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, Jun 03, 2019
Tornadoes and flooding battled it out for Oklahoma’s top weather headline during May 2019, with both combatants bringing mayhem and misery to the state. The scope and scale of the weather disasters prompted Gov. Kevin Stitt to declare a State of Emergency for all 77 counties. According to reports from the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management, at least six fatalities and 118 injuries were attributed to the flooding and severe weather. Preliminary reports from the National Weather Service (NWS) office in Norman indicate at least 61 twisters struck Oklahoma during May, a number that is expected to rise as more damage areas are investigated. Of those 61 tornadoes, eight were considered “strong” on the Enhanced Fujita Scale, rated as EF2 or EF3. Combined with the 22 confirmed touchdowns during April, the 2019 total stands at 83. Oklahoma averages 23.2 tornadoes during May and 56.2 per year based on 1950-2018 counts. Two fatalities due to tornadoes were reported during May, both from a trailer park in the path of an EF3 tornado that briefly touched down in eastern El Reno. The total tornado deaths during 2019 rose to four according to NWS reports, all in mobile homes during EF3 tornadoes.
Flooding was the most widespread and damaging of the weather hazards during May, with entire communities seemingly engulfed in flood waters at times. Historic rains in Oklahoma and upstream in Kansas swelled creeks and rivers, and overflowed reservoirs and dams across the state. The flood waters did not discriminate as both urban centers and rural areas were inundated. Voluntary and mandatory evacuations were required downstream of several reservoirs due to water releases and fear of dam failures. Extensive flooding was occurring along the Arkansas River’s path through Oklahoma from the Kansas to Arkansas borders. The river crested near or above record levels along its route through the state. Flooding along the river in Tulsa was the worst that city has seen since 1986 as levee systems designed to protect low lying areas were threatened by the rising water. The small town of Moffett in Sequoyah County was completely swamped by flood waters, forcing its evacuation. Braggs in Muskogee County was surrounded, isolating it from the outside and forcing air evacuations. The swollen Cimarron River swept away homes as it undercut the river’s banks. Hundreds of roads were closed throughout the state due to high waters, and an untold number of stranded motorists required water rescues due to flash flooding.
According to preliminary data from the Oklahoma Mesonet, the statewide average rainfall total was 10.48 inches, 5.66 inches above normal to rank as the third wettest May since records began in 1895. The total also earned fourth place on the list of wettest calendar months in Oklahoma. Tops on that list was May 2015’s 14.44 inches, followed by October 1941 and May 1957 with 10.75 inches and 10.54 inches, respectively. North central Oklahoma’s average of 12.2 inches was 7.84 inches above normal, ranking it as the wettest calendar month on record for that part of the state. Central, northeastern, and west central sections saw their second wettest Mays on record. Most of the heftiest rainfall totals occurred along that corridor from west central through northeastern Oklahoma. The NWS cooperative observer site at Pawnee led the state with 22.52 inches, although there was a report of 24.69 inches by a volunteer observer near Talala. At least 24 NWS sites broke their all-time May rainfall mark. Nineteen of those sites broke their all-time wettest calendar month marks as well, including seven sites whose records date back over 100 years. The Mesonet site at Talala recorded 19.6 inches. Of the 120 Mesonet sites, 66 recorded more than 10 inches of precipitation, while all but six received at least 5 inches. The Kenton site received 2.13 inches of rain during the month for the lowest total, but that was still 0.07 inches above normal. The climatological spring – March 1 through May 31 – ended as the fourth wettest on record with a statewide average of 17.16 inches, 6.04 inches above normal. The first five months of the year were 6.23 inches above normal at 20.74 inches to rank as the fourth wettest such period on record. The northeast experienced its wettest January-May on record with an average of 28.2 inches, 11.16 inches above normal.
The excessive rains and associated cloudiness kept high temperatures 2-3 degrees below normal, although the surge of warm, moist air from the Gulf of Mexico had the opposite impact on low temperatures. The clouds and rain won out, however, and the statewide average temperature finished at 66.7 degrees, 1.5 degrees below normal to rank as the 34th coolest May on record. The season’s last freeze occurred on May 22 when Eva reached a low of 32 degrees. Eva recorded the only other sub-freezing temperature of the month with 31 degrees reported on May 10. Altus and Beaver grabbed the state’s top reading of 93 degrees on the 28th and 16th, respectively. Spring’s statewide average of 58.2 degrees ranked as the 37th coolest on record, 1.1 degrees below normal. The first five months of 2019 ended almost a degree below normal, the 54th coolest on record.
Dry conditions were but a memory for the state by the end of May. The June precipitation and temperature outlooks from the Climate Prediction Center (CPC) indicated greatly increased odds of below normal temperatures and above normal precipitation for much of the state. Given the wet, cool forecast, CPC’s U.S. Monthly Drought Outlook for June did not foresee any drought development within the Southern Plains or Oklahoma.