Oklahoma Mesonet // Press Releases

• University of Oklahoma Presents Meteorological Recommendations to the Republic of Croatia (6/18/2009)
• Two Oklahoma Educators Honored with Public Service Award from State Climate Agency (5/5/2009)
• First-of-its-kind Weather Observing Network Located in Oklahoma City Unveiled Today During the National Weather Festival (11/11/2008)
• University of Oklahoma Awarded $3.8 Million NOAA-funded Project For Climate, Drought Assessments, Planning Tools (10/8/2008)
• Oklahoma Panhandle Drought Labeled "Exceptional" (6/19/2008)
• University of Oklahoma Meteorology Team to Visit Croatia for Needs Assessment (6/18/2008)
• Climate Change Statement for Oklahoma: An Official Statement of the Oklahoma Climatological Survey (10/29/2007)
• OCS Climatologist to Speak at National Convention (10/3/2007)
• Can Parts of Oklahoma Still Be Dry? (7/30/2007)
• 14 Percent Less Tan (6/20/2007)
• June 2007 Now Wettest on Record Statewide (6/29/2007)
• It was the Wettest of Times... (6/20/2007)
• First 90-degree day in Oklahoma City (6/8/2007)
• Drought Ends in Oklahoma (sort of) (4/5/2007)
• El Niño Fizzles...Does Drought Return? (2/6/2007)
• Drought Picture in Oklahoma Mixed (12/14/2006)
• Drought Improvements (mostly) Not Warranted (12/7/2006)
• Oklahoma Dodges a Bullet (12/4/2006)
• Drought Remains Severe in Northwest Oklahoma (11/9/2006)
• Crimson and, Um, Orange? OU shares Norman campus with OSU (10/26/2006)
• Halloween Weather (10/23/2006)
• Early Freeze for Oklahoma? (10/10/2006)
• The Migration of Royalty (10/9/2006)
• El Niño and Oklahoma Drought: Friend or Foe? (9/19/2006)
• Drought in Southern Oklahoma Deemed "Exceptional" (8/30/2006)
• July 2006 Far From Warmest For Oklahoma (7/25/2006)
• Summer May Be Just Getting Started (7/25/2006)
• Weekend Rain OK (6/19/2006)
• Norman Meteorologist Travels to China (6/6/2006)
• Out With a BANG? (5/3/2006)
• Just A Drop in the Bucket (3/9/2006)
• March 1 Record Temperatures (3/2/2006)
• La Niña's Return May Spell Doom for Drought Relief (2/20/2006)
• Oklahoma Drought Update (2/10/2006)
• Drought: Oklahoma's Costliest Weather Hazard (1/27/2006)
• Rain Helps Some But Drought Far From Over (1/23/2006)
• January Burn Conditions Set Records (1/19/2006)
• It's Not Always Warm In Oklahoma (1/12/2006)
• Dryness Lingers On for Much of State (6/17/2004)
• May 2004 Likely To Be State's Driest (6/1/2004)
• Nebraska Snows and Oklahoma's Woes (2/16/2004)
• November: Feast or Famine (12/02/2003)
• Monthly Climate of Oklahoma - October (10/09/2003)
• Royal Wind Vanes Visit Oklahoma (9/11/2003)
• Monthly Climate of Oklahoma - September (9/10/2003)
• Monthly Climate of Oklahoma - August (7/31/2003)
• Monthly Climate of Oklahoma - July (7/7/2003)
• Rain, Rain, Go Away (6/11/2003)
• Oklahoma Springtime Dangers (6/8/2003)

Just A Drop in the Bucket
March 9, 2006

Drop in the bucket.doc

Drop in the bucket.pdf

Just A Drop in the Bucket
By Mark Shafer
Director of Climate Information
The Oklahoma Climatological Survey
3/9/2006

Residents of Ada awoke to an unusual sight on Thursday morning - rain. As springtime thunderstorms rolled across Oklahoma, some areas of the state picked up more than an inch of rain. But like most thunderstorms, there were those who got the rain and many who did not.

As of Thursday morning, more rain was still falling across north central Oklahoma, but most of the state received little relief from the drought. Rainfall was heaviest from south central Oklahoma to east central Oklahoma. Twenty-four-hour rainfall totals from the Oklahoma Mesonet showed Centrahoma leading the pack with 2.10 inches. Other sites topping out over an inch included.

Mesonet Station	24-hour Total	County
Centrahoma	2.10	Coal
McAlester	1.63	Pittsburg
Stuart	1.55	Pittsburg
Newport	1.55	Carter
Talihina	1.51	Leflore
Stigler	1.49	Haskell
Ringling	1.25	Jefferson
Fittstown	1.24	Pontotoc
Sulphur	1.20	Murry
Eufaula	1.19	McIntosh
Calvin	1.11	Hughes
Vanoss	1.09	Pontotoc
Tishomingo	1.02	Johnston

Meanwhile, places in southwest Oklahoma that had gone five months without a day topping 0.10 inch continued their long dry streak. Hollis reported no measurable rainfall and Altus only picked up a scant 0.02 inch. Generally, areas north and west of I-44 received less than a quarter-inch of rain - if any.

The Drought Monitor (http://www.drought.unl.edu/dm/monitor.html) continues to show just how bad conditions are across Oklahoma. Deteriorating conditions pushed the last remnants of northwest Oklahoma into the D2 - Severe Drought - designation. This makes the entire state classified as D2 or greater, with eastern Oklahoma receiving the top D4 - Exceptional Drought - designation. D4 droughts are expected to occur about once every 50 years, meaning portions of eastern Oklahoma are as dry as the historical droughts of the 1930s or 1950s.

So, while Oklahomans will eagerly take whatever rain Mother Nature can bring us, we still have a long way to go before we can say goodbye to the wildfires and drought.

Media Contact:

Cerry Leffler
Oklahoma Climatological Survey
100 E. Boyd, Suite 1210
Norman, OK 73019-1012
405-325-2541
405-325-2550 (fax)
cerry@ou.edu

For Additional Information:

Mark Shafer
Director of Climate Information
100 E. Boyd, Suite 1210
Norman, OK 73019-1012
405-325-2541
405-325-2550 (fax)
mshafer@ou.edu