Thu, Apr 25, 2024
Summer/Fall 2024 Mesonet OK-First Classes Summer/Fall 2024 Mesonet OK-First classes for public safety officials are now open for enrollment! We will be offering a mix… Read More »
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 »
Mon, Aug 03, 2015
The heavy rains of spring continued right through the first week of July before finally giving way to a more typical summertime pattern. Rainfall totals during July were particularly excessive from south central through east central Oklahoma, with widespread amounts of 10-15 inches through that area. According to preliminary data from the Oklahoma Mesonet, the statewide average for the month was 5.89 inches, 3.01 inches above normal and the sixth wettest July since records began in 1895. East central and south central sections of the state were 6.44 inches and 4.04 inches above normal, respectively. Haskell led the Mesonet with 15.05 inches during July, and seven other stations registered double-digit rainfall amounts. The Altus and Tipton Mesonet sites finished with less than an inch, the former receiving a paltry 0.16 inches. Idabel came in with a total of just 1.04 inches, more than 2.5 inches below normal for that location.
The 2015 calendar year is on pace to top 1957 as the wettest on record. The moisture in July brought the January-July rainfall total up to a statewide average of 34.73 inches, nearly 13 inches above normal and ranked as the wettest first seven months of the year on record. That tops the previous record holder's total of 34.17 inches set back in 1957, on its way to a record annual total of 47.88 inches. The Mesonet site at Tishomingo led the state over that period with 56.67 inches of precipitation. The annual average at Tishomingo is 44 inches. Many other stations across south central and east central Oklahoma have already surpassed their annual average in just the first seven months alone.
Although July's statewide average temperature was just a tad below normal at 81.4 degrees, the state still had plenty of hot, miserable weather. A large area of high pressure camped over the state for much of the second half of the month. That persistent summertime feature of the Southern Plains provided ample sunshine and steered storms system up and around Oklahoma. Heat alerts were fairly common during the second half of the month with heat index values of 105-115 across much of the state. Vinita captured both the number one and two spot in the unbearable category with heat index readings of 118 degrees on the 24th and 116 degrees on the 19th. The 120 Mesonet stations registered a heat index of at least 110 degrees 169 times during July. A heat index of at least 105 degrees was recorded 930 times. The highest actual air temperature during the month was 108 degrees at Buffalo on the 13th. Arnett was held to a rain-cooled 68 degrees for the lowest maximum temperature. The lowest minimum temperature recorded was 52 degrees at three Panhandle stations on July 8. The January-July statewide average of 59.4 degrees was near normal and ranked that period as the 53rd warmest on record.
The U.S. Drought Monitor continued to show an Oklahoma devoid of drought, and the NWS' Climate Prediction Center's (CPC) Monthly drought outlook for August predicted more of the same. CPC's August outlooks called for increased odds of above normal precipitation and below normal temperatures for the northern half of the state during August.