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Livestock Wx for Feb. 9, 2018: Drought is not slowing but is rainfall on the way?

Drought Update
At the risk of sounding redundant, we are yet again talking drought this week. In this week’s Drought Monitor there was a significant increase in the area considered in Extreme Drought (D3) for Oklahoma (up 16 points) and a somewhat minor increase (up 4 points) for Texas. The below image shows the latest drought map, along with the expected amount of rainfall over the next 7-days. While it’s not a drought buster—and the rainfall will not be falling in the driest areas—parts of Texas and Oklahoma will see some rainfall over the coming week.

We’ve included a new map this week that shows the counties (browns and reds) that have had an increase in Extreme Drought.  The counties in white are areas that either had no change or are not listed in this drought category.  The map is a good indication where the drought is expanding/intensifying.  It should be noted this is one below the highest category of Exceptional Drought.

Rainfall on the Way?
While drought conditions look quite bleak, there is the prospect for a change on the horizon outside of the next 7-days (shown above). NOAA precipitation outlooks for the second half of February indicate the possibility for above normal precipitation (green) over parts of the South Central U.S.
Weather models have been struggling lately due to the rapid and intense temperature swings. While confidence in these longer-range outlooks might not be all that high, there is glimmer of hope for additional winter precipitation where it is needed the most.

That’s it for this week. We will be back next week and will provide an update on the drought and the latest forecasts. If you have any questions about conditions around Texas and Oklahoma please contact us at info@livestockwx.com