Despite recent rains, the stubborn drought in Oklahoma is returning as much of western Oklahoma and the Panhandle are under an extreme drought classification.
The latest Drought Monitor published by the National Drought Mitigation Center shows nearly 24 percent of the state is in an extreme category. About 36 percent is classified as being in a severe drought and about half of the state is in a moderate drought.
Only 2 percent of Oklahoma is listed as an exceptional drought, down from the more than 8 percent reported three months ago.
Even though some areas are in an extreme drought, it is a slight improvement from three months ago when 35 percent was in the category.
