Oklahoma Enters Driest Part of the Year with 100 Percent of the State in Abnormally Dry Conditions

Much lower temperatures can be expected for the entire state as we enter next week. According to the Oklahoma Mesonet, this switch to colder temperatures will result in the loss of some of the moisture available in the warmer air. The rains the state experienced within the last month are going to be harder to come by, and unfortunately, Oklahoma is entering the driest part of the year with some major long-term deficits.

In Oklahoma, exceptional drought has increased slightly from last week’s 21.06 percent and is now at 22.38 percent.

Extreme drought or worse is down from last week’s 66.7 percent and is now at 64.54 percent.

Severe drought or worse is down significantly from last week’s 97.43 percent and is now at 88.7 percent.

Moderate drought or worse has finally lowered from 100 percent and is now at 97.7 percent.

Abnormally dry or worse conditions remain at 100 percent.

According to the 6–10-day precipitation map for Oklahoma through November 19, the western part of the panhandle is leaning above a 33-40 percent chance of precipitation. Further east and down into the southwest corner of the state remains at a “near normal” chance of rain. As for the central and eastern parts of the state, those are leaning below a 33-40 percent chance of precipitation.

To view the Oklahoma Drought Map, click here.

According to the latest U.S. drought monitor report, this week continued with another active weather pattern over portions of the Pacific Northwest as well as into the central Plains and Midwest. With widespread heavy rain from Kansas into Wisconsin as well as portions of the lower Mississippi River valley, some areas recorded significant precipitation during the period. Temperatures over the eastern half of the country were above normal, some significantly, while most of the West was cooler than normal. A continued wet pattern over the Pacific Northwest as well as portions of the Midwest has allowed for continued improvement to drought intensities, especially in areas that are receiving abundant precipitation. Dryness continues to build over eastern portions of the Midwest and into the Southeast as well as along the Gulf Coast.

To view the United States Drought Monitor Report, click here.

In the Southern Plains, temperatures over the region were well above normal, with departures of 6-9 degrees above normal during the week. Only areas of the panhandles of Texas and Oklahoma were near normal. The wettest areas of the region were in eastern Oklahoma, northeast and south Texas, Arkansas and Louisiana, where some areas recorded over 200% of normal rain this week. Much of central and west Texas and central Oklahoma missed out on any rains this week. A full category improvement to the drought intensities was made over much of Arkansas, western Louisiana, and eastern Texas. Severe drought was expanded over portions of southern Louisiana where much of the recent rain has missed. Drought intensities were expanded slightly in northeast Oklahoma and central portions of Texas due to a mixture of short- and long-term drought issues.

In the High Plains, much of the High Plains remained dry this week with only portions of southeast Nebraska and eastern Kansas recording above-normal precipitation. Temperatures were mostly above normal for the area, but western portions were normal to slightly below this week, with the warmest temperatures over eastern Kansas where departures were 6-9 degrees above normal. With the continued dryness, most of the changes were worsening drought intensities. As the autumn remained dry over much of Nebraska, expansions were made to extreme and exceptional drought in the northeast and western parts of the state. Western Kansas, eastern Colorado and eastern Wyoming also had expansions of severe, extreme and exceptional drought conditions. Much of eastern and central Kansas saw improvement from several inches of rain, which lead to the reduction of all drought intensities (including the extreme and exceptional areas in the southern portion of the state) and the removal of extreme drought in the northeast.

Looking ahead, over the next 5-7 days, it is anticipated that the impact of tropical storm Nicole over the east coast will be significant, bringing a great deal of precipitation from Florida to Maine during the next several days. A winter storm is impacting the northern Plains into the upper Midwest, bringing with it some significant snow while a frontal passage over the Plains will allow for some precipitation from Nebraska south into the lower Mississippi valley. Temperatures during this period look to be well below normal, with portions of the northern Plains 20-24 degrees below normal during this time. Warmer-than-normal temperatures will impact the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic, with temperatures 6-9 degrees above normal.

The 6–10-day outlooks show that temperatures are expected to be well below normal over most of the country, with areas of the Plains having the highest likelihood of recording below-normal temperatures. In contrast, Alaska is anticipating warmer-than-normal temperatures during this time. The greatest chance of above-normal precipitation is over the Southeast as well as through the Rocky Mountains while much of the central Plains and Midwest as well as the West have the greatest chances of having below-normal precipitation.

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.

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