Drought Affecting 1.8M Oklahoma Residents

The U.S. Drought Monitor says more than 1.8 million Oklahomans are being affected by an ongoing, deepening drought.

The Oklahoma Water Resources Board says that in the past month, the percentage of Oklahoma classified as being in exceptional drought has decreased slightly, but more than 60% of the state still remains classified in moderate drought or worse.

Most areas experiencing exceptional drought are in the southwest corner of the state. The percentage of the state that has moved from no drought classification to abnormally dry has increased significantly in the eastern half of the state.

The seasonal drought outlook says that through late April, drought conditions will likely persist or intensify in all of the western half of the state, the north central region and part of south central Oklahoma.