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 »
Mon, Jul 01, 2013
June followed its normal script almost to the letter with a rainy and stormy first half of the month that gave way to the beginnings of a long hot stretch of Oklahoma summer. Mother Nature did manage to throw in a nice improvisation at the end of the month with a cool front dropping temperatures into the 80s over much of the state. The previous heat was enough to end the state's streak of below normal months at four, however. According to data from the Oklahoma Mesonet, the statewide average temperature came in at 77.9 degrees, 1.4 degrees above normal to rank as the 34th warmest June since records began in 1895. Temperatures climbed into the triple-digits as early as May 3, but really got started at that level on the 10th. Freedom reached the month's highest temperature of 111 degrees on the 27th.
While the average statewide rainfall total fell 0.6 inches below normal at 3.69 inches – the 56th driest June on record – there were still parts of the state that had some hefty rainfall totals for the month. Probably the biggest surprise was the small Panhandle town of Slapout and its 5.7 inches. Okemah led the state with 8.73 inches. Other areas of the state did not fare so well. A large part of southwestern Oklahoma had less than 2 inches for the month. Northeastern Oklahoma and the western Panhandle were also particularly dry during the month. June's first day was merely a continuation of the tumultuous end of May. The tornadoes thankfully ended on May 31, but the flooding rains from those storms continued into June. More than 6 inches fell across parts of east central Oklahoma with more generalized amounts from 2-4 inches. Rain fell somewhere in the state on almost every day through the ninth, and again from the 15th through the 19th.
The rains throughout the first couple of weeks allowed further reduction of drought according to the U.S. Drought Monitor report. Nearly 59 percent of the state was covered by some intensity of drought on the May 28 Drought Monitor, but that number dropped to 53 percent on the June 25 map. The percentage of extreme-to-exceptional drought, the Monitor's two worst categories, remained virtually unchanged at 26 percent. Severe-to-exceptional drought still covers much of the western one-third of the state, and also parts of north central and south central Oklahoma.
The July temperature outlook from the Climate Prediction Center (CPC) indicates equal odds of above-, below- and near-normal temperatures for Oklahoma. So no real clear temperature signal is showing up at this time. The precipitation outlook does show increased odds of above normal rainfall across the western Panhandle, an area that desperately needs moisture. The CPC U.S. monthly Drought Outlook for July shows drought persisting or intensifying across the western third of Oklahoma, including much of the Panhandle. There is some limited improvement possible in the far western Panhandle. Those areas not in drought across central and eastern Oklahoma are expected to remain drought free, at least through July.