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 »
Wed, Jan 03, 2018
Drought flourished across Oklahoma over the past month, fed by one of the state’s driest and warmest Novembers on record. Six of the Oklahoma Mesonet’s 120 stations recorded no precipitation for the month, and another 77 recorded a quarter of an inch or less. High temperatures rose into the 70s and 80s with regularity. The temperature at the Altus and Mangum Mesonet sites soared to 94 degrees on the 17th, the second highest November temperature on record in Oklahoma, dating back to 1892. It was also the highest temperature ever recorded in the state that late in the calendar year. The warm, dry weather took its toll. Reports of winter wheat stressed by the dry conditions were common, especially in the wheat belt of western Oklahoma. According to USDA officials, 75 percent of the state’s topsoil moisture was rated as “short to very short” by the end of November. Reservoirs across southeastern Oklahoma were several feet below normal. Broken Bow Lake fell 8 feet below its normal capacity.
Only a minor storm system late in the month prevented November from entering the record books as the direst in state history. According to preliminary data from the Oklahoma Mesonet, the statewide average precipitation total was 0.25 inches, 2.26 inches below normal and ranked as the fifth driest since records began in 1895. The southeast experienced its driest November on record at more than 4 inches below normal. The Mesonet sites at Beaver, Boise City, Buffalo, Hooker, Slapout and Woodward recorded no precipitation during the month. Jay recorded 2.34 inches to lead the Mesonet. The climatological fall (August-November) precipitation pattern varied wildly across the state, from the 13th wettest on record in the southwest to the 30th driest in the southeast. The statewide average was 6.1 inches to rank as the 31st driest fall on record, nearly 3.5 inches below normal. The January-November period was the 18th wettest on record, however, nearly 3 inches above normal.
November finished as the 13th warmest on record with a statewide average temperature of 52.5 degrees, 3.2 degrees above normal. Outside of the Panhandle, freezing weather was infrequent. Many stations across the southern half of the state spent less than 20 hours below freezing for the month. Newport, located in Carter County, spent 3 hours at or below freezing. Eva in northern Texas County led the state at 85 hours. Beaver recorded the lowest November temperature with a reading of 16 degrees on the 19th. The fall season finished decidedly warm with a statewide average of 62.6 degrees, 1.8 degrees above normal to rank as the 29th warmest on record. The first 11 months of the year were the 11th warmest such period on record, nearly 2 degrees above normal.
Drought increased dramatically across Oklahoma through the month. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, the area of the state in drought increased from 3 percent at the end of October to 40 percent at the end of November. Another 32 percent of the state was considered abnormally dry, a drought precursor. More than 19 percent of the state’s drought coverage was considered moderate in intensity, while another 20 percent was labeled as severe. About 1 percent was in the extreme category. The Drought Monitor’s intensity scale slides from moderate-severe-extreme-exceptional, with exceptional being the worst classification.
The December precipitation outlook from the Climate Prediction Center (CPC) indicated a clear bullseye of increased odds for below normal precipitation located directly over Oklahoma. There was no definite indication in the temperature outlook. CPC’s December Drought Outlook showed drought persisting based on November’s final Drought Monitor map, and possible development across the western half of Oklahoma.