Tue, Oct 10, 2023
Winter/Spring 2024 Mesonet OK-First Classes Winter/Spring 2024 Mesonet OK-First classes for public safety officials are now open for enrollment! We will be offering a mix… Read More »
Thu, Apr 27, 2023
Summer/Fall 2023 Mesonet OK-First Classes Summer/Fall 2023 Mesonet OK-First classes for public safety officials are now open for enrollment! We will be offering a mix… Read More »
Tue, Jan 03, 2023
December Caps 2022 Rain Record December provided a fitting end to Oklahoma’s tumultuous 2022 weather story. This final chapter came complete with a half-dozen tornadoes,… Read More »
Tue, Nov 01, 2022
October Drought Relief Mixed Drought held on through October in Oklahoma for the fifteenth consecutive month, its roots dating back to August 2021 and… Read More »
Tue, Oct 11, 2022
Winter/Spring 2023 Mesonet OK-First Classes Winter/Spring 2023 Mesonet OK-First classes for public safety officials are now open for enrollment! We will be offering a mix… Read More »
Mon, Oct 03, 2022
September Continues Dry Dusty Weather Drought surged across Oklahoma as the driest September since 1956 took its toll on the state’s landscape. The amount of… Read More »
Wed, Aug 17, 2022
Fall 2022 OK-FIRE Classes Free training workshops will be offered this fall for both new and experienced users of OK-FIRE, the statewide weather-based decision support system… Read More »
Mon, Aug 01, 2022
July Heat Punishes Oklahoma The seemingly impenetrable heat wave and dry spell that had punished Oklahoma since early June continued through nearly all of… Read More »
Fri, Jul 01, 2022
June Teases Several Seasons June managed to pack pieces of three seasons into a single month. The first 10 days were quite springlike, with… Read More »
Wed, Jun 01, 2022
May Rains Dent Drought May’s reputation as Oklahoma’s most prolific severe weather month was confirmed within the first week with as many as… Read More »
Mon, May 02, 2022
April Winds Highest in Mesonet Era Opinions on Oklahoma’s weather are often more variable than the weather itself. Some Oklahomans will look back on April… Read More »
Wed, Apr 13, 2022
Summer/Fall 2022 Mesonet OK-First Classes Summer/Fall 2022 Mesonet OK-First classes for public safety officials are now open for enrollment! We will be offering a mix… Read More »
Fri, Apr 01, 2022
Variety Describes March Weather March’s weather ran the gamut of nearly all the hazards Oklahoma has to offer, befitting a seasonal transition month in… Read More »
Tue, Mar 01, 2022
Wintry Weather Rules February Three impactful winter storms struck Oklahoma during February, snarling traffic on state highways, bringing down power lines, and forcing… Read More »
Tue, Feb 01, 2022
Winter Arrives In January Winter arrived with conviction at the dawn of the new year in Oklahoma and delivered a startling counterpunch to the… Read More »
Tue, Jan 04, 2022
December Shatters Temperature Record In what could best be described as a climatological anomaly on steroids, Oklahoma soared to its warmest December on… Read More »
Wed, Dec 01, 2021
November Caps Off Warm, Dry Fall An extended pattern of warm, dry weather exacerbated drought conditions during November. Drought impacts, including fire danger and soil… Read More »
Thu, Nov 18, 2021
Spring 2022 Mesonet OK-First Classes Spring 2022 OK-First classes for public safety officials are now open for enrollment! We will be offering a mix of… Read More »
Mon, Nov 01, 2021
October Sets Tornado Record Oklahomans are growing accustomed to Mother Nature’s October weather shenanigans following a snowstorm of up to 13 inches in… Read More »
Tue, Oct 05, 2021
Fall 2021 OK-FIRE Classes Free training workshops will be offered this fall for both new and experienced users of OK-FIRE, the statewide weather-based decision… Read More »
Tue, Jan 03, 2012
Extreme weather grabbed headlines across the globe during 2011 and nowhere more so than right here in Oklahoma. The state experienced nearly every weather calamity possible, setting all-time records for heat, cold, drought, tornadoes, hail and snow. Damages due to weather-related disasters in Oklahoma rose into the billions of dollars. Agricultural damage alone from the drought and related heat has been estimated as high as $2 billion. As if weather-related disasters were not enough, trouble was also brewing below the earth’s surface. A series of relatively strong earthquakes shook the state during November, including a 5.6 intensity quake near Sparks on Nov. 5 – the strongest ever recorded in Oklahoma.
The year began and ended with tranquil weather, but it is that in-between period that will be indelibly etched in memory as one of most non-tranquil in state history. Here are the highlights – or lowlights – of Oklahoma’s tumultuous year in weather.
Snowstorms – A little more than a year after the powerful Christmas Eve blizzard of 2009, two more significant winter storms weather struck the state in late January and early February 2011. The first dumped up to 21 inches of snow in northeast Oklahoma with widespread reports of 6-12 inches over much of the state. Winds of up to 60 mph contributed to massive drifts of over 5 feet. During a second storm several days later, the state record for 24-hour snowfall was broken when 27 inches of snow fell in Spavinaw over Feb. 8-9. Another powerful High Plains blizzard blasted the western Oklahoma Panhandle in December. Up to 15 inches of snow fell in Cimarron County and high winds caused drifting that close roads across the area and stranded motorists for days.
Record cold – On the morning of Feb. 10, light winds, clear skies and a fresh snowpack allowed temperatures to plummet into never-before-seen territory in Oklahoma. The Oklahoma Mesonet site at Nowata reached a low of 31 degrees below zero, shattering the state’s previous low temperature record of 27 degrees below zero. Much of northern Oklahoma saw temperatures of 20 degrees below zero or lower. As another example of 2011’s extreme weather, high temperatures seven days later were in the 70s and 80s across the state. Nowata’s high temperature on Feb. 17 was 79 degrees, a remarkable 110-degree temperature swing within a week’s time.
Drought – Fed by La Nina, the drought that began in October 2010 intensified through spring in the western half of the state before exploding statewide during summer. Crops withered and a beleaguered cattle industry saw widespread sell-offs due to lack of forage and water. Widespread relief arrived during the fall with the 12th wettest November statewide since 1895. The year ended as the 11th driest on record statewide but for much of western Oklahoma, it ranked in the top three driest years. The Oklahoma Mesonet site at Hooker recorded 6.2 inches of precipitation for the year, the lowest total for an individual location ever recorded in Oklahoma. The previous record of 6.5 inches was held by the fellow Panhandle town of Regnier in 1956.
Summer heat – With severe drought in place entering June, extreme summer heat was sure to follow. Simply put, Oklahoma experienced the hottest summer of any state since records began in 1895 with a statewide average of 86.9 degrees. July’s average temperature was 89.3 degrees, becoming the hottest month for any state on record, besting over 67,000 other months. The state also experienced its second hottest June and hottest August on record. The Oklahoma Mesonet site at Grandfield recorded 101 days above 100 degrees, breaking the previous state record of 86 days from Hollis in 1956. Oklahoma City’s 63 100-degree days shattered its previous mark of 50 from 1980. Similar records were broken throughout western Oklahoma.
Tornadoes – Oklahoma’s preliminary 2011 tornado count stands at 118. That is the second highest total for the state since statistics began in 1950, next to 1999’s 145. April’s 50 tornadoes were the most on record for that month, an even odder statistic considering all occurred east of I-35. While several violent tornadoes struck the state during 2011, the most serious was the EF-5 twister that traveled from near Hinton to Guthrie on May 24, killing nine people. Along the way, that monster gave a glancing blow to the Oklahoma Mesonet site at El Reno. The El Reno Mesonet site recorded a maximum wind gust of 151 mph, setting the record for strongest surface wind ever measured (non-radar) in Oklahoma. The 14 deaths attributed to tornadoes in 2011 were the most since 1999’s 42 fatalities. The preliminary count of 10 tornadoes during November was the second highest on record for that month. A violent EF-4 brute tore through southwestern Oklahoma on Nov. 7, becoming the most powerful November tornado on record for the state.
Hail – Amidst the tornadoes and large hail reports of April and May, a supercell near Gotebo on May 23 dropped a monster 6-inch diameter hailstone, establishing a new record in that particular category for the state.
As the state enters 2012, the attention turns once again to dry weather with much of western Oklahoma still covered by severe-exceptional drought. And while another extreme weather year like 2011 should not be expected, veterans of Oklahoma’s wild weather certainly understand it should never be discounted.