drought in ok and texas

[debbiekatiesmom]

i haven't had a good rain in i don't know how long...this article talks about wheat farmers maybe plowing their fields under. with wheat shortages already, this could be ugly.and w/o rain hay prices and grazing is gonna be terrible

Oklahoma sees driest 4 months since Dust Bowl

Read more from this Tulsa World article at http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/artic...68&archive=yes

Oklahoma was drier in the four months following Thanksgiving than it has been in any similar period since 1921. That's saying a lot in the state known for the 1930s Dust Bowl, when drought and high winds generated severe dust storms that stripped the land of its topsoil.
Neighboring states are in similar shape as the drought stretches from the Louisiana Gulf coast to Colorado, and conditions are getting worse, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. The area in Texas covered by an extreme drought has tripled in the past month to 40 percent, and in Oklahoma it nearly doubled in one week to 16 percent, according to the monitor's March 29 update.

[praieri winds]

we are 40 to 50 mikles of the Ok line have only had a few sprinkles since the first of the year we have several wheat fields around us it is heading out now but if we don'get rain it is not going to make hope it gets better we all need rain and soon

[whiterock]

i got a sprinkle the other night, but you could still kick up dust the next morning. I'm sure hoping for some good soaking rains of about 2' every week or so. Tanks are mighty low too.

[debbiekatiesmom]

on the way home today i saw 3 different fires burning. ohhh boy...the air is nasty, it is hot and dry and windy, and i'm wondering whether to plant anything else or just try to keep what i have alive. i imagine i will plant more in hopes it will change but this just really stinks. i am afraid to break more ground thinking it will just dry out faster.

p.s. might be a good year to get my hay early if i can find some.

[10kids]

I saw that article, very sad...praying for you folks.

[belladulcinea]

They touched on this on the local news out of Tulsa. I'm going to make a concerted effort to get more rain barrels. Even if it doesn't rain alot I will fill them with the hose for later.

[Spinner]

Thankfully we've had some rain here in the SE corner of OK. The pond is full to the brim, the grass is green, and the rivers started running at least enough to wash away most of the slim. I hope the rest of you get some rain soon.

With the strong winds we've been having, it might be a mistake if they plow the wheat under. Even dry dead grass is better than loose tilled soil when the winds blow.

[debbiekatiesmom]

spinner, that's why i'm afraid to go ahead and till. it will just dry it out more and blow away. i only am breaking the ground where i am ready to plant. the winds have been horrible. this summer when we will be needing a breeze there won't be one to be had i'll bet.
i've got weeds(grass is thin) that need mowing, too, but thinking i'll hold off on that ,also, and let the critters eat them. our above ground pool is being used as one water source as it's still full of nasty water from last year. been trying to decide whether to go ahead and drain it and clean it or save it. my dad says we might get rain this weekend. i sure hope so.

[Ohio Rusty]

I'm coming to Texas in May, and bad weather follows me wherever I go. I went to Texas 2 years ago and they had the worst snow and Ice storm they have seen in 86 years !! I'm sure I brought it all from Ohio. In 2004 I was on the way back from Texas and all thru the south they had the most snow from a surprise snow storm they had ever seen in April and I was right in the middle of it. Jackson Tennessee had never seen 10 inches of snow until I stayed there overnight.

I came up to Columbus yesterday and they received so much rain that the freeways closed in every direction with feet of water in Columbus and traffic everywhere came to a snarled halt. It was a record rainfall in April. Yep ...I was here.
So hold on ... In the beginning of May you'll get so much rain, hail and wet weather you all will need boats, boots and waders just to get the mail. I'll be down there then ....
Ohio Rusty ><>

..... I hope Slurpy Machine Technology survives the coming Holocaust ......

[naturelover]

Originally Posted by Ohio Rusty

I'm coming to Texas in May, and bad weather follows me wherever I go. ......

You need to change your name to Rain Bringer. With a record like that you know you could be a national treasure. You could hire yourself around the world to places that are drought stricken. Just think of all the benefits.

.

[Marabunta]

On the drive home this evening, I noticed two fields of wheat had been cut down. (It wasn't plowed under, which is good - as someone mentioned above. Otherwise the soil would've just blown away in the hot wind.) Just last week the wheat looked bluish-green and healthy. But with no spring rains and none in sight, perhaps it was clear to the farmers that it wasn't going to make a crop. (I'm no farmer, so I couldn't say.)

Between that and the frequent grassfires we've had here recently, it's shaping up to be a rough start to the year. My yard is brown and my small garden requires frequent watering. Temperatures have been in the mid- to high-90s this week.

[Cyngbaeld]

I normally have grass when nobody else does. This yr I'm having to water continuously and not keeping ahead of the dryness. It isn't just having a pretty lawn, my livestock need that grass.

[belladulcinea]

Not only that but bare lawns and fields are not a good thing in the wind and drought!

[Gabriel]

Thanks for giving me one more reason to be glad that I moved. I miss some things about TX, but the lack of rainfall isn't one of them.

[foaly]

You see what happens.......I leave Oklahoma and the place just falls apart.

[Oldcountryboy]

We've been getting some rain up here in the very N.E. corner of Oklahoma, but whenever we get rain it will be followed by several days of extreme wind that wicks away all the rain we just got.

About 3 days ago I busted up some ground with my tractor. Usually the dirt stays in big clumps when turned over. Will this time the ground is so dry that the dirt would immediatly start crumbling when turned over. Now 3 days later the broke ground is so dry their is no moisture at all to do any planting. It's time to plant corn here, but what good will it do if we don't get rain for several days. The seeds will just be sitting in dirt.

[Belfrybat]

Not only are we dry, but the temps are running 20-25 degrees above normal -- high 90s almost every day with moderate to high winds. I planted Bermuda grass and am watering it twice a day and it still hasn't sprouted. I never even got a cutting off the broccoli and cauliflower as they just withered in this heat, and it looks like the snap peas are following suit. There is just no way to keep anything hydrated. Tomorrow we have a "cold snap" -- it's supposed to be in the mid to high 80's -- whoopie -- still 10+ degrees above normal. But it will be a nice change from this sweltering heat.