Spring has sprung in Oklahoma, Which means Severe weather season is upon us. According to State Climatologist Gary McManus, Monday looks to be a pretty good chance of seeing storms, ‘ Things are still on track to have a significant severe weather event somewhere in Oklahoma on Monday. The locations and time frames will change and become better refined over the next few days…let’s say that this significant severe weather event falls apart or shifts away from us.”
Sunday, the temperatures will get into the upper 80’s before the system moves in on Monday. The possibility of Large Hail, damaging winds and a tornado threat will all be present.
McManus urges everyone to stay weather-aware and start taking precautions.
McManus also wants to remind producers of ways that you can help track drought throughout the state of Oklahoma by completing a survey, ” The CMOR system, managed by the National Drought Mitigation Center, collects
reports of local weather conditions and impacts around the country. Your report will become part of the permanent record. It will appear immediately on an interactive map visible to the public, including authors of the U.S. Drought
Monitor and the media. The Drought Monitor is used by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to trigger disaster declarations and eligibility for low-interest loans and assistance programs. State and local decision makers also use the map to implement drought response activities.”
he CMOR system, managed by the National Drought Mitigation Center, collects reports of local weather conditions and impacts around the country. Your report will become part of the permanent record. It will appear immediately on an
interactive map visible to the public, including authors of the U.S. Drought Monitor and the media. The U.S. Department of Agriculture uses the Drought Monitor to trigger disaster declarations and eligibility for low-interest
loans and assistance programs. State and local decision-makers also use the map to implement drought response activities.
CMOR reports are one piece of supporting evidence used in the development of the Drought Monitor each week, providing on-the-ground information used by authors of the Drought Monitor to better understand local conditions.
Observations shared via CMOR will not be used as sole justification to change an area’s drought classification.
The information incorporated in a CMOR report includes current moisture conditions and how they compare to typical conditions as perceived by the observer. The system allows users to also note impacts on different sectors, such as crop and livestock production, municipal water supply, recreation, and public health. Citizens are encouraged to submit photos along with their reports to illustrate conditions in their community.
You can submit reports as frequently as you’d like. Frequent reporting is particularly useful during times of rapid change and extreme weather, but we encourage users to participate year-round to provide an ongoing comparison of
wet, dry, and normal conditions.
To learn more about CMOR, in English and Spanish, and how you can become an observer, check out https://go.unl.edu/cmor_drought .
