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 »
Fri, Feb 17, 2012
Oklahoma Mesonet Weather Camp Oklahoma Mesonet Weather Camp June 10-15, 2012 at the University of Oklahoma Application Deadline is March 30th Know a… 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 »
Tue, Jan 03, 2012
A Year of Extremes Extreme weather grabbed headlines across the globe during 2011 and nowhere more so than right here in Oklahoma. The… Read More »
Tue, Nov 29, 2011
Walters Mesonet Station to Move Planned construction near our Walters Mesonet station has prompted us to relocate the site. We have been working with the… Read More »
Tue, Nov 01, 2011
Rains Ease Drought Woes During October September brought Oklahomans relief from the heat and October did its part with a bit of drought relief. The drought… Read More »
Tue, Nov 01, 2011
EarthStorm-ScienceFest 2012 Register now for ScienceFest 2012 ScienceFest will be held at the Oklahoma City Zoo on April 19, 2012. ScienceFest is a… Read More »
Tue, Oct 18, 2011
EarthStorm - National Weather Festival Saturday, Oct. 29, 2011 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. National Weather Center, 120 David L Boren Blvd. (corner of… Read More »
Fri, Oct 07, 2011
University of Oklahoma Selected to Host One of Eight Regional Climate Science Centers Nationwide The University of Oklahoma has been selected by the U.S. Department of the Interior as the site of one of… Read More »
Fri, Sep 30, 2011
September Sees Relief on the Thermometer, Not the Rain Gauge While little relief from drought was found in September, the reprieve from the intense summer heat was nearly instantaneous. After… Read More »
Mon, Sep 12, 2011
EarthStormNews - NSTA Webinar for CoCoRaHS Two citizen science networks will be presented during this web seminar. Both involve networks that collect weather observations. One is… Read More »
Fri, Sep 09, 2011
La Nina Returns, Continuation of Drought Likely for Oklahoma La Nina has officially returned to the equatorial pacific waters according to the National Weather Service’s Climate Prediction Center (CPC).… Read More »
Thu, Sep 08, 2011
EarthStormNews - Teacher VIP at Science Museum Oklahoma Teachers! You are invited to join us for a special teacher VIP night at Science Museum Oklahoma! Reservations are… Read More »
Thu, Sep 01, 2011
Record August Puts Exclamation Point on Hottest Oklahoma Summer To get a sense of the state’s legendary heat waves of its past, Oklahoma’s youngest generation would normally turn to… Read More »
Fri, Aug 12, 2011
Oklahoma July Warmest on Record for U.S. Grover Cleveland was serving his second term as President in 1895. Victoria was the Queen of England and Will… Read More »
Mon, Aug 01, 2011
July Heat Becomes Historic Fueled by exceptional drought and a seemingly impenetrable heat-dome, July roared through Oklahoma’s legendary heat waves of the past to… Read More »
Tue, Jul 12, 2011
Hot Enough for You? Oklahomans are used to 100-degree days, but typically not so many during June and certainly not for this long. In… Read More »
Fri, Jul 08, 2011
Welcome USGS Leaders! On Monday, July 11, the University of Oklahoma (OU) will host a team of leaders from the U.S. Geological Survey… Read More »
Mon, Aug 01, 2011
Fueled by exceptional drought and a seemingly impenetrable heat-dome, July roared through Oklahoma’s legendary heat waves of the past to become the state’s hottest calendar month on record. According to data from the Oklahoma Mesonet, the July statewide average temperature finished 7.5 degrees above normal at 89.1 degrees, smashing the previous record of 88.1 degrees set back in July 1954. Statewide averages date back to 1895. The news was equally grim on the rainfall side of the ledger. The statewide average rainfall total was 0.70 inches, more than 2 inches below normal and the fourth driest July on record. Combined, the 2011 June-July period was the hottest and driest on record statewide, an ominous achievement with another month of summer yet to go. Through seven months, 2011 ranked as the eighth warmest and second driest on record.
Oklahoma City’s average temperature of 89.2 degrees topped the previous record of 88.7 degrees from August 1936 to become its warmest month since those records began in 1890. Oklahoma City experienced 27 days in July with a high temperature of at least 100 degrees, once again the most for any month in its history. Oklahoma City’s average high temperature of 102.5 degrees beat July 1980’s previous mark of 102.4 degrees to set another milestone. Similar records were matched at many locations throughout drought-ravaged western Oklahoma. Grandfield was the warmest spot in the state with an average July temperature of 93 degrees and an average high of 107 degrees. Grandfield continued to lead the state with 68 days at or above 100 degrees in 2011. The record stands at 86 days, set by Hollis in 1956. That site and three others have seen triple-digit highs for 40 consecutive days through July 31. Kenton’s July average of 81.6 degrees marked it as the coolest spot in the state. The highest temperature of the month, 114 degrees, was recorded at Alva and Freedom on July 9.
Of the 120 Oklahoma Mesonet stations, 93 recorded less than an inch of rainfall for the month. Walters and Burneyville recorded no precipitation for the entire month. Newkirk and Kenton led the way with 5.58 inches and 3.66 inches, respectively. Only five stations recorded more than 2 inches of rainfall. Southwestern Oklahoma received less than a quarter-inch of rainfall, on average. An average of 16.41 inches of precipitation has fallen across the state since October 1, 2010, nearly 14 inches below normal and the driest such period on record. Boise City received a scant 3.8 inches of rainfall over that time while Grandfield measured 5.6 inches. The latest U.S. Drought Monitor map released on July 28 indicates more than half of Oklahoma is experiencing exceptional drought, the worst designation possible.
Unfortunately, there is little relief in sight as the heat and drought continue to feed off one another. The latest outlooks for August from the National Weather Service’s Climate Prediction Center indicate increased chances of above normal temperatures and below normal precipitation. Their seasonal drought outlook calls for the persistence or intensification of drought conditions across Oklahoma and Texas through October.
