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, Oct 01, 2014
Hopes were high for much-needed rainfall across Oklahoma after August's disappointing totals. June and July were exceedingly wet, lending optimism that August's step back would be but a brief interruption. Unfortunately, that script did not play out as written and September became yet another dry month in the now four-year-old drought. According to preliminary data from the Oklahoma Mesonet, the statewide average rainfall total was 2.6 inches, 1.3 inches below normal and the 46th driest September since records began in 1895. Of the 48 months since the drought began back in October 2010, 34 have been drier than normal, amounting to a deficit of over 30 inches during that span. Hugo led all Mesonet sites with 8.7 inches of rain during September while Buffalo received a scant 0.3 inches. August and September combined for a statewide average of 3.9 inches, 2.6 inches below normal and the 22nd driest August-September on record in the state. Much of the state had less than 4 inches of rain throughout the two months, with many of the stations across western Oklahoma receiving less than 2 inches. The January-September statewide average reflected the dry start to the year, coming in at 21.7 inches, 6.7 inches below normal and the 18th driest such period on record.
Not surprisingly, temperatures across the state were a bit above normal with the lack of rainfall and accompanying storm systems. The statewide average as measured by the Mesonet was 73.1 degrees, 0.7 degrees above normal and the 63rd warmest September on record. Grandfield led all Mesonet sites with 102 degrees on Sept. 1. The lowest temperature of the month was 40 degrees from several locations on the 12th and 13th. The August-September temperature was also 76.9 degrees and 0.5 degrees above normal. The first nine months of the year were substantially cooler, again a reflection of the chilly winter through early spring as well as the below normal temperatures of June and July. The January-September statewide average temperature was 61.9 degrees, 1.1 degrees below normal and ranked as the 21st coolest such period on record.
The last U.S. Drought Monitor report of the month, released on Sept. 25, gave a clear indication that drought was once again gaining strength. Drought impacts began to worsen across most of western and northern Oklahoma where farm ponds, vegetation and soils showed increasing signs of water stress. By the end of September, more than 49 percent of the state was considered in at least "severe" drought, and 14 percent of that area was in the more significant "extreme" and "exceptional" drought categories. The Drought Monitor’s intensity scale slides from moderate-severe-extreme-exceptional, with exceptional being the worst classification. Soil moisture appeared to be critically low across much of the western half of the state according to data from the Oklahoma Mesonet, including the important wheat-producing north central region. The Oklahoma Field Office of the USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) reported 54 percent of the state's topsoil and 77 percent of the subsoil to be in "short" or "very short" condition. Eighty percent of the state's pastures and rangeland were rated from "fair" to "excellent," a benefit of the rains that occurred from late May through July.
Widespread improvement in the drought conditions might be at least a month away. The National Weather Service's Climate Prediction Center (CPC) expected drought to either persist or intensify through October, at least in those areas where drought is already in place, according to the latest U.S. Monthly Drought Outlook. Development of drought across eastern Oklahoma was not expected. The October precipitation and temperature outlooks from CPC lacked a definitive direction other than increased odds for above normal precipitation across far northeastern Oklahoma. The first half of October looked to be on the warm and dry side according to CPC's medium-term outlooks, although their October-December outlooks released in mid-September gave increased odds of above normal precipitation for most of the state. The October-December temperature outlook provided no clear direction, with equal odds of above-, below- and near-normal conditions.