Drought
It’s a little dry here in western Oklahoma.
It’s a little dry here in western Oklahoma. The only real newsworthiness of that statement is that it is only a little dry.
Western Oklahoma is in the southern part of the Great Plains, a vast prairie east of the Rocky Mountains that extends north from the Rio Grande in Texas to southern portions of Alberta, Canada. The terrain of the plains is ideal for farming and ranching. It offers large tracts of land for cattle grazing and can be agriculturally bountiful with wheat, peanuts, cotton, and other cash crops. This is what attracted many to settle here.
However, droughts are not uncommon here. There are times when the plains are a dry and dusty place where not even the heartiest of scrub brushes want to grow. You don’t have to look very far back in history to see the worst of it. A combination of severe drought, cattle overgrazing, and poor farming practices caused an ecological disaster, the Dust Bowl.
Since then, lessons have been learned. Improved water and land management has helped quite a bit to prevent another Dust Bowl. Still, droughts have an impact.
It was only a decade ago that we went through a severe drought. It was so dry here in Elk City, Oklahoma, that the land cracked, and our city lake dried up to a mere puddle. When the rain finally came, the baked land couldn’t absorb the water fast enough and our neighborhoods flooded.
Due to persistent drought, wildfires are pretty common here on the prairie. Earlier this year, a wildfire burned over a million acres across several counties in the Texas panhandle and northwest Oklahoma.
We now regularly monitor drought conditions as part of our weather routine. Every Thursday, we receive the latest drought statistics for the country from the U.S. Drought Monitor. Area governments use these statistics to make informed plans. As the map becomes redder, we observe county and statewide burn bans, city water restrictions, and worries over aquifer levels.
This past week showed western Oklahoma ranging from mostly abnormally dry to severe drought. Life as usual.
U.S. Drought Monitor, July 11, 2024, South Region Summary:
Outside of western Oklahoma and north Texas where temperatures were 4-6 degrees below normal, most of the rest of the region was 4-6 degrees above normal for the week. The greatest rains fell over Oklahoma and into portions of central and north Texas. Significant rains were associated with Beryl in east Texas into Louisiana and Arkansas. Those areas that did miss out on rains coupled with the warmer-than-normal temperatures did see drought expand and intensify, mainly over west Texas. Severe and extreme drought expanded over west Texas while all the moderate drought was improved over Arkansas with some additional abnormally dry areas removed. Even with the significant rains in western Oklahoma, only slight improvements were made to the moderate drought and abnormally dry conditions as long-term conditions remained dry in this region.
If you would like to know the drought conditions in your area, I suggest bookmarking the U.S. Drought Monitor, Drought.gov, and the USGS National Water Dashboard.
More later. Time to go water our little garden it's looking a little parched.
In The News
A look at some of the latest headlines from around Oklahoma and beyond.
Oklahoma Senate to convene for special session Monday, elect next Pro Tem | Oklahoma Voice
Which vaccinations do your kids need for school in Oklahoma? | KOSU
How Indigenous Oklahomans are leading movement to improve 2SLGBTQ youth well-being | KOSU
Victim of 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre identified through DNA genealogy as WWI veteran | CNN
Plans to fix Oklahoma state parks scaled back | Oklahoma Voice
Oklahoma, Arkansas seek new interstate link with conversion of US 412 | The Oklahoman
4 Oklahoma tribal nations to reduce risks with new cybersecurity grant program | KOSU
Proton Docs is a privacy-focused answer to Google Docs and Microsoft Word | The Verge
In prime-time address, Biden asks Americans to reject political violence and ‘cool it down’ | AP
About Oklahoma: Latimer County
Welcome to Latimer County.
Latimer County, in the southeastern part of the state, was formed at statehood from parts of Gaines, Sugar Loaf, and Wade counties in the Choctaw Nation. It was named after James L. Latimer, a delegate from Wilberton to the 1906 Constitutional Convention.
Wilberton, Oklahoma, located just north of the center of the county, at the intersection of U.S. Highway 270 and State Highway 2, is the county seat and the largest city in the county. It is also home to Eastern Oklahoma State College.
Other notable communities include Panola and Red Oak in the eastern and Gowan in the western parts of the county.
Latimer County also includes Robbers Cave State Park and Sardis Lake and is adjacent to the Talimena National Scenic Byway in LeFlore County.
Established: 1907
County Seat: Wilburton, Oklahoma 74578
Nation: Choctaw
Map: Google Maps
Area: 722 mi2 (1,870 km2)
Population: 9,444 (2020 Census)
Time Zone: UTC−6 (Central), DST observed
Area Code: 918
Congressional District: 2
State House District: 17
State Senate District: 7
Weather: NWS Tulsa
Tourism Region: Choctaw Country
History: Oklahoma Historical Society
Historic Places: Exploring Oklahoma History
More Information: Wikipedia
Extras
Here are some more things I hope you'll find interesting.
Animation vs. Geometry | Alan Becker
CRT gaming and the trap of retrobait | This Exists
Jay Leno Explores The Beast: Inside the Presidential Limousine | Jay Leno's Garage
Incredibly Easy Knit Clothes for Summer | The Stitchery
Before The Flood (Live) by Bob Dylan & The Band
Feedback Welcome
If you have any comments or questions, please don't hesitate to reach out. You can leave a comment on Substrack, email me at blogoklahoma@blogoklahoma.net, or connect with me at Mastodon at @blogoklahoma@social.tulsa.ok.us, Threads at @blogoklahoma@threads.net, or Bluesky at @blogoklahoma.bsky.social.
Also, if you like everything I do at Blog Oklahoma, you can buy me a coffee at ko-fi.com/blogoklahoma. It's not necessary, but it's always appreciated.
Have a great week.
– K.