Oklahoma experiencing worst drought conditions since 1921 .. Eye Report

Wildfires have burned thousands of acres in the past month as the state of Oklahoma and its farmers struggle with a severe drought. Oklahoma was drier in the four months following Thanksgiving than it has been in any similar period since 1921.

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 % and in Oklahoma it nearly doubled in one week to 16%. An extreme drought is declared when there’s major damage to crops or pasture and widespread water shortages or restrictions.

National Drought Summary — March 29, 2011

While dozens of people in Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas have lost homes to the hundreds of grassfires that have torn through the parched landscape in the past month, Oklahoma officials said more fires caused more damage as recently as 2009. This year, the biggest losses are likely to come from the drought’s effect on the wheat farmers planted last fall and hoped to harvest in June, they said.

Almost all of Oklahoma is covered in some degree of drought. Only the far northeastern corner has escaped, thanks to a few big winter snowstorms.

Mike Spradling, the president of the Oklahoma Farm Bureau, said many wheat farmers have considered just plowing under their fields and switching to another crop. Associate state climatologist Gary McManus said conditions have actually gotten worse since crops began emerging. The plants have rapidly sucked up the limited moisture in the soil.

“Some places have already lost their wheat crop farther south and in the Panhandle,” he said. “In the driest parts of the state, the rainfall they have gotten, it’s not enough to make them rest easy with their crops. It’s just a bad situation.”

Paul Fruendt said he’s been farming for 25 years and he’s never seen such bad growing conditions. His farm in Guthrie in central Oklahoma got a little rain, but he said his crops will still probably run out of water within a few weeks.

“For us already, we’re going to suffer,” said Fruendt, who invested about $100,000 in his wheat. “Probably two-thirds of our gross income has been wiped out for the next six months.“

Ranchers in western Oklahoma are worried about their land too. Monte Tucker, 36, a volunteer firefighter and cattle rancher who lives in Sweetwater near the Texas border, said the grass and brush on his property are like tinder. He saw 1,500 of his 5,000 acres burn a few years ago, and without rain, it could easily happen again this year. .

What are the impacts of a drought?

Lack of rainfall for an extended period of time can bring farmers and metropolitan areas to their knees. It does not take very long; in some locations of the country, a few rain-free weeks can spread panic and affect crops. Before long, we are told to stop washing our cars, cease watering the grass, and take other water conservation steps. In this situation, sunny weather is not always the best weather.

Here in the desert Southwest, weeks without rain are not uncommon. However, when the weeks turn to months, serious problems can arise. Because of the fact that much of our drinking water comes from snowmelt, a dry winter can have serious implications in terms of how much water is available for the following summer season. Most locations have sufficient water reservoirs to make it through one dry winter. The real problem becomes back to back dry winter seasons, similar to what is occurring during the 1998-2000 period of time. With two significantly below-normal precipitation winter seasons, reservoirs are becoming low and the fire danger rises as the forests dry out. However, summer rains can alleviate the situation, as the monsoon season typically develops by July.

The Dust Bowl days of the 1930′s affected 50,000,000 acres of land, rendering farmers helpless. In the 1950′s, the Great Plains suffered a severe water shortage when several years went by with rainfall well below normal. Crop yields failed and the water supply fell. California suffered a severe drought around 1970. Rainfall was below normal for 1 1/2 years, and by the time September 1970 arrived, the fire potential was extremely high and dangerous. Temperatures rose to near the century mark and fires broke out. Losses were in the tens of millions of dollars.