Drought, Caddo
- When
- May 1, 12:00 AM CST to May 31, 11:59 PM CST
- Where
- Caddo forecast zone
- Reported by
- Drought Monitor
- Coordinates
- 35.174, -98.375 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Drought in Oklahoma, May 1 to 31, 2021
Drought conditions improved across much of the state through the month of May, with only a small area of severe drought persisting across portions of west-central OK.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 2 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
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 2
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 OUN wrote it up.
Drought conditions improved across much of the state through the month of May, with only a small area of severe drought persisting across portions of west-central OK.
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 Norman, OK wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Apr 30, 10:04 PM CST, 1 hour 56 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Apr 30, 10:04 PM CST, 1 hour 56 minutes before
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Norman OK 1104 PM CDT Fri Apr 30 2021 ...New AVIATION... .SHORT TERM... (This evening through Saturday) Issued at 1224 PM CDT Fri Apr 30 2021 As the upper low swings around through central Texas, showers and a few storms should gradually increase across north Texas into southern Oklahoma tonight. Instability should be limited but enough to support some isolated thunder. Tomorrow this convective activity will reach up into central Oklahoma and start moving eastward. This will help moderate temperatures over the southern half of the forecast area. Meanwhile, northern Oklahoma will warm up to near 80 degrees. Day && .LONG TERM... (Saturday night through next Thursday) Issued at 221 PM CDT Fri Apr 30 2021 As the upper-level low moves northeast across Texas to join with the main jet stream again, rain chances will pivot from the southern...to the eastern...to the northern parts of our forecast area during the weekend into Monday. With weak instability, generally light winds in the vertical profile, and an increasingly strong capping inversion, severe weather will be unlikely through midday Monday. Another wave aloft will arrive right behind the departing low, and an associated surface low will form and track across the southern Plains, probably just north of the Red River. It appears that the capping inversion will be too strong for convection to develop until at least the afternoon. In the warm sector, soundings look too capped for any development, at least until the cold front arrives. Even in to the north of the surface low, it appears that it will take the arrival of the cold front from the northwest to generate any significant convection. There will be plenty of instability, so if storms are able to be forced by the low-level convergence along the front, they would likely become severe, and large hail would be the most obvious threat. Cooler and drier air will follow the departing system, and northwest flow aloft will set in. A wave in that flow may support a few showers, perhaps thunderstorms, mainly late Wednesday or Thursday. Otherwise, mild and dry weather will be the rule after Monday night. && .AVIATION... (06Z TAFS) Issued at 1104 PM CDT Fri Apr 30 2021 A few showers will move into north Texas late tonight over/near SPS followed by RADZ. Expect MVFR cigs there by 06Z. Some patchy BR will also develop shortly after that across southwestern OK and slowly shift eastward near and after sunrise Saturday. Most terminals along and south of I-40 will at least briefly drop to IFR cigs. Light rain chances will continue to slowly increase throughout the day from southwest to northeast. && .UPPER AIR... Issued at 259 PM CDT Thu Apr 29 2021 No upper air flights are currently planned for today. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... Oklahoma City OK 55 72 61 77 / 10 20 30 20 Hobart OK 54 71 59 79 / 10 40 30 10 Wichita Falls TX 59 70 61 80 / 30 60 50 10 Gage OK 49 80 56 82 / 10 0 0 0 Ponca City OK 52 79 61 78 / 10 10 10 30 Durant OK 59 72 62 79 / 20 60 80 40 && .OUN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... OK...None. TX...None. && SHORT TERM...14 LONG TERM....23 AVIATION...03
Hazardous weather outlook, Apr 30, 9:56 PM CST, 2 hours 4 minutes before
Hazardous Weather Outlook...UPDATED National Weather Service Norman OK 1056 PM CDT Fri Apr 30 2021 OKZ004>048-050>052-TXZ083>090-020400- Harper-Woods-Alfalfa-Grant-Kay-Ellis-Woodward-Major-Garfield- Noble-Roger Mills-Dewey-Custer-Blaine-Kingfisher-Logan-Payne- Beckham-Washita-Caddo-Canadian-Oklahoma-Lincoln-Grady-McClain- Cleveland-Pottawatomie-Seminole-Hughes-Harmon-Greer-Kiowa-Jackson- Tillman-Comanche-Stephens-Garvin-Murray-Pontotoc-Coal-Cotton- Jefferson-Carter-Johnston-Atoka-Love-Marshall-Bryan-Hardeman- Foard-Wilbarger-Wichita-Knox-Baylor-Archer-Clay- 1056 PM CDT Fri Apr 30 2021 This hazardous weather outlook is for portions of northern... western...central...and southern Oklahoma...and western north Texas. .DAY ONE...Tonight... .Thunderstorms... Showers and isolated thunderstorms will be possible late tonight across southern Oklahoma and north Texas. No severe weather is expected. .Fog... Patchy fog may develop across portions of southwestern Oklahoma and northern Texas late tonight into early Saturday morning. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Saturday through Thursday... .Thunderstorms... There is a chance for thunderstorms Saturday into Sunday, primarily across southern and eastern Oklahoma and western north Texas. Additional thunderstorms, including some strong to severe, are possible Monday into Tuesday of next week. Get graphics and more details at weather.gov/norman...and follow our weather forecast office on Twitter and Facebook.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
2 drought. Local standard time, as filed.
Drought, Canadian
- When
- May 1, 12:00 AM CST to May 31, 11:59 PM CST
- Where
- Canadian forecast zone
- Reported by
- Drought Monitor
- Coordinates
- 35.542, -97.982 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
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
- Damaging Winds in Idaho, May 1, 2021
- Flash Flood and Flood in Virginia, May 1 to 4, 2021
- Marine Strong Wind in Lake Michigan, May 1, 2021
- Drought in Iowa, May 1 to 31, 2021
- Damaging Winds in South Carolina, May 1 to 4, 2021
- Flash Flooding in Texas, May 1, 2021
- Drought in New Mexico, May 1 to 31, 2021
- Drought in South Dakota, May 1 to 31, 2021
- Drought in North Dakota, May 1 to 31, 2021
- Flash Flooding and Damaging Wind in Texas, May 1, 2021
- Drought in Colorado, May 1 to 31, 2021
- Drought in California, May 1 to 31, 2021
More
Every storm in Oklahoma in 2021Every state in 2021This day in weather historyWarnings in Oklahoma, May 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: 962001, 962002.