The Webster band, and fans, huddle against the rain before the start of their game against Hilldale at Webster Oct. 27 in Tulsa. MICHAEL WYKE/Tulsa World
Storm chasers are set up all over western Oklahoma today, trying to get that last fix until winter breaks and spring storm season returns.
Tornado watches are in effect for western and southwest Oklahoma down into west Texas. As of this writing, a large line of storms has prompted a severe thunderstorm warning across four counties, all moving northeast. (If you're interested, I'd recommend following Reed Timmer, a Normanite storm chaser. He's pretty good on Twitter about regular updates on severe weather. You can see those
here.)
Tornadic severe weather probably won't make it all the way to this part of the state, but the rain sure is coming.
More rain, that is. Tulsa has had 0.96 inches since Sunday evening, with an additional 1 to 3 inches possible, which is awesome! We need the rain like...well...the desert needs the rain.
Especially after last month's dismal rainfall totals. A
whopping 1.87 inches fell in Tulsa last month. That's 2.06 inches off of the normal rainfall total. It's the 7th day of November, and we've already received about half the rain we got in October.
But, other parts of the state have seen more rain last month and this. For example, Ringling, Okla., in Jefferson County, has received 6.85 inches of rain in the
last 24 hours. And where those storms are in western Oklahoma right now is still classified in the worst drought category.
And when I say the rain can't hurt, that's not entirely accurate. With nearly 7 inches in 24 hours and more to come, flooding quickly becomes a big concern. Remember: turn around, don't drown. If it looks deep, it is. Don't be stupid out there, people.
So, some relief is here or at least
on its way, with a 90 percent chance today and 80 percent tomorrow. After that, it gets cold and sunny and windy--typical after a strong low passes by.
The next drought monitor comes out Thursday. Hopefully we'll see some of those changes for the better continue.
