Panhandle drought worsens; draws Dust Bowl comparison

By John David Sutter

Published: June 19, 2008

Government forecasters this morning upgraded a drought at the western end of the Oklahoma Panhandle to the most severe drought rating possible: "exceptional."

Gary McManus, assistant state climatologist with the Oklahoma Climatological Survey, who advises the national monitor, said the drought in the Panhandle is "analogous to the Dust Bowl of the 1930s."

"The main difference is that the whole High Plains hasn't been plowed up and left to suffer drought like it was in the 1930s," he said. "Conservation practices learned in the 1930s have been put into place so we don't have that blowing dust like we used to. Also, the drought area isn't as large."

This comes as much of Oklahoma and the Midwest are soaked in floodwaters. The ranking comes from the U.S. Drought Monitor, which had previously listed the drought as "severe." The Panhandle is only one of two places in the country currently in an exceptional drought.

Cimarron and Texas Counties are most affected.

McManus said the current drought "is one of the droughts of record." To date, this is the driest year the Panhandle has experienced.

On Wednesday, Gov. Brad Henry appealed to the U.S. Department of Agriculture to aid the drought victims, said Paul Sund, the governor's spokesman. The federal agency would have to declare the area a disaster site for low-interest loans and other help to come.

Ranchers in Cimarron County are selling off their cattle by the herds because there's no grass for the cattle to eat and they can't afford to feed them. Wheat crops appear to be far smaller than usual, and some crops aren't coming in at all.

Winds are pulling up the powder dry ground, in some cases creating small dust storms. Recently, several fires have been reported in Texas and Cimarron counties. Officials blame static electricity — caused by friction between the wind and power lines — for at least two of the blazes in Cimarron County.

The drought has been more than a year in the making, and some residents say their plight largely has been ignored by state government.

They recently asked for officials to tour the area. None have done so thus far. Henry's spokesman said the governor has not planned a trip to the area, and that he never has visited Cimarron County.

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