Wed, Jul 05, 2017
Drought Returns in June June, normally a pillar of Oklahoma’s spring rainy season, was very much a disappointment in that regard. Unfortunately, that lack… Read More »
Thu, Jun 01, 2017
May Lives Up to Billing May gets top billing as Oklahoma’s rowdiest weather month, and it certainly lived up to that notoriety this year. At… Read More »
Mon, May 08, 2017
April Weather Runs the Gamut April took its penchant for widely varying weather to near satirical extremes across Oklahoma. Floods, tornadoes, drought and blizzards –… Read More »
Tue, May 02, 2017
Fall 2017 Mesonet OK-First Classes Now Open for Enrollment Fall 2017 OK-First classes are now open for enrollment! We are offering 10 classes including 1 Certification class (4 days),… Read More »
Mon, Apr 03, 2017
March More Lion Than Lamb Although drought, severe storms and flooding rainfall all made their presence known during the month, March’s weather story was dominated… Read More »
Wed, Mar 01, 2017
February Brings Early Oklahoma Spring If glimpses of winter were sporadic in December and January, they were downright scarce during February. Temperatures often soared into… Read More »
Wed, Feb 22, 2017
Oklahoma Mesonet Weather Camp 2017 We will be hosting a high school weather camp in the summer of 2017. High School Oklahoma Mesonet -… Read More »
Wed, Feb 01, 2017
Ice Storm Tops January Weather Headlines January 2017 would have been remembered as exceedingly warm and dull if not for the visit from a powerful mid-month… Read More »
Tue, Jan 03, 2017
2016 Ends With Memorable December December was a cold month for many Oklahomans, a dry month for most, and a memorable one for all. Normally,… Read More »
Thu, Dec 01, 2016
Drought Accelerates In November Heat Mother Nature did little during November to sooth those areas in Oklahoma most impacted by drought. Significant rains were scattered… Read More »
Tue, Nov 01, 2016
October Roasts As Fall Remains Absent Autumn remained a reluctant visitor during October as the jet stream retreated far to the north, leaving Oklahoma to bask… Read More »
Mon, Oct 24, 2016
Spring 2017 OK-First Courses Now Open for Enrollment Spring 2017 OK-First courses are now open for enrollment! We are offering 9 courses including a Certification course (4 days… Read More »
Wed, Oct 05, 2016
Uneven Rains Simplify Drought Picture As a transition period between summer and fall, Mother Nature often provides Oklahoma with a wildly varying tale to tell… Read More »
Thu, Sep 01, 2016
August Provides Fall Preview Autumn didn’t fully arrive during August, but it sure gave Oklahomans a nice preview for a week during the middle… Read More »
Mon, Aug 01, 2016
Summer Sizzles During July The state’s sizzling summer continued unabated through July, at least for most Oklahomans. The Oklahoma Mesonet recorded at least one… Read More »
Tue, Jul 05, 2016
June Sees Drought’s Return Lack of rain and hot weather took its toll during June, allowing drought to make a comeback from central through… Read More »
Wed, Jun 01, 2016
May Sees Numerous Severe Weather Days Known as the state’s most active severe weather month, May tried to live up to that moniker with several extended… Read More »
Mon, May 09, 2016
Fall 2016 OK-First Courses Now Open for Enrollment The Oklahoma Mesonet has recently opened enrollment for 9 courses as part of our upcoming Fall 2016 OK-First class season! … Read More »
Mon, May 02, 2016
April Sees Active Weather Ignite Fears of the strengthening drought and associated wildfire danger, so prevalent through the first three months of the year, lasted… Read More »
Mon, May 02, 2016
April Sees Active Weather Ignite Fears of the strengthening drought and associated wildfire danger, so prevalent through the first three months of the year, lasted… Read More »
Mon, Jun 03, 2013
In a state so accustomed to highly variable and often tumultuous weather, May 2013 will be long remembered as one of its most notorious. The month began with some of the coldest late-spring weather in the state's history and finished with a flourish of violent weather, including one of Oklahoma's worst tornado disasters on record. Stirring the echoes of May 3, 1999, for many central Oklahoma residents, a massive and violent tornado churned its path of destruction from near Newcastle through south Oklahoma City and Moore before dissipating near Stanley Draper Lake. The tornado reached EF5 level, the strongest category on the Enhanced Fujita Scale. The tornado had winds estimated at over 200 mph and reached a maximum damage width of 1.3 miles. State officials confirmed 24 fatalities due to the twister. The storm injured over 300 others with preliminary damage estimates totaling over $2 billion along its 17 mile, 40 minute path. The twister destroyed two Moore elementary schools, killing seven schoolchildren at Plaza Towers elementary and injuring many others. One day previous to that event, a violent twister traveled from east Norman to near McLoud causing two fatalities. That tornado was rated as an EF4. While numbers are still preliminary, the National Weather Service counted at least 19 tornadoes between the two days. Officials from the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management estimated that the two-day barrage impacted 2937 homes, businesses and non-residential buildings. The severe weather was far from over, unfortunately. May's final three days saw a flurry of dangerous weather, culminating on its final day. A large tornadic supercell spawned several tornadoes from El Reno to Moore to southeast Oklahoma City. A preliminary count of nine fatalities from those tornadoes, including two children, brought the year's tally to at least 35. That ties 2013 with 1960 as Oklahoma's second deadliest tornado year since 1950, bested only by 1999's 42 fatalities. The stationary supercell produced prolific rainfall amounts across Oklahoma City and resulted in widespread flash flooding. At least two deaths were blamed on flash flooding from the event, with more possible as searches continued.
May saw a continuation of the cool weather and drought relief the state has experienced since mid-February, although western Oklahoma and the Panhandle remained parched. According to preliminary data from the Oklahoma Mesonet, the statewide average temperature finished at 66.8 degrees, more than a degree below normal. May was the fourth consecutive month to finish with below normal temperatures, a feat not seen in Oklahoma since the four month period between December 2009 and February 2010. The below normal finish was mainly due to a cool first half of the month, particularly during the first week. A freeze occurred across western and northern Oklahoma as late as May 3, with temperatures dropping into the 20s as far south as the Red River. Up to 2 inches of snow fell across northeastern Oklahoma on that day, the latest snowfall on record for many locations. Tulsa recorded its first ever May snowfall with a trace on May 2. Numerous records were broken for lowest minimum and lowest maximum temperatures during those first few days of the month. The climatological spring season of March-May finished with a statewide average temperature of 56.2 degrees, nearly 3 degrees below normal, to rank as the 11th coolest on record.
The precipitation totals across the state only added to the month's tarnished legacy. The Mesonet site at Hooker in Texas County recorded a measly 0.08 inches of rain for the month, the second lowest May total for that Panhandle town since records began in 1906, just 0.04 inches behind 1916's 0.04 inches. On the other end of the scale, Oklahoma City experienced its wettest May on record with a whopping 14.52 inches of rain at Will Rogers Airport. That total becomes Oklahoma City's second wettest month on record, eclipsed only by June 1989's 14.66 inches. Combined with March and April, Oklahoma City's spring total balloons to 23.18 inches, besting the previous wettest spring mark of 20.31 inches from 1947.
According to data from the Oklahoma Mesonet, the statewide average rainfall total for May was 4.9 inches, about 0.3 inches below normal. That ranks the month as the 54th wettest since 1895. A band from south central through central and northeastern Oklahoma recorded from 9 to 11 inches of rainfall. Most of the western third of the state recorded less than 2 inches, however, with much of the Panhandle seeing less than a quarter of an inch. Although the spring season had a rather unremarkable statewide average at 10.65 inches, about an inch below normal, the stark contrast between western Oklahoma and the rest of the state was evident in the details. The Panhandle experienced its fourth driest spring on record while central Oklahoma had its 15th wettest.
The exaggerated moisture difference produced obvious changes to the U.S. Drought Monitor by month's end. Extreme and exceptional drought increased through the western third of the state while drought was eliminated across much of central and eastern Oklahoma. May's final Drought Monitor map showed about 41 percent of the state being drought free, but 27 percent under the extreme-exceptional categories.
The June outlooks from the Climate Prediction Center (CPC) indicate increased odds of below normal precipitation and above normal temperature across western Oklahoma, particularly in the Panhandle. The outlooks are inconclusive across the rest of the state. The outlooks for the summer season call for increased odds of below normal rainfall across the western half of the state and above normal temperatures over all of Oklahoma. CPC's latest U.S. Seasonal Drought outlook predicts improving drought conditions across most of Oklahoma through August with the exception of the extreme western third of the state and the Panhandle. Drought is expected to persist or intensify in those areas.
May 2013 Rainfall Totals from the Oklahoma Mesonet
June temperature and precipitation outlooks from the Climate Prediction Center
Summer (June-August) temperature and precipitation outlooks from the Climate Prediction Center
