2007 Beginning to Lose the Water Horse Race

Tuesday, September 25th 2007, 6:00 pm

By: News On 6

For most of the year, 2007 has been locked within shouting distance of 1957 for the dubious title of "Wettest Year In State (and territorial!) History". An early September burst placed 2007 in second place in the chase, but recent a recent dryspell caused this year to slip further behind its half-century senior, dropping to fourth place.

1957 was a real phenomenon. The rain started in Mid-May and simply didn't stop. Second, the statistical distribution of rain in Oklahoma really jumps out of the screen. Most of the years are bunched in the middle, with some wet outliers, and some dry outliers.

Of course, climate, like politics, is local. So let's look at a few regions within the state. In central Oklahoma, 2007 is still ahead, but the 1957 total is charging fast. The panhandle continues to limp along with below-average precip. Finally, east-central Oklahoma really falls right in the middle.