The Drought Deepens

While the national news this morning is rightly filled with stories about the severe flooding in the Ohio and Arkansas River valleys, the drought deepened. The map, below, shows the problem.

You can see the large area of ten inch plus rains in Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas. But, in the areas of white and lighter blue in the High Plains. And, this deepens the drought.

click to enlarge

The map of Oklahoma highlights the problem. Over the southeast two-thirds of Oklahoma, the recent rains has helped. But, in the Panhandle and northwest Oklahoma, most areas of gone a record 140 or more days without significant rain (0.25 inches).

The forecast, at this point, is not encouraging.