msnbc: "Texas drought worsens from 'abysmal'"

A recent msnbc story, Texas drought worsens from 'abysmal', reminds us how bad the drought conditions are in Texas and surrounding areas, including Oklahoma.

"Texas conditions continue to deteriorate what little they can from abysmal," the U.S. Drought Monitor stated. That was due to drought expanding into "the southeast, central, south-central, Big Bend region, and extreme south around Brownsville."

The drought conditions have combined with extreme, record-breaking heat in Texas, to create conditions that resulted in the extraordinary wildfires that ravaged the state.

From June through August, Texas suffered the hottest three months ever recorded in the United States, according to the National Weather Service. And the 12 months ending on Aug. 31 were the driest 12 months in Texas history, with most of the state receiving just 21 percent of its annual average rainfall.

This link depicts the progression of the drought over the past twelve months.  Elliot's mission, which encompasses the western half of Texas and northern Oklahoma, is right in the heart of the hardest hit areas.

After the jump, see how some Texans are dealing with the drought conditions.

Bats, space shuttles, and high school football

This picture (which I shamelessly "borrowed" from Elder Woolley's blog) says it all.  According to a Wichita Falls news channel, there have been a record-setting 46 consecutive days over 100 degrees this summer, with 72 total for 2011, nearing the record of 79 set in 1980.  Given the current forecast for Wichita Falls, that record should be broken next Sunday.  And the average summer temperature thus far is 91.7, well above the 88.5 record average set in 1980.

The biggest problem, of course, is the lack of rain.  There has been no rain in Wichita Falls for 52 days, still shy of the 75-day record set back in 1914.  The ongoing drought caused the USDA to issue a disaster declaration for 74 Oklahoma counties, and many cities, towns and rural water districts are issuing water rationing notices.

The drought has caused some unusual effects.  Over in Austin, Texas, the drought has killed many crops, in turn reducing the number of pests that bats love to eat.  So now there are 1.5 million bats living under a bridge in Austin who fly out for dinner earlier and earlier every evening, to the delight of the locals.

That means they have to leave home earlier than usual each night to find nourishment — giving the locals in this bat-crazy city a precious few more minutes to watch the normally-nocturnal critters fly before the sun goes down.

Each night they stream from under a bridge by the hundreds of thousands in a black cloud so large that it shows up on local weather radar.

"It's wonderful for people to be able to see them, and they are really spectacular," said James Eggers, director of education for the Austin-based Bat Conservation International. "But it's an indicator that things are a little tougher for the bats."

We hope the bats are doing ok, especially since 2011-2012 has been declared the Year of the Bat by the United Nations.

Another strange effect of the drought occurred when the waters of Lake Nacogdoches, 160 miles northeast of Houston, receded by some nine feet.  As the water receded, a four-foot diameter tank from the Columbia space shuttle, which disintegrated over Texas on its re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere on February 1, 2003, was revealed.  The tank will be recovered and sent to Kennedy Space Center's Vehicle Assembly Building.

Not surprisingly, one thing about Texas that has not been affected very much by the heat is high school football.  The players need to be kept well-hydrated, and practice times have been adjusted to keep the boys off the field during the hottest parts of the day, but football must go on.

In Texas, high school football is nearly a religion, highlighted by a television drama series "Friday Night Lights" that follows the lives of a Texas high school football team and its entourage.

In the real thing, the key to survival in the heat is water, and plenty of it, according to veteran San Antonio high school athletic trainer Paul 'Doc' Rost.

"Basically right now we have hydration stations set out where a kid can go at any time and get a drink," Rost said. "I tell 'em, if you're thirsty when you get out here, you're dehydrated already."

Wichita Falls: Drought's Impact on Cattle Business

Today's Wichita Falls Times Record News includes a report on the ongoing drought's impact on the cattle industry.  From the story:

Wichita Falls has exceeded 100-degree highs 39 of the past 40 days. There was a string of 100-plus degree days before that. By this date in a normal year, Wichita Falls would have received about 16 inches of rain. This year it has been just over 3 inches. Forecasters are not optimistic about substantial rain between now and September.

The drought has forced ranchers to sell at auction cattle they would not ordinarily sell. 

[Joe] Parker [a local rancher] said in a typical drought, cattle raisers will usually sell older or less productive livestock to take pressure off pastures and stock tanks.

"Now, they're even selling their good producers," he said.

Being forced to sell off their good producers jeopardizes ranchers' ability to stay in business, as they will be forced in the future to replace the stock they are now selling, likely at a higher cost when that time comes.

As always, the real solution is rain.

[Parker] summed up the solution to the cattlemen's blues in a single word — rain.

"If we can get some rain, we can heal," he said.

Here is a video from the news story.

The drought in Texas and Oklahoma continues

The drought that has plagued Texas and Oklahoma, which we've covered previously (here and here), continues.  According to a story from yesterday's Wichita Falls' Times Record News, this is the worst drought this century.  Farmers are losing their crops and the U.S. Department of Agriculture has designated 213 Texas counties as primary natural disaster areas.

Local longtime rancher Robin Pinkman said the area farming community is in "horrible, horrible shape" — the worst he has ever seen.

"I got a friend who owns a cotton farm that if you put your hand in his dirt, it feels like powder or flour," he said. "You can pull dirt up and see the original cotton seeds planted a long time ago, because they just never germinated."

Another recent report, citing the U.S. Drought Monitor (see image and table below), explains that most of Texas is suffering from either severe or exceptional drought conditions.

According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, nearly 50 percent of the state remained in what is termed an "exceptional" drought, which means a once in 50-year occurrence. More than 90 percent of the state was experiencing either a severe or exceptional drought. Only parts of north central and northeast Texas were not at least abnormally dry as of May 31.

It may not be the worst drought ever, but lifelong farmers throughout the state are telling Texas AgriLife Extension Service agents this is the driest they've ever experienced.

(Source)

Read more after the jump.

Rain in Oklahoma

Oklahoma has been suffering from severe drought conditions for many months, as we reported a few weeks ago.  Thankfully, recent rain storms have eased the drought somewhat, including in the area where Elliot is currently assigned.  We'll see if he has anything to say about the rain in his upcoming email.  According to a recent news story,

The recent storms brought 2 to 4 inches of rain in general, with locally heavier amounts in southwestern Oklahoma. That was also the case up through Oklahoma County, [Gary] McManus [of the Oklahoma Climatological Survey] said. However, there were areas of western and northwestern Oklahoma, as well as the Panhandle, where rainfall totals were a half-inch or less.

The drought is not over but the heavy rain certainly helps.

"For those areas that had received good rains previously to this one, such as in central Oklahoma, [the recent rains] will go a long way toward lessening the drought conditions,” McManus said.

“For other areas, like extreme southwestern Oklahoma, it's a good start. As of midday Friday, much of western and northwestern Oklahoma still needed a good drink to even start thinking about drought relief. For most of western Oklahoma, it's a county-by-county process.”

The rain caused some flooding and property damage, as you can see in the pictures and a video after the jump.  Farmers and ranchers are undoubtedly thrilled to get some rain, despite the damage, although it may have come too late in the growing season to help everyone.

On the bad news side for wheat production in Oklahoma, it was too little too late, [Mark] Hodges [of Plains Grains Inc.] said. In many areas the drought led to little or no crops. And there's a risk that weeds may germinate in crops that are out there, he said.

“While the moisture is too little too late and there are potential problems, I don't think you will find the industry complaining, with the exception it came two months too late,” he said.

Check out the video and pictures after the jump.

Elliot's April 25 email

We got Elliot's latest email today.  He got his package from home and it sounds like everything is going great.  We're keeping an eye on the weather in Oklahoma, as it looks like some storms are on their way.  As Oklahomans continue to pray for rain, they received some much-needed rain yesterday, although nowhere near enough to end the long drought.  Much of Oklahoma was placed under tornado watch today, and a possible tornado was reported in the southeastern part of the state, far from Elliot.  Here's his email.

Hey!

I got everything mom thank you so much! Sorry you couldn't find my camelbak though. But it's awesome and my companion and I both love the Men of the Mo-Tab CD!

I also have a package I've been meaning to send to dad for his birthday! But I haven't yet and now it's way late. Oops. But it'll come! I'll try to send it off this week. And next week I'll let you know when I'll be able to call and everything!

We had a pretty good week. I'm particularly excited about one family that we're teaching. We actually couldn't see them this past week, but they did tell the member of the church that referred them to us that they're excited about becoming Mormons. So needless to say that's going super well. We also had this awesome lesson with another member referral family we're teaching. They really didn't seem too interested in listening to us the first time we came by, and then cancelled the next appointment, and left us with kind of a don't call us, we'll call you type of deal. But we were gonna be in the neighborhood, so we just decided to drop by. They let us come in, and then she came out and told us about all of her life problems, which is quite common as a missionary, but then suddenly just realized that we were there for a reason. That God had sent us there. That we were more than just strange 20 year old guys in white shirts and ties. Her apathy really made a complete turn and we were able to teach her and help her she what she needs to do in turning to Christ to help her out. The Spirit really made her realize that we had something she needs.

One of my new favorite quotes from President Monson is; "I firmly believe that the sweetest experience in mortality is to know that our Heavenly Father has worked through us to accomplish an objective in the life of another person." [To the Rescue, at 4.] It's just awesome to be able to have those kinds of experiences so often as a missionary. I really wouldn't trade it for anything right now.

I love you! Hope everything is going good.

Love,

Elder Elliot Adair

Oh I would’ve attached a picture of me and the bracelet but I forgot my camera today! Next time!

"Parched" -- Drought in Oklahoma

For those of us who live in California, we have been blessed with a great deal of rain this year.  Our reservoirs are full or nearly so.  Our rivers are flowing and the snowpack in the Sierra Nevada is well above average.  Governor Brown recently declared an official end to California's three-year drought. 

Unfortunately, the same is not true in Oklahoma.  A recent feature story in the Purcell Register, where Elliot is currently assigned, tells the story of the terrible drought affecting Oklahoma:

Storm clouds usually darken the skies in the spring dropping inch after inch of rain on fertile farmland.

For the spring of 2011, those clouds have not been storm clouds, but clouds of smoke from wildfires blazing across the countryside.

McClain County and a huge section of central, south central and western Oklahoma are in a severe drought.

Another report confirms that virtually the entire state is affected:

The situation is most dire in southwestern Oklahoma, where Tillman and portions of Cotton and Jackson counties were classified as being in extreme drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor, released Thursday. All but the northeastern corner of the state is experiencing some degree of drought.

The last good rain was in November, and the snow that fell in February was too dry to amount to much moisture.

Reservoir levels are low, crops are drying up, and the state has suffered the driest four months since the Dust Bowl.  Prayer has become one of the most used tools of Oklahoma farmers:

Zac [Harris, of Hobart, Oklahoma], a fourth-generation farmer and rancher said, “Rain is mentioned more toward the first in our prayers and again at the last.”

In neighboring Texas, Governor Perry has declared a weekend of prayer:

"I urge Texans of all faiths and traditions to offer prayers on that day for the healing of our land, the rebuilding of our communities and the restoration of our normal and robust way of life."

Oklahomans and Texans would undoubtedly invite all of us to join them in prayer in an effort to find relief from this drought.