Rain and snow in Oklahoma is making a difference in the drought, according to Wes Lee with the Oklahoma Mesonet.
“Normally we have a larger percentage of Oklahoma that is in some kind of drought situation than we currently have,” Lee said. “It’s not uncommon for us to see 40, 50, 60 percent of the state acreages in drought. Currently we’re somewhere around 2 or 3 percent.”
Lee said that’s excellent news with one exception.
“The only dry spot in the state,” he said, “is a small area around Osage county. It’s only received about 3 to 4 inches of rain. Besides that region, the rest of the state has had adequate rainfall for growing crops.”
That rainfall is soaking in. Lee said soil moisture looks good down to at least 2 feet.
“We have moisture sensors at different depths,” he said. “Two inches, 4 inches, 10 inches and 24 inches across all of the Mesonet sites. If you look at the soil profile at any of those depths, we’re well above any levels that would be detrimental to crops. We’re not hurting for moisture at any depth, even as far down as 24 inches throughout most of western Oklahoma.”
But it’s also been colder than normal with air temperatures as much as 15 to 20 degrees below average. That frosty air is making for frosty ground.
“The soil temperatures are pretty cool,” Lee said. “Right now the soil temperatures are running mostly in the forties at a depth of four inches. That’s not uncommon for winter but it is uncommon for this early in the season. Normally we see those temperatures middle-December through the middle of February.”
As for the winter weather outlook, Lee said January and February tend to be drier months but we’re starting the year with a good moisture head start.
“A normal year means we’re not going to see huge rainfall events,” he said. “On the other hand, because we have so much moisture in the profile already, that’s probably good news for wheat growers. Temperatures could be all over the board but if we could string together several days of 50 degrees or warmer, we should see some significant forage.”
More information can be found at Oklahoma Mesonet’s website mesonet.org.
Wheat Squared is sponsored by the Oklahoma Wheat Commission and Oklahoma Genetics, Inc.
