Ron Hayes (Radio Oklahoma Network, Oklahoma City, OK) reports, “Oklahoma has always been a land of weather extremes, and the end of 2015 proved that to be true. The winter storm that some weather watchers were calling Goliath brought a variety of weather into Oklahoma—from snow drifts several feet tall to flood waters that broke records that were set in 1950.” In Central and Western Oklahoma, the ice and snow caused power outages for more than 150,000 homes (many served by Rural Electric Coops). In Eastern Oklahoma, rainfall measured 6 to 12 inches in two days. “The Illinois River that is shared with the state of Arkansas had waters 20 feet above flood stage at several points. Huge amounts of water were released by dams in Eastern Oklahoma, and those water flows caused downstream flooding from those lakes. Cattle ranchers were scrambling to check on their cattle and get them to higher ground.” The good news is that end-of-year precipitation in November and December washed away the last of a multi-year drought. Ron said, “Drought had been in portions of Oklahoma for the last several years, but as 2016 begins, no drought or abnormally dry areas are seen anywhere in Oklahoma.”
