The NWS has cancelled the Fire Weather Watch. However, the Red Flag Fire Warning remains in effect for far southwestern Oklahoma. Here is a link that might be useful: Norman Weather Office Webpage

The Red Flag Warning was cancelled for some areas, but remains in effect in the panhandle for a couple more hours.

FINALLY! Rain!! And we actually got some of it! I didn't mention it yesterday because all we got here in Edmond was a bare sprinkling. The cloud cover did help with the sandblast heat, but the sprinkle was barely enough to wet my porch boards once it had set a while. But last night we got some real rain. Not sure just how much, but enough so that i can tell we actually got more than a sprinkle. It's still cloudy, so hopefully we'll get some more today. And perhaps that was enough, with the cloud cover cooling things down, for me to be able to get my 15 new daylilies,3 new Iris, 2 new lilies, seedlings sheltering in my gazebo and some cuttings I was rooting planted! It has been looking like winter sow time around here! DH will be happy to help plant the new DLs and lilies so he doesn't have to keep scooting them around on the kitchen counter in their bowl of water! Ya know, I was really amazed, and now firmly believe that DLs and Iris can grow under any conditions. A friend sent me a jam packed box of them (there's more than one fan of several)that she'd thinned from her own gardens just before we had this horrible heat snap. They arrived the day before we started the 100+ temps here and I wasn't able to plant them the next day due to other obligations. I'd tucked them into a large bowl with enough water to cover the roots because they'd gotten a little toasty on their trip. They perked up well from the soaking and with changing the water to keep it from getting icky, I've actually got brighter green on the truncated fans. And I believe there's been some little amount of growth as well. DH is off tomorrow, so we'll finally get them into their beds and tucked up :) And those poor seedlings that should have been out of their confining pots a week ago! And I finally have tomatoes to speak of growing. I took advice that someone gave about shaking their cages to help the pollen dislodge and spread as well as cooling them several times a day with a water mist from the hose. Finally they now have several fruits each and more coming if the swelling of fading blooms are any indication. It has really been a learning year for me here in Edmond. I lived in Texas until 5 years ago, and honestly I have to say that Oklahoma has the most diverse land and growing conditions across the state! I moved from Chickasha to Edmond a year ago and am amazed at the difference that 60 miles made to what to grow and how. However, school is just about out for this reasonably seasoned gardener (I've been gardening since I could toddle) and now have a notebook compiled on what I need to do differently here in Edmond. Just needs notes to be made this fall and winter (didn't have time to garden much here last year with the move and getting my kids settled in) and it will provide many reminders of things to handle differently than I have in the past. But I guess that's the amazing part about gardening, you NEVER really stop learning! But back on topic, I am thrilled to finally get some rain! I'm hoping everyone has shared in the bounty and is cooling down a little. Dawn, bless you and your fire department! I know this is the beginning of a really rough time of year for ya'll. Kathy

On Wed., the southwestern portion of Oklahoma may see the development of critical fire weather conditions as a dry line moves across the area accompanied by high winds. The danger zone includes the cities of Clinton, Lawton and Alton and extends across the river into the Wichita Falls, Texas, area. Latest map linked below. Click on the Wed. map at the right side of the linked page to enlarge it. Gardeners in southwestern OK should thoroughly water their landscapes and plants well in advance of the dry line and keep their eyes open for possible development of wildfire. Even though I am far enough east that the severe fire threat shouldn't reach us on Wed., I've been mowing pastures down short, removing brush and pruning up tree limbs. As dry as it is here in southcentral OK, you can't be too careful. We've had two very, very minor wildfires on our property in the decade we've been here, but we've had a couple of significantly larger ones on the three ranches just across the road from us, and it makes you pay attention to fire weather warnings once you've been 'threatened' with their destructive capacity. Dawn Here is a link that might be useful: Updated map for Wed.