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 »
Wed, Aug 01, 2012
August 1, 2012
Heat exploded across Oklahoma during July thanks to a rapidly intensifying drought and a persistent upper-level ridge of high pressure. The combination of dry soils, wilting vegetation and a brutal summer sun led to the sixth warmest July on record for the state. Those records date back to 1895. According to preliminary data from the Oklahoma Mesonet, the statewide average temperature finished at 85.9 degrees, 4.3 degrees above normal. July becomes the 23rd month out of the last 28 to finish warmer than normal, a persistent signal that began in April 2010. The first two months of summer were the ninth warmest on record at 3.2 degrees above normal. The January-July statewide average of 63.9 degrees was easily the warmest on record for the first seven months of the year at 4.8 degrees above normal. The heat broke or tied four daily records during the month at Oklahoma City and twice at Tulsa, including that city’s all-time high minimum temperature. Tulsa’s temperature only dropped to 88 degrees on July 30, breaking the previous all-time record high minimum temperature of 87 degrees set on August 2, 2011, and July 16, 1980. The highest temperature recorded during the month was 112 degrees on July 31 at several locations. The century mark was reached at all 120 Mesonet stations on both July 29 and July 31.
The month was also the 15th driest July on record with a statewide average rainfall total of 1.11 inches, 1.63 inches below normal. The moisture deficit during July continued a dry streak that began in April and intensified during May, encompassing the bulk of Oklahoma’s primary rainy season. The May-July statewide average rainfall total of 5.99 inches fell 6.25 inches below normal and ranked as the third driest such period on record. Three of the 120 Oklahoma Mesonet stations – Marshall, Spencer and Waurika – recorded no rainfall for the month of July and 10 recorded less than a tenth of an inch. Idabel led the state with 5.75 inches. July 31 marked the 55th day since the Mesonet stations at both Norman and Watonga recorded more than a tenth of an inch of rain in a single calendar day.
The drought’s impacts became more significant as the month progressed. The USDA rated the moisture levels of 96 percent of the state’s topsoils and subsoils as either “poor” or “very poor” in a report released on July 30. That report also rated 64 percent of the state’s pastures and rangelands as being in either “poor” or “very poor” condition. County-level USDA offices from across the state reported a rapid deterioration of crops and vegetation as well as diminishing stock ponds. The lush green growth of the state’s warm and wet early spring was transformed into abundant fuel for wildfires as it became dormant or dead. Many large fires were reported during the latter half of the month.
The latest U.S. Drought Monitor report indicated severe to extreme drought had crept into the state from both the east and the west, with 64 percent of Oklahoma now portrayed in at least severe drought. That is the highest such level since Nov. 22, 2011, when the drought had just begun to diminish following its zenith in October. Approximately 15 percent of the state is considered in the extreme drought category, the highest percentage since early March when the drought appeared headed towards extinction. The Drought Monitor’s intensity scale slides from moderate-severe-extreme-exceptional, with exceptional being the worst category.
The latest temperature and rainfall outlooks from the National Weather Service’s Climate Prediction Center are less than optimistic for widespread relief. Increased odds of both below normal rainfall and above normal temperatures will continue for August. The August-October temperature outlook also indicates increased odds of above normal temperatures. August would not be considered the ideal month for relief regardless of those outlooks as the state’s driest summer month and the calendar’s second-hottest, next to July. Relief from summer normally begins to arrive during September as the jet stream begins to meander back towards the south once again, bringing cooler air and increased chances of rainfall.
Link to map of the "Consecutive days with less than 0.10 inches of rainfall"
Link to map of the "Consecutive days with less than 0.25 inches of rainfall"
US Drought Monitor Report (Oklahoma) **A new Drought Monitor map will be released Thursday morning at 8 am
Link to the August temperature and rainfall outlooks from the NWS' Climate Prediction Center