On this week’s map, conditions continued to deteriorate in parts of the region, including southwestern Oklahoma and portions of Texas that have largely missed out on recent rainfall events during the past 30 days. In southwestern Oklahoma and north-central Texas, areas of Exceptional Drought (D4) expanded in response to poor soil moisture conditions and below normal precipitation during the past several months. According to the Oklahoma Mesonet, southwestern Oklahoma received only 37 percent of normal precipitation for the last 60-day period. The April 30 USDA NASS Oklahoma Crop Weather Report noted that 66 percent of the wheat crop was reported to be in poor to very poor condition while rye was worse at 83 percent (poor to very poor). In Texas, some isolated shower activity helped to reduce areas of Extreme Drought (D3) in the western Panhandle and areas of Severe Drought (D2) in the Trans-Pecos region. Read more at droughtmonitor.unl.edu...
