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 »
Thu, Aug 02, 2018
Mother Nature threw Oklahoma a Hail Mary during the final week of July, offering drought-quenching rains and a glorious preview of fall. That brief seasonal transformation followed a dose of brutal summer weather that saw highs soar above 110 degrees and the heat index hit 120. The middle two weeks were especially fierce, culminating with record-breaking heat from the 19th through the 22nd. Temperatures reached 113 degrees at the Grandfield and Tipton Mesonet sites on both the 19th and 20th. There were 35 instances of temperatures reaching at least 110 degrees at Mesonet sites during the month, and highs reached 105 degrees 93 times. Combined with the humidity, the heat became even more oppressive. The heat index soared to 120 degrees at Pawnee on the 19th and again at Bristow the following day. The Mesonet’s 120 sites recorded heat index values of at least 115 degrees 36 times during July. The cold front that visited the state during the month’s final week was unusual in both its timing and strength, but provided a welcome respite from Oklahoma’s normal July drudgery. Rainy weather, clouds and the cooler air helped provide Oklahomans with a brief glimpse of fall. Highs struggled to reach 90 degrees, and Boise City and Eva fell to a relatively chilly 50 degrees on July’s final day. According to preliminary data from the Oklahoma Mesonet, the statewide average temperature for July was 81.2 degrees, 0.3 degrees below normal and ranked as the 58th coolest since records began in 1895. The year-to-date temperature through July was still very warm at 0.8 degrees above normal, the 29th warmest January-July on record.
The real benefit of the late-month cold front was the moisture it brought to a parched state. Through July 26, the statewide average rainfall total according to the Oklahoma Mesonet was 1.28 inches, on pace for the 21st driest July on record. That statewide average had more than doubled over the next five days to 2.93 inches, upping its ranking to the 57th wettest on record. The heaviest rains fell across far northern Oklahoma and localized areas in the east. Twenty-Two Mesonet sites reported at least 4 inches of rain, with Pryor leading the state at 6.09 inches. Not all sections of the state were so fortunate, however. Significant deficits remained along the Red River as well as portions of north central Oklahoma. Ringling recorded 0.84 inches of rain for the lowest July total, while another 27 Mesonet sites recorded 2 inches or less. The first seven months of the year finished 2.53 inches below normal to rank as the 51st driest January-July on record. As with the monthly totals, the year-to-date totals were also highly variable. Southwestern Oklahoma was 6.23 inches below normal for their 18th direst such period, while east central Oklahoma enjoyed its 43rd wettest at 1.25 inches above normal. Deficits of nearly 10 inches existed over that period from southwestern through northeastern Oklahoma. Hollis received 7.5 inches of rain since Oct. 1, 2017, a deficit of 13.2 inches.
Despite the late relief during July, the U.S. Drought Monitor ended the month with 55 percent of the state in drought, and another 12 percent considered “abnormally dry,” a drought precursor. Thirty-Two percent of the state was in at least “severe” drought, and 7 percent was labeled “extreme.” Extreme drought dropped 5 percent since the end of June, but severe drought increased 9 percent. The Drought Monitor’s intensity scale slides from moderate-severe-extreme-exceptional, with exceptional being the worst classification.
The August temperature outlook from the Climate Prediction Center (CPC) indicated increased odds of above normal temperature for all but the extreme northeast corner of the state. Those odds were greater along the Red River. The precipitation outlook saw slightly increased odds for below normal precipitation across the southern half of the state, but no clear signal in the northern half. Drought is expected to persist or intensify along the Red River and in the far western Panhandle during August, according to CPC’s Monthly Drought Outlook. Other areas that were in drought at the end of July can expect improvement by the end of August.