Drought in Oklahoma, December 1 to 31, 2021

Name: Drought in Oklahoma, December 1 to 31, 2021
Start: 2021-12-01T00:00
End: 2021-12-31T23:59
Location: Oklahoma

December 1 to 31, 2021 · NWS AMA · 3 events in 3 counties and zones

December was an extremely dry month for the combined Oklahoma and Texas Panhandles. Absolutely no precipitation occurred and this contributed to worsening soil conditions.

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: None recorded
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.

December was an extremely dry month for the combined Oklahoma and Texas Panhandles. Absolutely no precipitation occurred and this contributed to worsening soil conditions. Soil across the area went from dry to very dry. Cattle and livestock needed supplemental feeding with range land grasses being non-existent. Winter wheat was suffering in dry lands. There were even reports of the dry soils leading to wheat fields being lost to high wind events. Also, multiple wildfires occurred during high wind events during the month with fuels being extremely dry.

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 Nov 30, 10:39 PM CST, 1 hour 21 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Nov 30, 10:39 PM CST, 1 hour 21 minutes before

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Amarillo TX
1039 PM CST Tue Nov 30 2021

.AVIATION...06Z TAFS...
VFR conditions will prevail at all TAF sites over the next 24
hours, with mostly clear skies and fairly light winds. Overall the
wind directions may vary, but should remain north to northwesterly
for the majority of the TAF period.

Weber

&&

.PREV DISCUSSION... /Issued 203 PM CST Tue Nov 30 2021/

SHORT TERM...Tonight through Wednesday Night...

Dry northwesterly upper flow across the Panhandles tonight through
Wednesday evening. The upper flow transitions to more zonal late
Wednesday night or by 12Z Thursday. No precipitation is expected
through Wednesday night.

Surface high building down into the Panhandles tonight into
Wednesday before moving off to the east by late Wednesday. Lee
surface low and associated trough will develop Wednesday across
eastern New Mexico and eastern Colorado. Warmer downsloping
southwesterly winds are expected across the forecast area
Wednesday night.

Schneider

LONG TERM...Thursday through Monday...

Pattern aloft will remain quiet for the remainder of the week and
into the weekend with zonal flow over the northern CONUS and weak
lows pushing across the southwest CONUS before becoming absorbed
into the flow to the north. Good warm air advection near the
surface is expected Thursday with troughing across eastern New
Mexico and 850-mb temperatures ranging as high as 18-20 deg C.
Potential record breaking high temperatures are possible with
warming into the upper 70s. Amarillo's record high is 78 (set back
in 2021) with a current forecast of 77, Dalhart's record is 78
(set back in 1995) with a current forecast of 73, and Borger's
record is 76 (set back in 1995) with a current forecast of 79.

A relative weak front will pass through Friday turning winds to
the north with some breezy conditions and cooler temperatures back
into the 60s across the much of the Panhandles. Lingering north
winds on Saturday, along with a lingering cooler air mass will
keep temperatures from warming out of the 50s.

The flow aloft will begin to change Sunday with a weak wave
present in the flow across the northern CONUS that will bring
another front through the Panhandles Sunday, keeping temperatures
in the 60s. With this system coming out of the Pacific Northwest,
any moisture will likely remain way north of the forecast area.
Meanwhile, a cutoff low will sit across Baja Cali and help to feed
moisture to our south across southern and southeast Texas.

Temperatures attempt to rebound into the 70s early next week ahead
of the next system that is likely to bring yet another front by
mid-week. Lots of uncertainty remains with this next system, but
some deterministic models and ensemble members are leaning
towards a chance for precipitation across the Panhandles.

Rutt

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
Amarillo TX                36  72  38  77  44 /   0   0   0   0   0
Beaver OK                  31  71  34  78  36 /   0   0   0   0   0
Boise City OK              32  70  34  75  35 /   0   0   0   0   0
Borger TX                  34  73  37  80  43 /   0   0   0   0   0
Boys Ranch TX              31  72  32  78  38 /   0   0   0   0   0
Canyon TX                  32  73  35  77  43 /   0   0   0   0   0
Clarendon TX               40  74  41  77  47 /   0   0   0   0   0
Dalhart TX                 28  70  29  72  31 /   0   0   0   0   0
Guymon OK                  31  71  34  77  35 /   0   0   0   0   0
Hereford TX                32  73  34  77  42 /   0   0   0   0   0
Lipscomb TX                32  72  36  78  40 /   0   0   0   0   0
Pampa TX                   35  71  40  77  45 /   0   0   0   0   0
Shamrock TX                37  74  39  79  44 /   0   0   0   0   0
Wellington TX              35  75  38  78  44 /   0   0   0   0   0

&&

.AMA Watches/Warnings/Advisories...
TX...None.
OK...None.

&&

89

Hazardous weather outlook, Nov 30, 6:52 PM CST, 5 hours 8 minutes before

Hazardous Weather Outlook...UPDATED
National Weather Service Amarillo TX
652 PM CST Tue Nov 30 2021

OKZ001>003-TXZ001>020-317-011300-
Cimarron-Texas-Beaver-Dallam-Sherman-Hansford-Ochiltree-Lipscomb-
Hartley-Moore-Hutchinson-Roberts-Hemphill-Oldham-Potter-Carson-
Gray-Wheeler-Deaf Smith-Randall-Armstrong-Donley-Collingsworth-
Palo Duro Canyon-
652 PM CST Tue Nov 30 2021

This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for the Texas and Oklahoma
Panhandles.

.DAY ONE...Tonight.

No hazardous weather is expected at this time.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Wednesday through Monday.

No hazardous weather is expected at this time.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

Spotter activation is not anticipated at this time.

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

A small portion of the northeast corner of Beaver County remained in extreme drought (D3) from the beginning to the end of December. The rest of the county started out in abnormally dry to moderate drought (D1) conditions. However with an absolutely dry November and December the conditions worsen with severe drought (D2) spreading out from the area of D3 to the rest of the county. Areas across the county especially the northeast corner remain in a 6 to 12 inch deficit year-to-date.

Drought, Texas

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

By the middle of December the whole western half of Texas County had fell into extreme drought (D3). By the end of December all but the northeast corner of the county fell into extreme drought following a completely dry November and December. Many areas especially across southern Texas County remain in a 4 to 8 inch deficit year-to-date.

Drought, Cimarron

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

Zero precipitation fell during the month of December. Following a dry November conditions continued to worsen the entire county in extreme drought (D3) by the 3rd week of December and continued all the way through into January. The are continued with a 4 to 8 inch deficit year-to-date.

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

Every storm in Oklahoma in 2021 Every state in 2021 This day in weather history Warnings in Oklahoma, December 2021

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: 997427, 997429, 997430.