Oklahoma's Drought Situation - News9.com - Oklahoma City, OK - News, Weather, Video and Sports |

Oklahoma has seemingly been spoiled over the past couple of weeks with some spectacular weather. In the last two weeks, temperatures have only reached the 80s once and we've managed a couple of cold blasts as well. However, one area where we haven't been spoiled is rainfall. The last measurable precipitation in Oklahoma City was on October 22, but it was only 0.02 inches. Before that? October 13 with 2.56 inches, which set a record for that date.

When you look across the state at consecutive days without at least 1/4 of an inch of rain, the numbers look much worse. A few examples: Cherokee and May Ranch in northwestern Oklahoma have both been 52 days, Medford and Blackwell in north-central Oklahoma have been 51 days, Washington and Duncan, in central and southwest Oklahoma: 35 days. Almost ALL of western Oklahoma has been between 35 and 40 days without at least 1/4 of an inch of rain. As a result, you can see the latest drought monitor on the right. The data is valid as of October 30, but without any rain this week, don't expect much change in this week's new data.

We're always looking ahead in the forecast for new rain opportunities and this weekend may have just that. A big storm system will develop in the western U.S. and arrive in Oklahoma on Saturday. The best rain chances, at this time, appear to be late Saturday into early Sunday. While a few of the storms could be strong to severe, it does appear we'll have enough moisture in place for lots of rain to fall. Where exactly it will is still in question as there's a long way to go, but when you're in a drought situation, it's never too early to look at rainfall prospects!