Drought Information Statement for Eastern OK & Northwestern AR Valid December 6, 2024 Issued By: WFO Tulsa, OK Contact Information: sr-tsa.webmaster@noaa.gov This product will be updated when Extreme (D3) Drought returns to the area. Please see all currently available products at https://drought.gov/drought-information-statements. Please visit https://www.weather.gov/tsa/DroughtInformationStatement for previous statements. Please visit https://www.drought.gov/drought-status-updates/?dews_region=132&state=All for regional drought status updates. Significant improvement in drought conditions occurred since November 1, 2024 due to several rounds of heavy rain. Abnormally Dry (D0) to Severe (D2) Drought conditions remained across a portion of eastern Oklahoma and northwestern Arkansas. This will be the final Drought Information Statement until Extreme (D3) Drought conditions return to the area. 1 U.S. Drought Monitor Drought intensity and Extent D2 (Severe Drought): portions of Choctaw and Pushmataha Counties in eastern OK D1 (Moderate Drought): portions of Osage, Pawnee, Ottawa, Craig, Rogers, Mayes, Delaware, Adair, Cherokee, Le Flore, Latimer, Pittsburg, Pushmataha, and Choctaw Counties in eastern OK, and Washington, Benton, and Carroll Counties in northwest AR D0: (Abnormally Dry): parts of Osage, Pawnee, Creek, Okfuskee, Craig, Nowata, Rogers, Mayes, Wagoner, Cherokee, Adair, Pittsburg, Latimer, and Le Flore Counties in eastern OK and Washington, Carroll, Madison, Crawford, Sebastian, and Franklin Counties in northwestern AR Recent Change in Drought Intensity Four Week Drought Monitor Class Change: Drought Worsened: no counties in eastern Oklahoma and northwestern Arkansas. No Change: portions of Osage, Pawnee, Cherokee, Adair, Le Flore, Latimer, Pushmataha, and Choctaw Counties in eastern Oklahoma, and Washington, Crawford, Franklin, and Sebastian Counties in northwestern Arkansas. Drought Improved: all counties in eastern Oklahoma and northwestern Arkansas had improvement in drought conditions. Portions of Nowata, Washington, Osage, Tulsa, Rogers, and Wagoner Counties in eastern Oklahoma saw a three category improvement over the last 4 weeks. Precipitation For the 7-day period through the morning of Dec. 6, 2024, a few hundredths of an inch to around 0.5” of rain fell across southeastern Oklahoma. For the 30 days ending Dec. 4, 2024, rainfall totals across the area ranged from 2” to 8”, which corresponds to 60%-300% of the normal rainfall. Tulsa, OK recorded it’s wettest November on record. Summary of Impacts Hydrologic Impacts A few reservoirs were below 97% of their conservation pools. The Bartlesville City Water Utilities Director Terry Lauritsen “said there is good news as we are no longer in any type of threat of a drought or any kind of water supply issue. All of our lakes are full and everything is really very good from that perspective. However, the city will continue to work on looking for future water supply.” (quote from KWON Radio and BartlesvilleRadio.com) Agricultural Impacts Pasture land in northwestern Arkansas is still not providing enough for grazing, and supplemental feeding of livestock continues. Fire Hazard Impacts There are no known impacts at this time. Other Impacts There are no known impacts at this time. Mitigation Actions Please refer to your municipality and/or water provider for mitigation information. Hydrologic Conditions and Impacts According to the USGS, the 7-day average streamflow as of December 5, 2024 was normal to above normal for the majority of eastern Oklahoma and northwestern Arkansas (image on the right). According to the USACE, the following reservoirs were more than 3% below the top of their conservation pools as of December 2, 2024: Hugo Lake 75% Skiatook Lake 86% Beaver Lake 92% Sardis Lake 94% Image Caption: USGS 7-day average streamflow HUC map valid December 5, 2024 Agricultural Impacts According to the CPC, soil moisture was near to above normal across all of eastern OK and northwestern AR as of Dec. 4, 2024 (image). According to Condition Monitoring Reports submitted at the end of November through the beginning of December 2024 from across northwestern Arkansas, streams and ponds are back to near normal conditions. However, the rains in November did not help much with the pastures, and supplemental feeding for livestock continues. Fire Hazard Impacts No Burn Bans were in effect as of December 6, 2024. The December 2024 Significant Wildland Fire Potential Outlook shows normal potential for eastern Oklahoma and northwest Arkansas. Seven-Day Precipitation Forecast There is a 20%-80% chance for showers from the evening of December 7 through December 8, with the highest chances across far southeast OK and west central AR. Around 0.5” or less of rain is forecast over the next 7 days across eastern OK and northwestern AR, southeast of I-44. Long-Range Outlooks The latest monthly and seasonal outlooks can be found on the Climate Prediction Center (CPC) homepage According to the Climate Prediction Center (CPC), there is an equal chance for above, near, and below normal temperatures and precipitation for all of eastern OK and northwestern AR for December 2024. In the longer term, the outlook for the 3-month period Dec-Jan-Feb 2024-25 calls for an enhanced chance of above normal temperatures and an enhanced chance for below median precipitation for southeast OK. There is an equal chance for above, near, and below normal temperatures and precipitation for the remainder of eastern OK and northwestern AR. Drought Outlook The latest monthly and seasonal outlooks can be found on the Climate Prediction Center (CPC) homepage The CPC Seasonal Drought Outlook valid November 30, 2024 through February 28, 2025 indicates that drought conditions are expected to persist in southeastern OK, while drought is expected to end across northeastern OK and northwestern AR.