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 »
Fri, Sep 09, 2011
La Nina has officially returned to the equatorial pacific waters according to the National Weather Service’s Climate Prediction Center (CPC). The climate phenomenon, marked by cooler than normal waters off the west coast of South America, has been named as one of the primary culprits behind 2011’s extreme weather, such as the record flooding in the Northern Plains and the disastrous drought in the Southern Plains. While that La Nina faded throughout spring before ending in June, the CPC issued a La Nina Watch during August when the possibility of its return increased. Data now show that La Nina returned last month, prompting the issuance of a La Nina Advisory by the CPC. Current long-range forecasts indicate a gradual strengthening of La Nina and its impacts throughout the fall into the winter should be expected. “This means drought is likely to continue in the drought-stricken states of Texas, Oklahoma and New Mexico,” said Mike Halpert, deputy director of the Climate Prediction Center in a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration press release.
The shifting of air patterns in the equatorial pacific due to La Nina can lead to the disruption of normal weather patterns across the globe. The impacts most common in the United States are above normal temperatures and below normal precipitation across the southern one-third of the country and cooler and wetter than normal weather in the Pacific Northwest and Ohio Valley. The impacts due to La Nina are normally strongest from late fall through early spring in the Southern Plains, although not every La Nina produces the typical impacts. The return of La Nina is particularly troubling news for Oklahoma where the drought has caused an estimated $2 billion in agricultural losses according to state officials. Wheat, cotton and cattle operations have been particularly hard hit since last fall. The heat wave associated with the drought has been responsible for at least 21 deaths in Oklahoma according to state health officials. The drought also extended Oklahoma’s wildfire season through the spring and summer months.
According to data from the Oklahoma Mesonet, the January through August statewide average rainfall total was 14.16 inches, nearly 11 inches below normal and the second driest such period since records began in 1895. For the Panhandle, west central, southwest and south central sections of the state, it was easily the driest such period on record. Average rainfall totals in those areas since January 1 are as much as 16 inches below normal through September 8. The Oklahoma Mesonet site at Hooker in the Oklahoma Panhandle has recorded 2.2 inches of precipitation since January 1. Many of the Mesonet stations in the western half of the state have received less than 10 inches of rainfall over that period.
Following the summer of 2011, which saw many of the state’s all-time heat records smashed, Mother Nature now turns her attention to the state’s rainfall – or lack thereof – records. The lowest annual total for any location in Oklahoma is 6.53 inches, recorded at the Cimarron County town of Regnier in 1956. The driest year in Oklahoma was 1910 with a statewide average of 19.04 inches. It is difficult to say if those records will continue to be threatened over the year’s final four months, but the return of La Nina certainly increases those odds. The latest Seasonal Drought Outlook released by the CPC shows drought persisting in the state through November with possible improvement, but not elimination, in northern and east central Oklahoma.