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, Sep 01, 2020
Three strong cold fronts brought the summer heat to its knees during August, but drought took advantage of a mostly dry month to proliferate across western Oklahoma. The far southeast was anything but parched, however, after several rounds of heavy precipitation and a brush with the outskirts of Hurricane Laura left it with nearly a foot of rain for the month. There were sporadic outbursts of severe weather during August. Straight line winds of 70 mph and greater were suspected in the derailment of 16 train cars in Ellis County on August 10, and the Oklahoma Mesonet site at Burneyville recorded a wind gust of 80 mph on the 16th. Mother Nature saved the most exciting weather for last, though, with a strong cold front on August’s final day. The front kicked off several rounds of storms that brought widespread severe weather and flooding. Numerous water rescues of stranded motorists were reported with flash flooding across central and southeastern Oklahoma, and hail to the size of golf balls fell with many of the storms.
The triple dose of cold air during August brought Oklahoma’s statewide average temperature down 1.8 degrees below normal according to preliminary data from the Mesonet. The month finished at 79 degrees to rank as the 26th coolest August on record, dating back to 1895. Heat was still present during August, owing to its summer roots. Temperatures soared into the triple digits at times, topping out at 110 degrees at both Camargo and Hollis on the 28th. Oklahoma City recorded its first triple-digit temperature of the summer that day at 102 degrees. Heat index values indicated oppressive heat was even more widespread. Idabel’s heat index rose to 118 degrees on the 29th. The Mesonet’s 120 sites recorded heat index values of at least 105 degrees 546 times during August. The state’s lowest temperature was 53 degrees at Cookson on the 19th. Summer finished with a statewide average temperature of 80.1 degrees, 0.5 degrees above normal to rank as the 58th warmest June-August on record. The first eight months of the year ranked as the 25th warmest at 63.2 degrees, a degree above normal.
August was dry for the most part, but saved somewhat by the late-month storm system that brought flooding rains across central and southeastern Oklahoma. The statewide average total of 2.94 inches was just 0.01 inches below normal to rank as the 57th wettest on record. That total belied the actual experiences across the state, however. The Panhandle fell 1.13 inches below normal for their 29th driest August on record, while the southeast was 4.06 inches above normal for their fifth wettest. The far southeast was 4-8 inches above normal, bolstered by tropical rains from Hurricane Laura. Nevertheless, most of the state was somewhere between 1-3 inches below normal. The Mesonet site at Broken Bow led the month’s totals at 11.13 inches, and Blackwell brought up the rear with 0.49 inches. The summer finished at 9.55 inches to rank as the 55th driest on record, 0.80 inches below normal. The January-August average total of 28.06 inches was 3.2 inches above normal to rank as the 21st wettest such period on record.
The worst drought conditions continued across southwestern and west central Oklahoma. The U.S. Drought Monitor portrayed most of the western third of the state in moderate-to-severe drought intensity, with small areas of extreme drought centered on Harmon and Beckham counties. Severe drought also existed in northern Cimarron County. The Drought Monitor’s intensity scale slides from moderate-severe-extreme-exceptional, with exceptional being the worst classification. The chance for drought relief appears greatest in the main body of the state, according to the Climate Prediction Center’s (CPC) September drought outlook. The drought is expected to persist and possibly intensify where it currently exists in the Panhandle. The drought outlook is based partly on CPC’s September precipitation outlook, which sees increased odds of above normal precipitation in all but the Panhandle, where increased chances of below normal rainfall are indicated. The September temperature outlook shows increased chances for below normal temperatures across the eastern two-thirds of Oklahoma.