Tue, Feb 02, 2021
Warm and Wet January Greets New Year The winter storm that began the year captured January’s biggest weather headline. The event straddled the changeover from 2020 to… Read More »
Mon, Jan 04, 2021
Winter Flexes Muscles During December A powerful winter storm pounded the state on 2020’s final day, a fitting epitaph to a tumultuous year—and a wintry… Read More »
Mon, Dec 14, 2020
OSU - Mesonet offers management tools to help producers promote cattle comfort OSU News and Information https://news.okstate.edu/articles/agricultural-sciences-natural-resources/2020/stotts_cattle-comfort-advisor.html MEDIA CONTACT: Donald Stotts | Agricultural Communications Services | 405-744-4079 | donald.stotts@okstate.edu Read More »
Tue, Dec 01, 2020
November Sees More Drought, Tornadoes November’s weather struggled to live up to the level of excitement provided by October’s historic cold snap and ice storm,… Read More »
Mon, Nov 02, 2020
Historic Storm Haunts October A historic winter ice storm struck the state during the last week of October, leaving nearly 400,000 residences and businesses… Read More »
Thu, Oct 15, 2020
Spring 2021 Mesonet OK-First Classes Spring 2021 OK-First classes for public safety officials are now open for enrollment! For just the second time in program… Read More »
Thu, Oct 01, 2020
Winter Chill Stuns September A historic cold snap set the tone for a cool September, which saw one of the earliest intrusions of winter… Read More »
Tue, Sep 01, 2020
Cold Fronts Tame August Heat Three strong cold fronts brought the summer heat to its knees during August, but drought took advantage of a… Read More »
Mon, Aug 03, 2020
July Sees Drought Relief July brought a near miraculous recovery to much of Oklahoma, which was faced with an intensifying drought headed into… Read More »
Thu, Jul 02, 2020
June Rains Falter As Drought Surges Largely deprived of its primary rainy season, Oklahoma saw drought surge across the state during June. A mid-month bout with… Read More »
Wed, Jun 03, 2020
Tornado Count Slows During May Cool weather dominated a good part of May, and possibly robbed Mother Nature of the heat needed for her… Read More »
Wed, May 20, 2020
Summer/Fall 2020 Mesonet OK-First Classes Summer/Fall 2020 OK-First classes for public safety officials are now open for enrollment! For the first time in program history… Read More »
Fri, May 01, 2020
Weather Hazards Battle for April Headlines It’s difficult to say which weather hazard should claim top billing for April. Two late season freeze events made their… Read More »
Wed, Apr 01, 2020
Spring Steps Forward During March Winter seemed to take a final bow after February in Oklahoma, leaving March with a warm and wet transition to… Read More »
Mon, Mar 02, 2020
Snowstorm Highlights February Weather In February, Oklahoma finally received a month worthy of winter. It wasn’t tremendously cold, nor was it excessively wet, but… Read More »
Tue, Feb 04, 2020
Snow Thrives Despite Warm January Although January’s weather continued this winter’s general tilt towards unusually mild conditions, that failed to prevent several bouts of wintry… Read More »
Fri, Jan 03, 2020
December Tornado Caps Record Year Warm and mostly dry December weather dashed any hopes of walking in a winter wonderland, including dreams of a white… Read More »
Mon, Dec 02, 2019
November Feels Winter Chill November’s weather was somewhat tame by Oklahoma’s standards, with cold weather dominating the headlines. Several intrusions of arctic air blasted… Read More »
Tue, Nov 05, 2019
October's Weather Was Frightful Despite the season, spring and winter weather stole most of the headlines during October. A cold front moved through the… Read More »
Tue, Oct 01, 2019
Summer Weather Scorches September September normally sees at least one or two decent cold fronts to whet the appetite for fall. Mother Nature had… Read More »
Tue, Dec 01, 2020
November’s weather struggled to live up to the level of excitement provided by October’s historic cold snap and ice storm, although it had its moments. Following that burst of moisture just before Halloween, some areas of the state went more than a month without seeing at least a quarter inch of rain in a single day. Other areas saw Oklahoma’s weather at its worst, however. Storms on the 24th brought severe weather back to the state with damaging winds and hail up to the size of golf balls. At least two tornadoes touched down that day in southeastern Oklahoma. The first struck near Kinta in Haskell County around 9 p.m., destroying a mobile home and damaging other structures. The second came about an hour later near Spiro in Le Flore County and damaged a barn. The November tornadoes brought the unofficial 2020 total to 39 according to preliminary data from the National Weather Service, well below the 1951-2019 annual average of 57.4, and dwarfed by 2019’s record total of 149. This year’s tally would also mark the state’s lowest since 2009’s 34 confirmed twisters.
According to preliminary data from the Oklahoma Mesonet, the statewide average temperature was 53 degrees to rank as the 10th warmest November since records began in 1895, 3.7 degrees above normal. November was also the first month since June to finish warmer than normal statewide. The month’s lowest reading of 12 degrees – also the lowest for the season thus far – was reported at Hooker on the 31st. The Mesonet recorded a slew of 70s and 80s during the month, including November’s highest reading of 86 degrees at both Arnett and Goodwell on the 19th. The warm November somewhat offset the cooler than normal September-October period, but the climatological fall (September-November) still finished 0.6 degrees below normal with an average of 60.2 degrees, the 41st coolest autumn on record. The first 11 months of the year were the 35th warmest on record with a statewide average of 62.4 degrees, 0.6 degrees above normal.
The statewide average precipitation total, as measured by the Mesonet, was 1.39 inches below normal at 1.12 inches. That ranks the month as the 37th driest November on record. Only three of the Mesonet’s 120 sites finished with above normal precipitation for November: Beaver, 1.08 inches; Burbank, 2.23 inches; and Foraker at 2.63 inches. Miami actually led the state with 3.44 inches, but that total still fell below their November normal of 4.13 inches. Arnett brought up the rear with 0.24 inches, and 60 other Mesonet sites failed to receive at least an inch for the month. Deficits were generally around an inch, although areas of east central and southeastern Oklahoma fell 2-3 inches below normal. The fall average total of 8.6 inches was 0.98 inches below normal to rank as the 59th wettest on record. Deficits of 4-6 inches were isolated in parts of far southwestern, southeastern, and east central Oklahoma. Otherwise, amounts were either close to or within 2-3 inches of normal. The first 11 months of the year finished 2.34 inches above normal at 36.78 inches across the state, the 27th wettest January-November on record. There was a stark difference in moisture totals across the state, however, with deficits of up to 11 inches for that period in the southwest to surpluses of nearly 18 inches in east central Oklahoma.
Drought coverage dropped from 34% of the state at the end of October to 11% after the first two weeks of November. The prolonged dry weather resulted in an increase to 25% coverage at the end of November. The December outlooks from the Climate Prediction Center (CPC) indicate increased odds of above normal temperatures and below normal precipitation across the entire state. Despite those possible outcomes, CPC’s December drought outlook does not see further drought development as likely during December.
