NWS Norman, Oklahoma - Drought Information for Western/Central Oklahoma and Western north Texas

Precipitation and Drought Information
for Oklahoma and North Texas

Current Data and Statistics

The Palmer Drought Severity Index measures primarily meteorological drought (precipitation versus normal). The image below shows the current values for the climatic regions of the United States. Click on the image to enlarge.

Keetch-Byram Drought Index

Drought indices by climatic division often average out much of the variance within a region. The images below show the Keetch-Byram Drought Index for all the counties of Oklahoma and Texas. Click on the image to enlarge.

Year-to-Date Precipitation Deficit at Oklahoma City, OK and Wichita Falls, TX

The climate summaries linked above list observed and normal precipitation as well as the departure from normal.

Yearly climate graphs with plots of temprature and precpitation for selected cities are now available via the NWS Norman web site. Yearly graphs are available for Oklahoma City, OK and Wichita Falls, TX from 1999 through 2008. Yearly graphs are available for Gage and Hobart, Oklahoma from 2005 through 2008.

Temperature and Precipitation Plot for Oklahoma City, Oklahoma for 2008	Temperature and Precipitation Plot for Wichita Falls, Texas for 2008
Temperature and Precipitation Plot for Gage, Oklahoma for 2008	Temperature and Precipitation Plot for Hobart, Oklahoma for 2008

Current precipitation and drought condition information for Oklahoma can be found through the Oklahoma Climatological Survey web site.

Oklahoma Precipitation Statistics for the 2008 Calendar Year
Total Precipitation	Normal Precipitation

Departure	Percentage Normal

Drought Impact Reporter from the National Drought Mitigation Center

Drought severity is inherently linked to the impacts of the drought. Such impacts include agricultural issues, hydrologic deficits, increased fire danger, and other economic and social consequences. These impacts are not easily quantified with simple statistics.

The National Drought Mitigation Center developed the Drought Impact Reporter as a database for reported drought impacts. The impacts are classified by category, with the number of reports emphasizing a drought's significance without attributing specific statistics to the reports. (Click on a county of interest for further information.)

Forecasts - Any Relief in Sight?

U.S. Seasonal Drought Outlook