Agricultural News
Oklahoma Drought Conditions Worsen According to the Latest U.S. Drought Monitor Report
Thu, 16 Sep 2021 13:28:55 CDT
Open weather across much of the country favored summer crop maturation and fieldwork, including harvest efforts and winter wheat planting, according to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor report.
By September 12, 37% of the U.S. corn crop was fully mature, while 38% of the soybeans were dropping leaves, both ahead of their five-year averages. Among the 13 major winter wheat production states, all except Oregon were at or ahead of 5-year averages.
In the High Plains, high temps, sometimes in the triple-digits, and low rainfall continue to dry things out, making short-term drought conditions more apparent in Colorado, Kansas and Nebraska. Further north good rains have led to some adjustments, mostly in the Dakotas.
The southern Great Plains saw abnormal dryness broadly expand across Oklahoma and Texas. Additionally, new pockets of moderate drought also developed. The report states heat has been a factor in rapidly worsening conditions.
In the West, drought persists. Even when areas that need rain get rain, high temperatures quell any chances of drought condition improvement.
To View the Contiguous U.S. Drought Map, click here.
Looking ahead, a pattern change in the Pacific Northwest is expected to bring cooler weather and widespread showers, starting Friday. Cool, showery weather will spread eastward across the nation's northern tier, reaching northern sections of the Rockies and High Plains, during the weekend. However, generally dry weather will persist from central and southern California to the central and southern Great Plains.
To view the 6-to-10-day precipitation outlook, click here.
The likelihood of below-normal temperatures from the Great Basin to northern sections of the Rockies and High Plains is expected. Warmer-than-normal weather is expected from southeastern Arizona up to Minnesota, keeping everything east in drier conditions.
To view the 6-to-10-day temperature outlook, click here.
In the next month, drought conditions are expected to persist in the West and the western halves of the Dakotas, areas of Kansas, western Nebraska, northwest Oklahoma and the Texas Panhandle. Drought development is likely for large areas of the southern Great Plains. Conditions are expected to improve in the eastern areas of the northern Great Plains and southern Arizona and New Mexico.
To view the U.S. Drought Outlook map, click here.
Oklahoma
Drought conditions continue to worsen in Oklahoma. New areas of the state reported abnormally dry conditions and moderate drought conditions. Less than 1% of the state is experiencing severe drought conditions, 10% is experiencing moderate drought conditions and 42% is experiencing abnormally dry conditions. In total, abnormal conditions increased 26% from last week, with 54% of the state experiencing abnormally dry conditions or worse at this time. The Monthly Drought Outlook report shows further drought development is likely in Oklahoma.
According to the report, Oklahomans can expect a probability of higher-than-normal temperatures and normal precipitation levels in the next 6 to 10 days.
To view the Oklahoma drought map, click here.
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