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Breaking Records T


he wait is over, and for the moment farmers and livestock producers can breathe a sigh of relief. Oklahoma’s drought is offi cially history in more ways than one, and the upcoming fall season holds the promise of cool and wet weather. How can Oklahoma’s rural residents forget those bleak drought conditions that cut off their lifeline? Ponds went dry, cattle were sold and crops were stunted. State Climatologist Gary McManus says certain parts of the state fared better than others. “The western half of Oklahoma saw the most severe drought from October 2010 to early spring 2015,” he says. “Then, Mother Nature really hit the fan.” April rains intensifi ed in May, which (based on a statewide average) set a new record as the wet- test month in the state of Oklahoma. Southeastern parts of the state received up to 21 inches of rain, and the trend continued. “June was especially wet thanks to the rem- nants of a couple tropical systems: Gustav from the Pacifi c and Bill from the Atlantic,” McManus says. “Bill was the big player in south-central Oklahoma and dumped 12 to 15 inches of rain.” With additional rainfall in early July, McManus says 2015 is on track to match or beat the


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previous wettest year on record, 1957. Several records were set in recent years; 2012 was the warmest year based on a statewide average and 2011 was not only the hottest summer on record for Oklahoma but also for any other state. “We also topped our all-time snowfall record


with 27 inches in a 24-hour snowfall event in Spavinaw in February 2011,” McManus says. “Our coldest temperature ever recorded was neg- ative 31 degrees at the Nowata Mesonet site on Feb. 10, 2011.” Oklahoma’s weather has taken residents on a rollercoaster ride of intense heat, drought, cold and precipitation. As conditions stabilize, Mesonet Ag Coordinator Al Sutherland says the state’s agricultural sectors have an opportunity to rebuild.


“Grasslands and pastures have responded well to our recent rains,” he says. “They needed this year to get enough top growth to strengthen the roots after so many years of drought stress.” Rain hindered some of the state’s winter wheat and canola harvests this year, and fl ooding de- layed planting in some areas. But Sutherland says early maturing crops such as corn looked excellent in late July. A full rebound for cattle producers will require additional years of ade- quate rainfall and forage, but livestock numbers


The Oklahoma Mesonet tracks weather conditions one phenomenon at a time By Gail Banzet-Ellis


are climbing with full ponds, higher quality pas- tures and more hay. “This is the year for farmers and ranchers to give thought to the recent drought,” Sutherland says. “What did they do that helped them through it, and would collaboration in other production regions help?” He says farmers and livestock producers should conduct a similar assessment for fl ood- ing. As a bridge between Oklahoma weather and agriculture, Sutherland relies on the state’s Mesonet system for weather and climate infor- mation vital to farm and livestock management. The Oklahoma Mesonet is a valuable weather tool established in 1994 by the state with support from Oklahoma State University (OSU) and the University of Oklahoma. It features an extensive network of rain gauges and weather sensors that record temperature, rainfall, wind speed and di- rection, wind gusts, dewpoint and humidity, solar radiation, pressure, and soil temperature and moisture. Every fi ve minutes for the past 20 years, Mesonet stations have provided constant, accurate measurements as an exclusive state re- source unique to any other weather system in the country.


“Initially, the data was helpful to farmers,


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