Tue, Apr 23, 2013
Science of Climate Change and Variability Workshop Oklahomas for Excellence in Science Education, the Oklahoma Climatological Survey, the National Science Foundation, and the University of Oklahoma Biological… Read More »
Mon, Apr 01, 2013
Arrival of Spring Fails to Rescue Dry March April 1, 2013 The wet conditions of February failed to translate into March, but the cooler than normal… Read More »
Thu, Feb 28, 2013
February Brings Winter Storms, Drought Relief February 28, 2013 Winter roared back into Oklahoma during February, providing significant drought relief to much of the… Read More »
Mon, Feb 04, 2013
January Defies Dry Trend January 31, 2013 January seemed destined to finish on the dry side of normal, just as the eight months previous… Read More »
Wed, Jan 30, 2013
Oklahoma Mesonet Weather Camps 2013 We will be hosting two camps in the summer of 2013. A middle school camp for Middle School Oklahoma… Read More »
Wed, Jan 02, 2013
Heat and Drought Dominate 2012 Oklahoma Weather Headlines A slide back to true wintry weather, the likes of which had not been seen across Oklahoma since early… Read More »
Thu, Nov 29, 2012
Oklahoma Drought Picture Worsens During November Oklahoma Drought Picture Worsens During November Drought surged during November with a return to the dry, warm and… Read More »
Thu, Nov 08, 2012
Oklahoma Drought Continues to Expand With some areas of the state awaiting their first drop of rainfall since the end of September and a… Read More »
Thu, Nov 01, 2012
October Interrupts Warm Streak, But Not Drought It’s been awhile since Oklahoma has seen a month like October. Eleven months, to be exact. Not since September… Read More »
Tue, Oct 02, 2012
Late September Rains Provide Drought Relief Hopes for drought relief were starting to fade as September wound down, only to be saved by a slow-moving soaker… Read More »
Thu, Sep 06, 2012
Drought and Wildfires Plague August According to data from the Oklahoma Mesonet, August finished one degree above normal to rank as the 53rd warmest… Read More »
Thu, Aug 09, 2012
Extreme to Exceptional Drought Covers Most of Oklahoma Spurred by the rapidly intensifying flash drought and its impacts, including the extreme fire danger realized in the state… Read More »
Wed, Aug 01, 2012
July Blazes to Sixth Warmest on Record as Drought Expands August 1, 2012 Heat exploded across Oklahoma during July thanks to a rapidly intensifying drought and a persistent upper-level ridge… Read More »
Thu, Jul 19, 2012
Heat and Drought Surge Once Again in Oklahoma The drought plaguing much of the interior United States continues to stretch its tendrils into Oklahoma. Some experts claim… Read More »
Mon, Jul 02, 2012
June Ends On A Scorching Note A blistering final week and a return to drought transformed June from a mildly hot month into a… Read More »
Mon, Jun 04, 2012
May Ends Warmest Spring in Oklahoma History May Ends Warmest Spring in Oklahoma History Fri. June 1, 2012 A pleasantly cool final day and scattered heavy… Read More »
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 »
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 »
Mon, Feb 04, 2013
January 31, 2013
January seemed destined to finish on the dry side of normal, just as the eight months previous to it had, before a late-month burst of spring changed its fortunes. Tornado watches covered much of the eastern two-thirds of the state on the 29th, a by-product of the storm system that also dumped 1-3 inches of rain across parts of that same area. There were no confirmed tornadoes in Oklahoma, but reports of large hail and wind damage were scattered across the state. The late-month frenzy from Mother Nature brought January’s precipitation total 0.2 inches above normal and a final statewide average of 1.6 inches according to data from the Oklahoma Mesonet. That ranks the month as the 45th wettest January since records began in 1895, and the first month since April 2012 to finish with above normal precipitation. Not all areas of the state were so fortunate. Parts of western Oklahoma finished the month with less than an inch of rainfall. Combined with December, the first two months of winter finished 0.9 inches below normal at 2.5 inches, the 39th driest December-January period on record. Coming off the driest May-December on record for the state, the May-January statewide average of 15.4 inches ranked as the third driest such period on record, behind similar periods in 1910-11 (14.5 inches) and 1952-53 (15.2 inches).
To the delight of some and the chagrin of cold-weather enthusiasts, January’s temperatures did continue a trend. The month became the 28th out of the last 34 to finish warmer than normal, a rarely-interrupted streak that began with April 2010. Included in that streak are the warmest month (July 2011) and summer (2011) for any state on record, the warmest Oklahoma spring (2012) on record, and the warmest Oklahoma year (2012) on record. According to preliminary data from the Oklahoma Mesonet, the statewide average temperature was 40 degrees, 3.9 degrees above normal and the 28th warmest January on record. Despite the lofty ranking, there were still a few bouts with frigid weather. Kenton recorded the state’s lowest temperature for the month at minus 10 degrees on the second. That is the lowest temperature recorded by the Mesonet since Nowata broke the state’s all-time low temperature record with minus 31 degrees back on Feb. 10, 2011. The highest temperature of the month was 81 degrees, recorded at Grandfield on the 28th. The first two months of winter had a statewide average temperature of 40.9 degrees, 3.3 degrees above normal and ranked as the 17th warmest December-January period on record.
The U.S. Drought Monitor ended the month with 92 percent of the state in at least Extreme (D3) drought, and 37 percent of that in the Exceptional (D4) category. The Drought Monitor’s intensity scale slides from moderate-severe-extreme-exceptional, with exceptional being the worst category. Oklahoma reservoirs, some of which have fallen to historic lows, made some gains in eastern Oklahoma. Broken Bow Lake in McCurtain County rose to 77 percent of capacity, a nine percent rise in about a month’s time. Hugo Lake in Choctaw County rose from 37 percent to 61 percent. The lakes farther to the west still remain near those historic lows, however. The reservoir at Altus-Lugert remained at 16 percent of capacity, and nearby Tom Steed Lake hovered at 35 percent. Oklahoma City and Norman have both implemented mandatory water conservation guidelines to their water customers due to low lake levels.
Moisture looks a bit scarce in the short term. Farther out, the latest temperature outlook for February from the National Weather Service’s Climate Prediction Center (CPC) indicates increased odds of above normal temperatures across the entire state. The CPC precipitation outlook points to equal odds of above-, below- or near-normal moisture totals. CPC’s U.S. Seasonal Drought Outlook for February-April sees drought either persisting or intensifying across the entire state. The CPC outlook for the primary rainy season in Oklahoma, April-June, calls for increased odds of above normal temperatures and below normal precipitation.
