More Of Oklahoma Now In 'Exceptional Drought'

The drought continues to worsen across Oklahoma. The latest drought monitor was released Thursday and it shows more than 20 percent of the state is now in exceptional drought, up from only 2 percent at the beginning of 2014.

Most of the state is anywhere from 6 to 12 inches of rain below average for the calendar year. The lack of rain has led to extremely low lake levels in western and southwestern Oklahoma.

Many lakes across the state are more than five feet below normal. Meanwhile, Lake Altus-Lugert is 30 feet below normal due to four years of horrible drought.

Temperatures will continue to climb over the next several days with near record highs Sunday through Wednesday. Highs will climb into the mid-90s and even lower triple digits in the west. 

Our next storm system will arrive by mid-week bringing several days of isolated rain chances and the threat of severe storms.

Stay tuned for more details on next week's storm chances as more data becomes available.