Fri, Mar 30, 2012
OK Regents Summer Academies This summer, invite your students to spend time at an Oklahoma college or university and discover the fascinating worlds of aeronautics,… Read More »
Fri, Mar 23, 2012
Drought Ends for Much of Oklahoma Drought Ends for Much of Oklahoma Thu, Mar 22, 2012 Heavy rain associated with this week’s slow-moving storm… Read More »
Thu, Mar 01, 2012
Warm February Closes Out Eleventh Warmest Winter in Oklahoma Golf clubs replaced parkas as the outdoor accessory of choice this winter, and Oklahoma’s kids can only dream of missed… Read More »
Fri, Feb 17, 2012
Oklahoma Mesonet Weather Camp Oklahoma Mesonet Weather Camp June 10-15, 2012 at the University of Oklahoma Application Deadline is March 30th Know a… Read More »
Tue, Jan 03, 2012
EarthStorm-Job Shadow Program for Meteorology Careers Applications for the 2012 Job Shadow Day are available at: http://www.mesonet.org/index.php/earthstorm/page/job_shadow. Deadline: February 3rd, 2012 Job Shadow Day: February… Read More »
Tue, Jan 03, 2012
A Year of Extremes Extreme weather grabbed headlines across the globe during 2011 and nowhere more so than right here in Oklahoma. The… Read More »
Tue, Nov 29, 2011
Walters Mesonet Station to Move Planned construction near our Walters Mesonet station has prompted us to relocate the site. We have been working with the… Read More »
Tue, Nov 01, 2011
Rains Ease Drought Woes During October September brought Oklahomans relief from the heat and October did its part with a bit of drought relief. The drought… Read More »
Tue, Nov 01, 2011
EarthStorm-ScienceFest 2012 Register now for ScienceFest 2012 ScienceFest will be held at the Oklahoma City Zoo on April 19, 2012. ScienceFest is a… Read More »
Tue, Oct 18, 2011
EarthStorm - National Weather Festival Saturday, Oct. 29, 2011 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. National Weather Center, 120 David L Boren Blvd. (corner of… Read More »
Fri, Oct 07, 2011
University of Oklahoma Selected to Host One of Eight Regional Climate Science Centers Nationwide The University of Oklahoma has been selected by the U.S. Department of the Interior as the site of one of… Read More »
Fri, Sep 30, 2011
September Sees Relief on the Thermometer, Not the Rain Gauge While little relief from drought was found in September, the reprieve from the intense summer heat was nearly instantaneous. After… Read More »
Mon, Sep 12, 2011
EarthStormNews - NSTA Webinar for CoCoRaHS Two citizen science networks will be presented during this web seminar. Both involve networks that collect weather observations. One is… Read More »
Fri, Sep 09, 2011
La Nina Returns, Continuation of Drought Likely for Oklahoma La Nina has officially returned to the equatorial pacific waters according to the National Weather Service’s Climate Prediction Center (CPC).… Read More »
Thu, Sep 08, 2011
EarthStormNews - Teacher VIP at Science Museum Oklahoma Teachers! You are invited to join us for a special teacher VIP night at Science Museum Oklahoma! Reservations are… Read More »
Thu, Sep 01, 2011
Record August Puts Exclamation Point on Hottest Oklahoma Summer To get a sense of the state’s legendary heat waves of its past, Oklahoma’s youngest generation would normally turn to… Read More »
Fri, Aug 12, 2011
Oklahoma July Warmest on Record for U.S. Grover Cleveland was serving his second term as President in 1895. Victoria was the Queen of England and Will… Read More »
Mon, Aug 01, 2011
July Heat Becomes Historic Fueled by exceptional drought and a seemingly impenetrable heat-dome, July roared through Oklahoma’s legendary heat waves of the past to… Read More »
Tue, Jul 12, 2011
Hot Enough for You? Oklahomans are used to 100-degree days, but typically not so many during June and certainly not for this long. In… Read More »
Fri, Jul 08, 2011
Welcome USGS Leaders! On Monday, July 11, the University of Oklahoma (OU) will host a team of leaders from the U.S. Geological Survey… Read More »
Fri, Jul 01, 2011
Drought flourishes during hot, dry June
Gary McManus
Associate State Climatologist
Oklahoma Climatological Survey
The meager amount of rain that managed to fall on Oklahoma during June was no match for the extreme heat and wind that was so prevalent for much of the month. The statewide average rainfall total for June was 1.17 inches, more than 3 inches below normal and the fourth driest June on record dating back to 1895. Southwestern Oklahoma suffered through its driest June on record with an average of 0.52 inches. Add heat to the equation and you have the ingredients for drought intensification. That is exactly what occurred during what became the second warmest June on record. The statewide average temperature finished seven degrees above normal at 83.5 degrees, second only to 1953’s 84.6 degrees. For southwestern and west central Oklahoma, where high temperatures averaged more than 100 degrees during the month, it was the warmest June on record. Altus’ average high temperature of 104.8 degrees is the highest recorded by the Mesonet for any month. Temperature records for the network began in 1997. Grandfield was a close second at 104.4 degrees.
The latest U.S. Drought Monitor map released on June 30 indicates 33 percent of Oklahoma – virtually the entire western third of the state – is experiencing exceptional drought, the highest designation on the drought intensity scale. Severe-to-exceptional drought covers nearly 56 percent of the state. Eastern Oklahoma had been drought-free through much of May and June but it too succumbed to the intense heat and wind. Moderate drought and abnormally dry conditions continue to intensify and now cover the eastern half of Oklahoma.
The Oklahoma Mesonet site at Seiling led the state’s precipitation totals with 4.77 inches. The Mesonet sites at Ketchum Ranch and Grandfield had the lowest totals at a hundredth of an inch. Of the 120 Mesonet sites, 36 had less than a half-inch of rainfall during what is normally Oklahoma’s second wettest month. Grandfield was the warmest location in the state with an average temperature of 89.9 degrees, the third highest average recorded by the Mesonet for any month. Kenton enjoyed the state’s coolest weather with an average of 76 degrees. The highest temperature of the month was 115 degrees at both Erick and Hollis on the 26th. The lowest reading was 49 degrees at Kenton on the eighth. The average wind speed at Hobart during June was 17.7 mph. That is the highest average wind speed ever measured for any month by the Oklahoma Mesonet. Wind measurements began in 1994. Seven of the top 20 monthly average wind speeds recorded by the Mesonet occurred during June 2011.
The outlooks for July from the National Weather Service’s Climate Prediction Center are noncommittal for the most part with only a slightly increased chance of above normal temperatures in the southwestern third of the state, including the Panhandle. July and August are the warmest and second warmest months of the year in Oklahoma, respectively, and the two driest non-winter months. Until Oklahoma moistens up again with significant rainfall, the heat and drought will continue to feed one another and keep both in the extreme category. Pending that time, the severe impacts from this drought will continue.
PDF: The latest U.S. Drought Monitor Map, released on Thursday, June 23
