Warm and Windy Equals High Fire Danger.

So far, our part of the state is running very dry with much less than our normal rainfall over the last 120 days. But, as the image on the right from the Oklahoma Mesonet clearly shows, we are in much better shape than our western neighbors where some locations have received less than ½ inch over that same period. That puts much of our state in a very precarious position going into the Spring wet season as we desperately need those Spring rains to get an early start and be widespread as well as generous.

Unfortunately, that is not foreseen anytime soon.

What we will have over the next few days is gusty southerly winds creating a high fire danger situation along with much warmer than normal temperatures. In fact, look for daytime highs to be on the order of 20 degrees above normal for Thursday and Friday and our overnight lows to be 15-20 degrees above normal for the next several nights. A rather weak cool front still is on tap to arrive Friday evening which will provide for a cooler day on Saturday, but we will still be warmer than normal.

So far, our rain chances continue to be quite low with only a slight chance late Saturday or Saturday night when the cool front moves back north as a warm front. That also means a return to gusty southerly winds for Sunday and into early next week which in turn means more warm, windy weather. Spring does officially arrive Sunday evening and with daytime highs well into the 70s it will certainly feel very much like Spring.

Warm and windy conditions will also be the general rule for early next week. Another, potentially stronger cool front is scheduled late Tue or Tue night and may bring with it a better chance of showers or storms. But, that is too far out to be very confident in its rain making potential. What we really need is a series of systems coming up out of the southern Rockies and tapping into moisture from the Gulf of Mexico to replenish the dry soils, particularly out west. And, that scenario just does not appear to be in the cards anytime soon.

One thing about these warm, windy conditions…..the fishing sure can be good at this time of year. I made a trip with a friend to a 2 acre pond near Ramona early this morning. The fish were cooperating as we caught fish from the time of arrival till we had leave. Nothing big, but steady action primarily on deep diving crank baits. Also, managed to catch some nice crappie while fishing for bass, so they were pretty active as well. And, that will only get better as water temperatures continue to rise over the Spring months.

As always, stay tuned and check back for updates.

Dick Faurot