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 »
Tue, Aug 01, 2017
July followed Mother Nature’s customary script for mid-summer in Oklahoma, complete with long stretches of sun and scorching temperatures, wildly varying rainfall, and rapidly intensifying drought conditions. Rainfall fortunes were separated roughly between the haves to the southeast of I-44 and the have-nots to the northwest. Parts of the southeast saw more than 10 inches of rain, while less than an inch fell from central though west central Oklahoma. The precipitation extremes exemplified the moisture disparity within the state. Fittstown led the Mesonet’s 121 sites with a whopping 11.8 inches of rain, and three other southeastern sites – Antlers, Valliant and Hugo – recorded at least 10 inches. Even the far western Panhandle got into the act with Kenton receiving over 7 inches, more than a third of their annual average of 18.03 inches. Meanwhile, Kingfisher recorded the lowest July total at 0.39 inches and nine other central and west central Oklahoma sites reported less than an inch.
Thanks to the hefty totals in the southeast, the statewide average came in about half an inch above normal at 3.41 inches, the 43rd wettest July since records began in 1895. Southeastern Oklahoma’s average total of 7.69 inches was over 4 inches above normal and the eighth wettest July for that region. In contrast, west central Oklahoma experienced their 37th driest July at nearly an inch below normal. The first two months of climatological summer, June through July, averaged 5.5 inches statewide, nearly 2 inches below normal and the 39th driest such period on record. The January-July average was 23.47 inches, 1.52 inches above normal and the 34th wettest such period on record.
The Mesonet site at Hooker set the standard for triple-digit temperatures during July, reaching that mark 16 times. Hooker also led all Mesonet sites for the year through July with 25 readings at or above 100 degrees. Kingfisher scored the highest July temperature with 108 degrees on the 22nd. The Oklahoma Mesonet recorded at least one triple-digit temperature on 22 of July’s 31 days. Throw humidity into the mix and the oppressive heat reached dangerous levels. The Mesonet calculated a heat index of at least 110 degrees 82 times at its 121 sites, with Copan reaching a punishing 115 degrees on July 22. Only at month’s end did Mother Nature give the state a reprieve. A cool front and northwesterly flow aloft provided relatively pleasant weather statewide with highs in the 80s and low 90s. The month finished right at normal with a statewide average of 81.5 degrees, although it was cooler than normal in the southeast and warmer in the northwest, owed largely to the rainfall disparity. The year was still on pace to finish as one of the warmest on record for the state with a January-July average of 62.1 degrees, 2.6 degrees above normal for that period and the fifth warmest on record.
The flash drought that erupted in June continued to intensify during July. At the end of June, 12 percent of the state was considered in moderate drought with another 57 percent considered abnormally dry, per the U.S Drought Monitor. The last report in July had 12 percent of the state again in moderate drought, but another 4 percent intensifying to severe drought. The Drought Monitor’s intensity scale slides from moderate-severe-extreme-exceptional, with exceptional being the worst classification.
While August often brings the worst that Oklahoma summers have to offer, the latest outlooks from the Climate Prediction Center (CPC) give hope for milder and wetter weather to end summer. The August temperature and precipitation outlooks see increased odds of below normal temperatures and above normal precipitation across the entire state. CPC’s monthly drought outlook calls for improvement and possible removal of drought by the end of August.