To view the latest Oklahoma drought map, CLICK HERE.
Drought conditions are tightening their grip on Oklahoma as producers head deeper into the spring season, raising concerns about soil moisture, pasture health, and early crop development. What had been a steadily dry pattern is now accelerating quickly, with conditions worsening across much of the state in recent weeks.
According to the latest Oklahoma Drought Monitor report, exceptional drought remains at 0 percent, unchanged from the start of the calendar year.
Moderate to extreme drought conditions in the current period indicate that 98.77% of the state is affected by drought, up from 94.29% last week.
Extreme Drought conditions have grown considerably this week, now covering 34.77% of the state, a 12.28% increase from a week ago, affecting mainly Blaine, Tillman, Pottawatomie, Seminole, McClain, Garvin, Stephens, Kiowa, Washita, Delaware, Ottawa, Mayes, Cherokee, McCurtain, oklahoma candiaian, Kingfisher, and parts of surrounding counties.
According to the 6-to-10-day precipitation outlook map, eastern Oklahoma is leaning above a 40-50% chance of precipitation while the rest of the state is leaning above 50-60% chance through April 7th.
This U.S. Drought Monitor (USDM) week saw extensive degradations across areas of the West, Plains, South, and Southeast. Out West, widespread degradations were centered across the Intermountain West, including Colorado, Utah, Idaho, and Wyoming, and to a lesser extent across portions of Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, and Montana. Continued degradations are expected in the coming weeks and months due to anomalous heat and record-low snowpack levels. In the Plains, drought expanded and intensified from Oklahoma to South Dakota. In the South and Southeast, dry conditions persisted this week, adding to significant longer-term (9- to 12+ month) precipitation deficits (ranging from 8 to 20+ inches), with the most severe drought conditions centered over portions of Texas, Arkansas, Georgia, and Florida. In the Northeast and Midwest, light-to-moderate rainfall (1 to 3 inches) during the past week led to targeted improvements in Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York.
At the end of March, mountain snowpack conditions remain well below normal for the time of year, with record to near-record low levels observed across all western states. Additionally, many Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) SNOw TELemetry (SNOTEL) network monitoring stations are reporting very shallow snow depths or no snow on the ground. Region-level (2-digit HUC) snow water equivalent (SWE) values (percent of median) are as follows: Pacific Northwest 55%, Missouri 56%, Upper Colorado 24%, Great Basin 18%, Lower Colorado 14%, Rio Grande 8%, and Arkansas-White-Red 8%. In California, statewide snowpack is 18% of normal (April 1), with the Southern Sierra at 32%, Central Sierra at 21%, and Northern Sierra at 6%. Despite poor snowpack conditions, California’s reservoirs remain at or above historical averages for the date (March 31), with Lake Shasta and Lake Oroville at 113% and 123% of average, respectively. In the Southwest, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (March 29) reports critically low levels at Lake Powell (24% full; 41% of average for the date) and Lake Mead (33% full; 52% of average for the date), with the total Colorado River system at 36% of capacity (compared to 41% at the same time last year).
In The South: On this week’s map, widespread degradations were made in drought-affected areas of Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Arkansas, while isolated areas of Mississippi and Tennessee saw degradations. During the past 30-day period, the National Drought Mitigation Center’s Conditions Monitoring Observer Reports (CMOR) tool showed numerous impact reports across the region. For the week, dry conditions prevailed across the region. Looking at climatological rankings for the past 90-day period (December 31 to March 31), several locations ranked among their driest on record, including Austin, TX (4th driest; -5.53 inches), Brownsville, TX (driest on record; -3.38 inches), Oklahoma City, OK (driest on record; -3.61 inches), Monticello, AR (driest on record; -8.95 inches), and Jackson, MS (driest on record; -7.4 inches). In Texas, Water for Texas (April 1) reports statewide reservoirs at 73.5% full, with eastern reservoirs in good condition while many western and southern reservoirs remain below normal, including Falcon Reservoir (19% full). Average temperatures for the week were above normal across the region (3 to 15+ °F) with dry conditions prevailing.
In the southeast: During the past week, very dry conditions prevailed across most of the region, exacerbating drought conditions. However, some isolated light-to-moderate rainfall accumulations (1 to 3 inches) were observed in South Florida. On the map, drought expanded and intensified across all states except Virginia. In southern Georgia and northern Florida, areas of Exceptional Drought (D4) were added. Impacts are being reported in northern Florida, where low water levels are limiting recreational use of waterways on the Chipola, Santa Fe, and Suwannee rivers. For the past 30-day period, precipitation departures across most of the region ranged from 1 to 4 inches, with the greatest departures observed in southern Alabama, Florida Panhandle, southwestern Georgia, and far western portions of the Carolinas. According to data from the Southeast Regional Climate Center’s Climate Perspectives tool, the past six months (October 1 to March 31) have been very dry across areas of the region, with record dryness observed in the following locations: Tallahassee (-13.51 inch departure); Jacksonville, FL (-9.98 inches); Macon, GA (-11.64 inches); Montgomery, AL (-13.82 inches); Charlotte, NC (-10.67 inches); and Raleigh, NC (-9.23 inches). In terms of average temperatures for the week, above-normal temperatures (5 to 10 °F) were observed across the western portion of the region, while the eastern extent remained near normal.
In the West: Conditions deteriorated significantly on the map this week in response to the combination of record to near-record heat and very poor snowpack conditions. The recent heat wave accelerated snowmelt across the region over the past few weeks, with many NRCS SNOTEL stations reporting little to no snow on the ground or unseasonably low levels. Peak runoff is occurring earlier than normal—or has already passed in some locations—raising concerns about reduced inflows into reservoirs moving through spring and into the summer months. In the Upper Colorado River Basin, Lake Powell is 25% full, while upstream reservoirs show mixed conditions, including Flaming Gorge (82% full), Blue Mesa (50%), and Navajo Lake (62%). In Rio Grande Basin in New Mexico, Elephant Butte is 12% full and Caballo Reservoir is 7% full. In Arizona, the Salt River Project reports the Salt River system at 56% full, the Verde system at 63%, and the combined system at 63% (compared to 70% last year).
To view the 6-10 Day Precipitation Outlook Map, click here.
To view the 6-10 Day Temperature Outlook Map, click here.
To view the Monthly Drought Outlook Map, click here.
