2022 Drought?

[bucktalk]

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.

[SEMIweather]

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.

[Anonymous.]

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.

[C_M_25]

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.

[oklip955]

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.

[Plutonic Panda]

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.

[oklip955]

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.

[Plutonic Panda]

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.

[Swake]

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-inv...irie-preserve/

[WileyPostage]

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].

"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."

[bucktalk]

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

[okatty]

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/we...ation/rainfall

[Roger S]

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.

[Bunty]

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

[Swake]

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

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

[BoulderSooner]

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

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

[bucktalk]

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

[BG918]

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.

[Brett]

I ran across a YouTube 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.

[Plutonic Panda]

This is so disheartening to see. Hopefully something changes and these lakes can get filled back up: https://www.cnn.com/2022/07/21/weath...edium=news_tab

[ChrisHayes]

This is so disheartening to see. Hopefully something changes and these lakes can get filled back up: https://www.cnn.com/2022/07/21/weath...edium=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.

[Jersey Boss]

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.

[Pete]

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.

[OKCisOK4me]

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...

[Bunty]

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.