Franklin Jones waters his line of beets Wednesday, June 20, 2012 in garden space off of Nuttman Ave., in Fort Wayne, Ind. Jones has been tending to his garden for the last 11 or 12 years and donates the vegetables to family and friends. (AP Photo/The Journal Gazette, Swikar Patel)
It’s been summer now for about two days. Do you feel it yet? Well, you may not but I bet your garden does.
OK, it probably feels a little better now after we had 0.4 inches of rain in Tulsa Thursday morning, and after the whopping 3.32 inches of rain earlier this month, but the dry May really hit us hard. The drought monitor showed as much this week.
A
third of the state is now in at least the moderate drought level, including a swath in eastern Oklahoma through several counties and skimming Tulsa County. Southeast Oklahoma’s water woes expanded more to the severe drought category from moderate last week.
Other drought areas in the state seem to be in a perpetual state of drought: Southwest Oklahoma and the Panhandle. But even those areas expanded last week.
It’s a
significant improvement over the drought conditions we were experiencing this time last year. About a third of the state then was in the most severe drought category.
The conditions are spreading from both sides of the state, with persistent drought conditions in the Texas panhandle and worsening drought in Arkansas creeping into Oklahoma. Ninety percent of Texas is still dry and 95 percent of Arkansas is in a drought.
It comes after the exceptionally dry May. That was the kicker. A wet March (2.95 inches above normal) wasn’t enough to stem every other month that has been below so far. For the year, Tulsa is about 2.4 inches below normal.
Then comes summer. The dry season. Part of the reason this area of the world was so affectionately called the Great American Desert.
Going into summer means whatever we have now is it. Any saving graces likely won’t be gullywashers that last for days and replenish our shortfalls. Combine the dry weather with the hot (over 100 next week) and windy conditions, and that drought is likely to continue spreading.
And looking at the
forecast, there are no chances of rain. Sunny and hot. I don’t know about you, but after the last few weeks and especially after last night, I’ve had about enough of the Heat. (OK, last NBA Finals-related weather pun you'll see from me)
Well, that was depressing. So, time for some good news! At least it’s summer, and it’s been lovely so far this month. Hopefully you’ve been out to enjoy it or will as the season moves. And at least we’re not Arkansas, where the map of counties under a
burn ban seems to grow every week, making a raucous Independence Day a dud.
--Jerry Wofford
