Dark red is D4-Exceptional drought. Red is D3 and above, at 62 percent. Orange is D2, 100 percent.
Severe drought retreated further this week thanks to heavy snowpack that continued to melt in western Oklahoma.
The most severe category, D4, covered 9.5 percent of the state in the latest update from the
U.S. Drought Monitor, released Thursday morning. That’s down from 11.8 percent last week and 41.6 percent the week before.
We didn’t have much rain in the last week (just 0.01 of an inch in Tulsa Tuesday morning), so big changes weren’t expected here.
So for now, the dent is still a dent, but not a buster.
There was no change in the amount of the state in D3 drought, the second most severe category. That still sits at 61.65 percent. It’s down a bit from before the rain and snow, but not as drastically as D4.
And, of course, 100 percent of the state is at least D2.
It’s hard to get too excited for any sign of relief in the future, especially after the drought has droned on for two years. And that hesitance is reflected in the long-range forecasts.
The Climate Prediction Center’s latest
drought outlook has all of Oklahoma save a small sliver on the eastern side in persistent drought. The good news is that Nebraska, the Dakotas and areas in the east are predicted to see some improvement. That’s great news for Nebraska, which has been a nightmare.
In the short term,
rain is forecast for this weekend, but right now the forecast is for about a quarter of an inch. Not nearly enough to make it a buster.
These rain events need to be consistent if we want to see real improvement.
-- Jerry Wofford
