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, Apr 04, 2016
Fire, Tornadoes Steal March Weather Headlines The dry weather that had plagued the state during the first two months of 2016 continued during March. Drought conditions… Read More »
Mon, Mar 21, 2016
Shellberg Scholarship 2016 In memory of David James Shellberg, the College of Atmospheric and Geographic Sciences will present a memorial scholarship to a… Read More »
Mon, Mar 21, 2016
Shellberg Scholarship 2016 In memory of David James Shellberg, the College of Atmospheric and Geographic Sciences will present a memorial scholarship to a… Read More »
Tue, Mar 01, 2016
The Winter That Never Was A warm, windy and dry February, plagued by wildfires, served as a fitting epitaph for a winter that largely failed… Read More »
Mon, Feb 01, 2016
El Niño’s Impacts Fizzle During January Considering the extreme precipitation that ended 2015, and with the “super” El Niño that boosted the November-December period to the… Read More »
Mon, Jan 04, 2016
Oklahoma’s Historic 2015 Weather Ends With A Bang Mother Nature managed to save some of the worst of 2015’s weather for last, ending the year with a powerful… Read More »
Tue, Dec 15, 2015
Oklahoma Mesonet Weather Camp 2016 We will be hosting a high school weather camp in the summer of 2016. High School Oklahoma Mesonet -… Read More »
Tue, Dec 15, 2015
Oklahoma Mesonet Weather Camp 2016 We will be hosting a high school weather camp in the summer of 2016. High School Oklahoma Mesonet -… Read More »
Thu, Dec 03, 2015
November Tornadoes, Ice Wreak Havoc Across Oklahoma Records were threatened, tornadoes were spotted, and ice crippled half of the state while the other half flooded, all thanks… Read More »
Fri, Nov 13, 2015
Spring 2016 OK-First Courses Now Open for Enrollment If you are a public safety official in the Mesonet's OK-First program or a new public safety official interested in… Read More »
Mon, Nov 02, 2015
Fall’s Delayed Arrival Also Brings Drought Relief It took a bit of convincing, but Mother Nature finally gave the okay for fall to arrive during the final… Read More »
Thu, Oct 01, 2015
Drought Charges Ahead During September Flash drought continued to spread across southern Oklahoma during a dry, hot September, and had enveloped nearly 17 percent of… Read More »
Tue, Sep 01, 2015
Rainy Summer Evaporates In August Many a rainy summer has stared into the unyielding gaze of August and faltered. Coming off the wettest May-July period… Read More »
Fri, Mar 23, 2012
Drought Ends for Much of Oklahoma
Thu, Mar 22, 2012
Heavy rain associated with this week’s slow-moving storm system brought one hazard back to the state, even as it was ending another. The abundant moisture produced flooding in eastern and central Oklahoma, but also alleviated drought impacts that had plagued the state over the last 19 months. The result was a much-improved Oklahoma drought picture. According to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor report released Thursday morning, the area of the state completely free of drought or abnormally dry conditions rose from 27 percent last week to 63 percent this week. At the drought’s zenith in September 2011, the entire state was suffering some level of drought. At that point, having just exited the hottest summer on record for any state dating back to 1895, 69 percent of Oklahoma was mired in exceptional drought, the U.S. Drought Monitor’s worst category.
According to data from the Oklahoma Mesonet, rainfall totals of 4-6 inches were common throughout the eastern half of the state for Monday through Thursday morning. Estimated totals from radar indicate some localized areas in the northeast received more than 8 inches. Virtually the entire state received at least an inch of rain, with more general amounts of 2-4 inches spread throughout western and central Oklahoma. The Mesonet site at Pryor led totals with 6.95 inches. With rain continuing to fall, only three of the Mesonet’s 120 stations failed to record at least an inch of rainfall, and unfortunately they are located in areas of the state still hit hard by drought impacts. Kenton has had a paltry-but-welcome quarter-inch of moisture in the far western Panhandle. Its neighbor Boise City and Tipton in far southwestern Oklahoma received around three-quarters of an inch. Fifty-nine Mesonet sites recorded at least 3 inches of rain through Thursday morning, with 33 of those reporting more than 4 inches.
The statewide average going into Thursday morning stood at 4.3 inches, 2.1 inches above normal. That ranks the month already as the 10th wettest March on record with more than a week left to go, and the 13th wettest January-March period. The drought was just getting a toehold in March 2011, which ended as the eighth driest on record with a statewide average of 0.71 inches. The relief this March continues the momentum of drought eradication that began in October 2011. Since that time, also known as the start of the water year, the state has received an average of 17.3 inches of rain, a surplus of 3.6 inches. The water year runs from Oct. 1-Sep. 30. The water year thus far is the 12th wettest on record, compared to the same period last year, which was the seventh driest.
The outlooks for April-June from the National Weather Service’s Climate Prediction Center are uncertain about Oklahoma’s precipitation chances through that period. They indicate equal chances of below-, above- or near-normal precipitation, meaning no clear climate signal exists to tip the forecast in one direction. Two of those possibilities would be favorable for Oklahoma. Anything but below normal rainfall will continue to alleviate existing drought impacts, and prevent more drought from developing.
