seen in the U.S. since 2013." (https://www.noaa.gov/news/spring-outlook-drought-to-expand-amid-warmer-conditions)

After all this rain I freely admit I'm no prophet regarding drought here locally.
Opps.

Far Western Oklahoma (from South to North) got very little in this last 5 day stretch (and had virtually none prior to that for several months). Your Western Oklahoma concerns remain totally valid.

But it’s certainly great for many locations in the state including central Oklahoma.

https://www.mesonet.org/index.php/weather/map/5_day_rainfall_accumulation/rainfall

After all this rain I freely admit I'm no prophet regarding drought here locally.
Opps.

A lot of the state still needs more rain.... I got less than 1/2" out of this just south of the Arbuckles.... If I don't get a good soaker 4-6" before July. I have a 3 acre pond with some really nice fish that are going to be bird and turtle food by September.

Most of the eastern half of Oklahoma is now free from drought.

17489

Most of the eastern half of Oklahoma is now free from drought.

17489

Free from drought? We are swimming. My home weather station says we have had 12.65 inches of rain so far this month.

Most of the eastern half of Oklahoma is now free from drought.

17489
Keep in mind this is as of Tuesday at 8am.

The rest of the Tuesday and Wednesday rain won’t be included until next weeks update

I guess my original concern in back in April is coming together full force.

I guess my original concern in back in April is coming together full force.

Luckily a good portion of the state was not in drought before the current hot and dry period. That was a big difference between this year and 2011/2012. But without any significant moisture soon the situation will continue to get worse. September/October are typically wetter months.

I ran across a YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9SjMGoXlJo) video of the drought, especially in Texas, the livestock auction yards are being flooded with cattle for sale. A small positive is that the price of beef should drop.

This is so disheartening to see. Hopefully something changes and these lakes can get filled back up: https://www.cnn.com/2022/07/21/weather/lake-mead-water-level-satellite-images/index.html?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=news_tab

This is so disheartening to see. Hopefully something changes and these lakes can get filled back up: https://www.cnn.com/2022/07/21/weather/lake-mead-water-level-satellite-images/index.html?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=news_tab

Not likely. When Meade was filled up back in the mid 80s, the population of Vegas was 500k. It's now well over 2 million. Never mind the millions more people living in Arizona southern California. California hasn't built a new reservoir in decades. New reservoirs there alone would have helped markedly.

Not likely. When Meade was filled up back in the mid 80s, the population of Vegas was 500k. It's now well over 2 million. Never mind the millions more people living in Arizona southern California. California hasn't built a new reservoir in decades. New reservoirs there alone would have helped markedly.
Lol, Lake Mead was filled in 1935. Like many reservoirs in this country including Oklahoma it was a federal project.
The lack of will in addressing infrastructure is a disgraceful legacy of Congress.

Not many people realize that every single lake in Oklahoma is man-made, all by the government.

Water isn't just a Western state problem; don't forget the Dust Bowl days. We just received a massive federal investment afterward.

If you want to see weekly updates on Lake Mead, be sure to check out YouTube channels Sin City Outdoors and Las Vegas D Tech. It's startling...

Not likely. When Meade was filled up back in the mid 80s, the population of Vegas was 500k. It's now well over 2 million. Never mind the millions more people living in Arizona southern California. California hasn't built a new reservoir in decades. New reservoirs there alone would have helped markedly.

A tunnel has been built under Lake Mead to reach the remaining water from the middle of it. I guess they have faith the record-breaking drought will go away in time before it's down to the last drop.

A tunnel has been built under Lake Mead to reach the remaining water from the middle of it. I guess they have faith the record-breaking drought will go away in time before it's down to the last drop.

There seems to be some kind of misguided belief that even if there wasn't any drought in the southwest, Lake Meade would always be able to provide water, no matter how many people live there. Many millions of people have moved there since Hoover Dam was built. It was doomed to happen eventually. Drought or no drought. If California had built more reservoirs like one that's been planned since the 1980s, the problem would be mitigated.

The problem with the southwest is simply more people then the current water supply that is available. Most of the streams are already being tapped. Sure build more lakes to hold water but when will this end? There is just way too many people for the area. I know that much of the water is being used to crop crops in the desert. Ok now do we still want our tomatoes and lettuce in winter or are willing to go back to eating what is in season? Years ago other parts of the country where used to grow our veggies. The Minnesota valley in southern Minnesota is where Green Giant used to have their cannery and the area produced the sweet corn and green beans that we ate. Now so much is concentrated in areas that can grow year round. Many be we also need to look at we are growing our veggies that are sold in the stores. I think we have a much larger problem to look at.

No the problem is more to do with the fact the region is suffering one of the worst droughts in 1000+ years.

No the problem is more to do with the fact the region is suffering one of the worst droughts in 1000+ years.

It doesn’t seem that what you’re saying and what oklip955 said are mutually exclusive. The historic drought just means the population of the southwest is going to negatively impact the available water supply even more, meaning how the supply is used will likely need to be adapted.

One has to look at the big picture. its not just a lack of water from the Colorado river and rivers in northern California, the central valley area agriculture has in many areas already sucked dry or is about to suck dry the aquifers. Some areas the ground has dropped alot. With the collapse of the ground, the depleted aquifers will never be able to refill. Foks this is where a lot of our fruit and veggies come from. This should be a big wake up call. Ok ag uses more water then the cities but shut down the farms and now where are we going to get our tomatoes, lettuce and other products for our tables that we now expect 12 months out of the year??? All I am saying is that it is a big and complex problem. Maybe we need to look at our areas of the country for growing food where there is more water. Maybe we have to limit the growth of the cities. Add in record wild land fires and also considering the earthquake threat. Its complex. We cannot just keep saying we will look at the problems later. I grew up there. I read about the earthquakes and faults. Lots of other problems back in the 70's. Thank you I left to come here for college and stayed. Way way too many problems out west then and many more now. I am just saying that we cannot keep putting these are the back burner.

No the problem is more to do with the fact the region is suffering one of the worst droughts in 1000+ years.

And then strangely enough, St. Louis and Kentucky have been having 1000-year floods. At least Oklahoma is getting some beneficial rains without having highly unusual freaky flood events before resuming going back to the 100s.

There seems to be some kind of misguided belief that even if there wasn't any drought in the southwest, Lake Meade would always be able to provide water, no matter how many people live there. Many millions of people have moved there since Hoover Dam was built. It was doomed to happen eventually. Drought or no drought. If California had built more reservoirs like one that's been planned since the 1980s, the problem would be mitigated.

The amount of water taken out of Lake Meade has been capped since the beginning at 9.6M acre-feet. The problem is, there has been no flexibility to decrease that number with decreasing inflows.

I wonder if Austin/Georgetown Texas will be having water shortages due to the large amount of people and businesses moving to that area .

Tens of millions of people have moved to the American Southwest over the last several decades. How many new reservoirs have been created in the last 40 years? I don't know and haven't searched yet - it's a question for the greater board and the posters trying to just blame one single cause.
There's multiple variables at play here but arguably the single biggest one is the amount of people relying on a singular water source such as this scenario with Meade.

Each SW state should have looked into building at least one new reservoir over the last 10-20 years. Has that been done? Have they advanced beyond any study stages if they did?

One example I know of at least in CA (or maybe it was Washington state?) was they destroyed at least one reservoir in the last few years to restore the waterways original course and encourage salmon migrations. Not sure how large it was or how important it was for watering people though.

Droughts are going to happen, they've been a fact of Earth for as far back as we're able to scientifically look. Maybe building large metropolises in the middle of the desert, or using water for non-native/seasonal crops (to go in line with our globalism supermarket culture), or not building new reservoirs haven't been the best ideas.

Maybe people in Vegas or PHX or elsewhere need to start looking into stillsuits or other forms of water reclamation around their properties or persons. Completely serious.

Amazing. Cities growing too quickly having water shortages? Color me surprised. That is why I like OKC's steady but not exorbitant growth. It will cost billions and billions to keep LA, Vegas, Phoenix, Austin, Houston, DFW, etc with clean water. It will get done, but the cost and burden will be massive.

OKC is very well off in that department, thankfully.

No the problem is more to do with the fact the region is suffering one of the worst droughts in 1000+ years.

How about not having massive cities in the middle of a desert? Vegas basically could have been put anywhere, but they chose a desert, an area that, by definition, doesn't get much rain. LA is also in a desert. Phoenix, as well. These cities knew what could, and likely would, happen. Now, citizens will get to bear the cost of making sure those cities don't suck reservoirs or aquifers dry.

Deserts don't just happen, they are there for centuries. Vegas knew that, and didn't care. LA has had water issues for decades. Every year it is dependent on them getting just enough rain. Amd now here we are. Lake Mead may well be gone in 20 years or so.

How about not having massive cities in the middle of a desert? Vegas basically could have been put anywhere, but they chose a desert, an area that, by definition, doesn't get much rain. LA is also in a desert. Phoenix, as well. These cities knew what could, and likely would, happen. Now, citizens will get to bear the cost of making sure those cities don't suck reservoirs or aquifers dry.

Deserts don't just happen, they are there for centuries. Vegas knew that, and didn't care. LA has had water issues for decades. Every year it is dependent on them getting just enough rain. Amd now here we are. Lake Mead may well be gone in 20 years or so.
Nope. That has little to do with it. They’ve been fine for awhile but the last 20 years have been bad. Vegas is perfect where it’s at and it’s part of the reason I love it so much. I love desert cities. Placing agricultural farms in the middle of the desert is a bigger part of the problem.

There seems to be some kind of misguided belief that even if there wasn't any drought in the southwest, Lake Meade would always be able to provide water, no matter how many people live there. Many millions of people have moved there since Hoover Dam was built. It was doomed to happen eventually. Drought or no drought. If California had built more reservoirs like one that's been planned since the 1980s, the problem would be mitigated.

Or expand nuclear and desalination plants. Supply and demand should be addressed when it comes to water, not just demand.

This is so disheartening to see. Hopefully something changes and these lakes can get filled back up: https://www.cnn.com/2022/07/21/weather/lake-mead-water-level-satellite-images/index.html?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=news_tab

Eventually the West will hit a breaking point, Congress will act and an interstate water system gets built.

https://bigthink.com/the-present/an-interstate-water-system-could-fix-the-wests-water-woes/

The volume of energy needed is immense no doubt. More nuclear, green and natural gas plants would get built to help with that. The east has the water the west needs, political will won't be there till a tipping point is reached.

Eventually the West will hit a breaking point, Congress will act and an interstate water system gets built.

https://bigthink.com/the-present/an-interstate-water-system-could-fix-the-wests-water-woes/

The volume of energy needed is immense no doubt. More nuclear, green and natural gas plants would get built to help with that. The east has the water the west needs, political will won't be there till a tipping point is reached.

Just to add my $1.25(adjusted for inflation)...

Look what had to happen here in OK for the Federal government to step in. I don't think we have quite hit the same extremes seen during the Dust Bowl days out west. Once we get to that point, then the Fed will do something.

Eventually the West will hit a breaking point, Congress will act and an interstate water system gets built.

https://bigthink.com/the-present/an-interstate-water-system-could-fix-the-wests-water-woes/

The volume of energy needed is immense no doubt. More nuclear, green and natural gas plants would get built to help with that. The east has the water the west needs, political will won't be there till a tipping point is reached.
I agree. I would expect more desalination and nuclear plants to be built at some point in the 2030s or 2040s.

Just to add my $1.25(adjusted for inflation)...

Look what had to happen here in OK for the Federal government to step in. I don't think we have quite hit the same extremes seen during the Dust Bowl days out west. Once we get to that point, then the Fed will do something.

Unfortunately, and in some cases fortunately, our Federal system makes it hard to act quickly so things will have to hit a huge breaking point before things really get going. The 2021 infrastructure bill has some band aids in the mean time.

https://www.reviewjournal.com/news/politics-and-government/500m-house-bill-passes-to-lift-levels-of-lakes-mead-powell-2615242/

La Niña expected to stick around which typically means a warmer and drier winter for Oklahoma. As we saw last winter areas just to the east can be very different. Not good for our drought situation. Every Oklahoma drought in the past two decades has been during La Niña.

https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/BT3UPIpY6eXgMuFH.d5XKw--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTY0MDtoPTMwNQ--/https://s.yimg.com/uu/api/res/1.2/CJ6_aXbQnS86XpVNF.QYNg--~B/aD0xMDY4O3c9MjI0MDthcHBpZD15dGFjaHlvbg--/https://media.zenfs.com/en/usa_today_news_641/98d1db9d52d60864f9290a0520ee2c41