Oklahoma, 2013

Drought in Oklahoma, July 1 to 31, 2013

July 1 to 31, 2013 · NWS AMA · 3 events in 3 counties and zones

The month of July brought multiple chances for precipitation, but the scattered nature of storms kept drought relief limited. 59 inch below normal) for the month of July.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 3 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
$36 million
Events
3

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS AMA wrote it up.

The month of July brought multiple chances for precipitation, but the scattered nature of storms kept drought relief limited. Guymon recorded 1.07 inches of precipitation (1.59 inch below normal) for the month of July. This July ranked as the 45th coolest and the 18th wettest July for the Oklahoma Panhandle on record. The U.S. Drought Monitor showed slight improvement across the western half of the Oklahoma Panhandle for the month while the eastern portion of the Panhandle remained steady state. All of the Oklahoma Panhandle is rated as Extreme (D3) drought.

The scattered precipitation has provided short-term improvement in upper zone soils however, this precipitation has had little to no impact on deep soil moisture. With that said the short term relief came at the optimum time for farmers with crops in peak water demand phases. Dryland crops showed signs of improvement and irrigated fields were able to reduce the amount of supplemental watering. Water watches remain in effect for several public water systems through July while voluntary to mandatory water restrictions have been enacted.

Economic losses due to the drought through July were estimated near $12 million (D3) a county, and were predominately the result for poor growth of corn and cotton, moderate supplemental watering, reduction of cattle herd sizes, and supplemental feed for cattle in pastures and rangeland.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Amarillo, TX wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jun 30, 10:10 PM CST, 1 hour 50 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jun 30, 10:10 PM CST, 1 hour 50 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AMARILLO TX
1110 PM CDT SUN JUN 30 2013

.AVIATION...
FOR THE 06Z TAFS...ASIDE FROM THE FEW LINGERING SHOWERS IN THE WESTERN
PANHANDLES...DO NOT EXPECT TO SEE ANY ADDITIONAL TSRA OR SHRA THROUGH
THE FIRST HALF OF THE TAF PERIOD. THERE IS SOME RISK OF BR NEAR 12Z
AT LOCATIONS THAT SAW MEASURABLE PRECIP EARLIER...INCLUDING KGUY AND
KDHT. THE EARLIER RAIN RAISED DEW POINTS AT THESE LOCATIONS TO NEAR
WHAT WE EXPECT THE LOWS TO BE. HOWEVER...EXPECT DRY AIR ADVECTION
THROUGH THE OVERNIGHT HOURS TO INHIBIT ANY BR DEVELOPMENT. THE NEXT
CONCERN WILL BE THE NEXT ROUND OF TSRA AFTER 18Z. AT THIS
POINT...EXPECT TSRA TO BE LIMITED TO THE WESTERN
PANHANDLES...INCLUDING KDHT....AND MOST LIKELY BETWEEN 23 AND 03Z. FOR
KAMA AND KGUY THE RISK OF TSRA IS TOO LOW TO MENTION IN THE
TAFS...LESS THAN 20 PERCENT.

JOHNSON
&&

.PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 826 PM CDT SUN JUN 30 2013/

UPDATE...
THE NEARLY MERIDIONAL FLOW PATTERN IS LIMITING THE CHANCES FOR
THUNDERSTORMS TO MOVE INTO THE WESTERN PANHANDLES FROM CO AND NM.
RADAR TRENDS SHOW STORM MOVEMENT GENERALLY DUE SOUTH. STILL...SOME
ISOLATED SHOWERS...AND A FEW THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE OVER THE
CENTRAL AND WESTERN PANHANDLES. WILL ALSO REMOVE MENTION OF SEVERE
THREAT FROM THE HWO AS THE 00Z KAMA SOUNDING SHOWED A CAPE VALUE OF
ONLY 66 J/KG. WITH NO LOW LEVEL JET EXPECTED OVER THE REGION
TONIGHT...DO NOT SEE MUCH OPPORTUNITY FOR STRONGER STORMS IN THE
PANHANDLES. THE ONE POSSIBLE EXCEPTION IS THAT WITH DRY LOW
LEVELS...AN ISOLATED DOWNBURST MAY BE POSSIBLE. SO WILL ONLY MENTION
GUSTY WINDS TO 50 MPH.

JOHNSON

PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 651 PM CDT SUN JUN 30 2013/

AVIATION...
VFR CONDITIONS WILL BE DOMINANT AND ALL TERMINALS THROUGH 7/2
00Z...HOWEVER BRIEF/LOCALIZED VISIBILITY RESTRICTIONS MAY OCCUR AS
ISOLATED/SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS MOVE IN PROXIMITY TO THE SITES.

SHOWERS THAT IMPACTED KGUY THIS AFTERNOON ARE PUSHING SOUTH OF THE
TERMINAL ATTM. ADDITIONAL THUNDERSTORMS ARE DEVELOPING WEST OF KAMA.
CONVECTION WILL HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO OCCUR IN PROXIMITY TO ALL
TERMINALS THROUGH AT LEAST 7/1 06-09 Z. SCATTERED/BROKEN CLOUDS MAY
REACH HEIGHTS OF 4-6 KFT...BUT NO NOTABLE CIG RESTRICTIONS ARE
EXPECTED.

WINDS WILL REMAIN RELATIVELY LIGHT/VARIABLE WITH A TENDENCY TO BLOW
FROM AN EASTERLY DIRECTION THROUGH THE PERIOD.

PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 337 PM CDT SUN JUN 30 2013/

DISCUSSION...
IF YOU LIKE TODAY'S WEATHER, YOU'LL LOVE THE WEATHER THIS WEEK!

THROUGH TONIGHT: SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE BEGINNING TO MOVE INTO
THE OKLAHOMA PANHANDLE FROM SOUTHEASTERN COLORADO AND SOUTHWESTERN
KANSAS. THIS ACTIVITY SHOULD INTENSIFY SLIGHTLY AS IT GRADUALLY MOVES
SOUTH SOUTHEASTWARD, BUT IT SHOULD WEAKEN LATER THIS EVENING.
ADDITIONAL THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE HIGHER TERRAIN OF NEW MEXICO AND
COLORADO WILL ALSO MOVE SOUTH SOUTHEASTWARD INTO THE PANHANDLES THIS
EVENING AND MAY CONGEAL INTO A LOOSELY ORGANIZED CONVECTIVE COMPLEX.
WHILE THERE WILL BE A CHANCE OF RAIN IN JUST ABOUT ALL LOCATIONS, THE
HIGHEST CHANCES WILL BE WEST OF A GUYMON TO AMARILLO LINE, ESPECIALLY
THROUGH 11 PM. THE POSSIBILITY OF SEVERE STORMS ALSO EXISTS AS THESE
SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL ENCOUNTER A SLIGHTLY MORE UNSTABLE
ENVIRONMENT AS THEY MOVE SOUTH SOUTHEAST. IT WON'T BE A WIDESPREAD
SEVERE WEATHER EVENT, BUT THERE COULD BE A COUPLE OF SEVERE STORMS
THROUGH 10 PM, MAINLY WEST OF A BOISE CITY TO AMARILLO LINE. THE
PRIMARY HAZARDS WITH ANY STORMS WILL BE DAMAGING WINDS UP TO 65 MPH
AND HALF DOLLAR SIZE HAIL. THE MAIN COMPLEX OF SHOWERS AND STORMS
SHOULD BE SOUTH OF THE FORECAST AREA BY 12 AM, BUT ADDITIONAL
ISOLATED TO WIDELY SCATTERED SHOWERS AND STORMS MAY CONTINUE TO
DEVELOP ACROSS THE WESTERN PANHANDLES OVERNIGHT. HOWEVER, NO SEVERE
STORMS ARE EXPECTED WITH ANY OF THESE SHOWERS OR STORMS THAT DEVELOP.

MONDAY-WEDNESDAY NIGHT: OFF AND ON CHANCES FOR SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE DURING THIS PERIOD WITH THE HIGHEST
CHANCES GENERALLY ACROSS THE WESTERN HALF OF THE PANHANDLES.
TEMPERATURES WILL BE VERY PLEASANT WITH HIGHS IN THE 70S AND 80S.
LOW TEMPERATURES EACH NIGHT WILL ALSO BE A VERY WELCOME RELIEF WITH
SEVERAL LOCATIONS DROPPING INTO THE MID AND UPPER 50S.

4TH OF JULY: THERE WILL BE A POSSIBILITY OF SOME SHOWERS IN THE
MORNING, BUT MODEL GUIDANCE IS BEGINNING TO LOOK DRIER. IF THIS
TREND CONTINUES, WE WILL BE ABLE TO PULL POPS OUT OF THE FORECAST,
ESPECIALLY DURING THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING. TEMPERATURES WILL
CONTINUE TO BE ENJOYABLE WITH HIGHS IN THE 80S. FOR THE AREA
FIREWORKS CELEBRATIONS, TEMPERATURES WILL LIKELY BE IN THE LOWER 70S
WITH SOUTHERLY WINDS BETWEEN 10 AND 20 MPH.

FRIDAY-SUNDAY: THERE COULD BE SOME SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS IN THE
FAR WESTERN PANHANDLES FRIDAY AND SATURDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING,
BUT COVERAGE SHOULD BE ISOLATED. TEMPERATURES WILL BEGIN A WARMING
TREND WITH HIGHS BACK INTO THE UPPER 80S AND LOWER 90S BY THE
WEEKEND.

JACKSON

FIRE WEATHER...
ELEVATED OR CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE NOT EXPECTED OVER
THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS DUE TO MINIMUM RELATIVE HUMIDITY VALUES ABOVE
20 PERCENT, PERIODIC CHANCES FOR SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS, AND 20
FOOT WINDS GENERALLY STAYING UNDER 15 MPH.

&&

.AMA WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
TX...NONE.
OK...NONE.

&&

10/16
Hazardous weather outlook, Jun 30, 7:29 PM CST, 4 hours 31 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AMARILLO TX
829 PM CDT SUN JUN 30 2013

OKZ001>003-TXZ001>020-011100-
CIMARRON-TEXAS-BEAVER-DALLAM-SHERMAN-HANSFORD-OCHILTREE-LIPSCOMB-
HARTLEY-MOORE-HUTCHINSON-ROBERTS-HEMPHILL-OLDHAM-POTTER-CARSON-
GRAY-WHEELER-DEAF SMITH-RANDALL-ARMSTRONG-DONLEY-COLLINGSWORTH-
829 PM CDT SUN JUN 30 2013

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE TEXAS AND OKLAHOMA
PANHANDLES.

.DAY ONE...TONIGHT.

ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE ACROSS THE WESTERN AND
CENTRAL PANHANDLES. A FEW STORMS COULD BE STRONG WITH WIND GUSTS TO
50 MPH.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY.

THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE OFF AND ON ACROSS MUCH OF THE TEXAS
AND OKLAHOMA PANHANDLES MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY. SOME OF THESE
STORMS COULD BE STRONG TO SEVERE AT TIMES WITH DAMAGING WINDS AND
LARGE HAIL BEING THE MAIN HAZARDS.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

LIMITED SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY.

JOHNSON

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 drought. Local standard time, as filed.

Drought, Beaver

When
July 1, 12:00 AM CST to July 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Beaver forecast zone
Crop damage
$12 million
Reported by
Drought Monitor
Coordinates
36.750, -100.477 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme drought for the month of July.

Drought, Cimarron

When
July 1, 12:00 AM CST to July 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Cimarron forecast zone
Crop damage
$12 million
Reported by
Drought Monitor
Coordinates
36.748, -102.518 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme drought for the month of July.

Drought, Texas

When
July 1, 12:00 AM CST to July 31, 11:59 PM CST
Where
Texas forecast zone
Crop damage
$12 million
Reported by
Drought Monitor
Coordinates
36.748, -101.490 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme drought for the month of July.

What these are

Drought
A drought reaching severe (D2) or worse on the US Drought Monitor, or with notable impacts.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Oklahoma in 2013Every state in 2013This day in weather historyWarnings in Oklahoma, July 2013

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 471475, 471477, 471478.