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June 18, 2025 - Oklahoma Drought Ends
June 16, 2025
June 26, 2024
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After more than five years of drought, a damp winter followed by a stormy spring has brought relief to Oklahoma. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, as of June 10, 2025, the level of drought is “None” in 100 percent of the state. Compare this to the start of the water year, January 10, 2024, when only 22.82 percent of Oklahoma was listed as drought-free. At that time, 11.50 percent of the state was listed as experiencing D3, or “Extreme Drought”.
The U.S. Drought Monitor reports drought classes ranging from D0 (“Abnormally Dry”) to D4 (“Exceptional Drought”). Some of the effects noted in a D3 “Extreme Drought” include poor air quality, with dust storm and smoke; cattle have little water and feed; lake levels become low, affecting fishing and boating; game bird populations decline; grasses are dormant, with hay non-existent and sparse fields; wells are drying; cattle required hauled-in water and hay; and wildfires increase in number and severity.
In mid-March 2025, Oklahoma suffered an outbreak of severe weather and wildfires as a low-pressure system swept across the dry landscape. Lightning associated with incoming thunderstorms ignited at least 130 wildfires across 44 counties in the state. More than 300 structures were damaged or destroyed on March 17 alone as extreme winds created a blinding dust storm and fanned the destructive flames. Torrential rain and hail followed, with severe weather also battering Texas and the Southeastern United States. Fortunately, April and May brought ample additional rain—generally without conditions as extreme as in mid-March—carrying Oklahoma fully out of drought.
On June 16, 2025, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite acquired this true-color image of a freshly greening swath of drought-free Oklahoma. The spider-web-like patch of gray pixels in the east represents the human-made structures of Oklahoma City. The mud-colored river winding along the southern section of the image is the Red River, which runs along the boundary of Oklahoma and Texas.
Click on the dates below the images to compare this recent image with a Terra MODIS image of the exact same area acquired on June 26, 2024, when the region was gripped by severe and long-standing drought. The entire scene appears parched, with the plains tinted a tan with only faint brushes of green vegetation. The Red River also appears narrowed and is much more difficult to visualize than in 2025.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Terra
Date Acquired: 6/16/2025
Resolutions:
1km (278.9 KB), 500m (934 KB), 250m (4.1 MB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
June 16, 2025 June 26, 2024
After more than five years of drought, a damp winter followed by a stormy spring has brought relief to Oklahoma. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, as of June 10, 2025, the level of drought is “None” in 100 percent of the state. Compare this to the start of the water year, January 10, 2024, when only 22.82 percent of Oklahoma was listed as drought-free. At that time, 11.50 percent of the state was listed as experiencing D3, or “Extreme Drought”.
The U.S. Drought Monitor reports drought classes ranging from D0 (“Abnormally Dry”) to D4 (“Exceptional Drought”). Some of the effects noted in a D3 “Extreme Drought” include poor air quality, with dust storm and smoke; cattle have little water and feed; lake levels become low, affecting fishing and boating; game bird populations decline; grasses are dormant, with hay non-existent and sparse fields; wells are drying; cattle required hauled-in water and hay; and wildfires increase in number and severity.
In mid-March 2025, Oklahoma suffered an outbreak of severe weather and wildfires as a low-pressure system swept across the dry landscape. Lightning associated with incoming thunderstorms ignited at least 130 wildfires across 44 counties in the state. More than 300 structures were damaged or destroyed on March 17 alone as extreme winds created a blinding dust storm and fanned the destructive flames. Torrential rain and hail followed, with severe weather also battering Texas and the Southeastern United States. Fortunately, April and May brought ample additional rain—generally without conditions as extreme as in mid-March—carrying Oklahoma fully out of drought.
On June 16, 2025, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite acquired this true-color image of a freshly greening swath of drought-free Oklahoma. The spider-web-like patch of gray pixels in the east represents the human-made structures of Oklahoma City. The mud-colored river winding along the southern section of the image is the Red River, which runs along the boundary of Oklahoma and Texas.
Click on the dates below the images to compare this recent image with a Terra MODIS image of the exact same area acquired on June 26, 2024, when the region was gripped by severe and long-standing drought. The entire scene appears parched, with the plains tinted a tan with only faint brushes of green vegetation. The Red River also appears narrowed and is much more difficult to visualize than in 2025.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Terra
Date Acquired: 6/16/2025
Resolutions:
1km (278.9 KB), 500m (934 KB), 250m (4.1 MB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
