Mon, Apr 01, 2019
March Sees Spring Sparingly Spring failed to gain a toehold during March, a month that both began and finished with a healthy dose of… Read More »
Fri, Mar 01, 2019
Winter Highlights February's Weather Drought, fire danger, floods, severe storms, multiple bouts with freezing rain, and even a good old fashioned Plains snowstorm –… Read More »
Fri, Feb 01, 2019
A Tale of Two Januarys The weather was a bit confused in Oklahoma during January. The first half of the month was on the warm… Read More »
Wed, Jan 02, 2019
December Storms Bring Moisture Three soaking storm systems brought much needed precipitation to the state, ending a run of up to 78 days without… Read More »
Mon, Dec 03, 2018
November’s Eventful Weather Much of Oklahoma’s weather was downright boring during November – cold and dry with a few warm days in between.… Read More »
Fri, Nov 09, 2018
October Extends Oklahoma's Rainy Streak Oklahomans experienced the gamut of their state’s annual weather hazards during October. Flooding rains, extreme heat, an arctic blast, the… Read More »
Fri, Nov 02, 2018
Spring 2019 Mesonet OK-First Classes Spring 2019 OK-First classes are open for enrollment. We are offering 10 classes including 1 Certification class (4 days), 1… Read More »
Mon, Oct 01, 2018
September Sees Historic Rains Many of Oklahoma’s most extreme rainfall events have occurred during the fall, the result of a rare conjunction of meteorological… Read More »
Mon, Sep 03, 2018
August Rains Shrink Drought Autumnal temperatures, heavy rain, and drought reduction captured the Oklahoma weather headlines during August, although the blazing voice of summer… Read More »
Wed, Aug 08, 2018
Fall 2018 Mesonet OK-First Classes Fall 2018 OK-First classes are open for enrollment. We are offering 10 classes including 1 Certification class (4 days), 1… Read More »
Thu, Aug 02, 2018
July Provides Fall Preview Mother Nature threw Oklahoma a Hail Mary during the final week of July, offering drought-quenching rains and a glorious preview… Read More »
Mon, Jul 09, 2018
June Rains Ease Drought The Gulf of Mexico was in a giving mood throughout June, feeding a deep plume of tropical moisture to a… Read More »
Fri, Jun 01, 2018
May Breaks All-Time Temperature Record In defiance of spring, Mother Nature slipped right into summer during May, and broke a major record in doing so.… Read More »
Tue, May 01, 2018
April's Fiery Chill Wildfires rolled across the Oklahoma prairie for two weeks in April, scorching hundreds of thousands of acres and placing entire… Read More »
Mon, Apr 02, 2018
March Sees Mixed Drought Fortunes Drought continued to punish western Oklahoma throughout March, even as eastern sections saw additional relief. Similar to February, Interstate 44… Read More »
Thu, Mar 08, 2018
February Rain Records Shattered February rain records were shattered as a series of storm systems during the month’s final week brought snow, sleet and… Read More »
Thu, Feb 01, 2018
Drought Surges In January The dry weather that plagued Oklahoma through the final three months of 2017 showed no signs of letting up during… Read More »
Wed, Jan 03, 2018
Arctic Invasion Dominates December Oklahoma’s seemingly endless supply of mild weather came to an abrupt halt during the third week of December, ushering in… Read More »
Wed, Jan 03, 2018
Drought Expands During Dry November Drought flourished across Oklahoma over the past month, fed by one of the state’s driest and warmest Novembers on record.… Read More »
Wed, Nov 01, 2017
Tornadoes Highlight October Weather October’s weather was highly variable, and a bit too exciting at times as is usually the case during this transition… Read More »
Mon, Apr 01, 2019
Spring failed to gain a toehold during March, a month that both began and finished with a healthy dose of winter. A powerful cold front plowed through the Southern Plains over the first few days of the month and brought a bit of snow, a bit of ice, and a generous portion of frigid weather. Wind chills fell below zero over much of the state, and as low as minus 12 degrees in the Panhandle. Snow totals were generally light – less than an inch in most areas – although Forgan and Claremore reported 4 and 5 inches, respectively. Another strong front struck during the last couple of days of March and dropped low temperatures well below freezing across the northwestern half of the state. The Mesonet site at Eva recorded a teeth-chattering 16 degrees on March’s final day. Hail up to the size of baseballs plagued central and eastern Oklahoma associated with a storm system on the 23rd and 24th. Perhaps the most damaging March hazard was a windstorm that enveloped the state March 13-14. Winds gusted to more than 70 mph across western Oklahoma, and 50-60 mph to the east. The Oklahoma Mesonet recorded 303 instances of wind gusts 58 mph or greater on the 13th, the speed required to trigger a severe thunderstorm warning according to National Weather Service criteria. There were widespread reports of downed power lines and trees, and a fire station in Del City lost part of its roof due to the severe winds.
According to preliminary data from the Oklahoma Mesonet, March fell 3.4 degrees below normal with a statewide average of 47 degrees. That ranked the month as the 33rd coolest March since records began in 1895. The chill during that first week was profound. High temperatures in the Panhandle failed to reach 20 degrees on March 3-4, more than 30 degrees below normal. Kenton recorded a low of minus 2 degrees on March 5 for the lowest temperature of the month. McAlester broke its record low on March 5, falling to 13 degrees. The northwest half of the state spent more than 100 hours below freezing during March’s first seven days, with 50-90 of those hours below 24 degrees. The southeast half spent 50-90 hours below 32 degrees. There was a bit of spring heat to satisfy warm weather fans, mostly during the latter half of the month. Arnett and Woodward reached 87 degrees on the 28th for the highest mark. The January-March statewide average of 42 degrees was 1.4 degrees below normal, the 58th coolest first three months of the year on record.
The statewide average precipitation total was 2.58 inches, 0.46 inches below normal and ranked as the 53rd wettest March on record. There was a wide disparity between rain totals in various regions of the state, however. West central Oklahoma finished with an average of 2.86 inches, 0.57 inches above normal for their 21st wettest March on record. The Panhandle was close behind at 0.54 inches above normal with an average total of 1.97 inches, their 24th wettest March on record. Meanwhile, the southeast was more than an inch below normal at 3.12 inches, their 44th driest March. While all of the Mesonet’s 120 stations received at least an inch of rain, the majority ended at a deficit for the month. Boise City recorded the least with 1.16 inches. Cookson led all stations with 4.66 inches. The first three months of the year saw a deficit of 0.22 inches, the 50th wettest January-March on record.
Following a brief flare up of drought in southwest Oklahoma in late February, enough precipitation fell to reduce that area back to “abnormally dry” conditions on the U.S. Drought Monitor report during March. According to the April outlooks from the Climate Prediction Center (CPC), chances of that drought returning within the next month are remote. Those outlooks show increased odds for above normal precipitation across the entire state during April. Chances are also increased for above normal temperatures over eastern Oklahoma and the western Panhandle. CPC’s April drought outlook does not indicate any drought intensification within Oklahoma during April.
