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 »
Tue, Dec 02, 2014
Oklahoma’s weather during November was both simplistic and momentous. It began and ended on the warm side, and had a good dose of January thrown in during the middle. That’s the simplified version, of course. As is often the case with Oklahoma weather, however, the excitement lies in the details. A big rain late in the month provided some drought-quenching exhilaration, and the strong arctic cold front on November's final day was a non-gentle reminder of the season. But the big story was undoubtedly the brush with frigid weather in the middle of the month, one of the most significant early-season winter outbreaks on record for Oklahoma. Despite the abundance of warm weather, that mid-November arctic blast pulled the entire month down to a statewide average of 44.5 degrees, 4.8 degrees below normal to rank as the 10th coolest November since records began in 1895. The year is still on course to be one of the coolest in recent memory with a January-November statewide average of 60.6 degrees, 1.3 degrees below normal and the 19th coolest such period on record.
The cold snap began with a cold front on the 11th that dropped temperatures from the 70s and 80s into the 30s and 40s. The Oklahoma Mesonet station at Boise City struggled to a high of 15 degrees on the 12th just two days after reaching a high of 81 degrees. Kenton dropped to a low of 3 degrees on the 17th for the month’s lowest reading. Temperatures were on the rise from that point forward signaling an end to the weeklong foray into deep winter, but not before most of the state had spent from 100 to more than 150 hours below freezing. The event also came with a statewide blanket of snow. Amounts of 3-4 inches were common across parts of western, northern and central Oklahoma. Totals of more than 4 inches were reported near Forgan and Laverne. Within a few days, highs had risen back into the 60s and 70s across much of the area, culminating in widespread 70s and 80s on the 28th and 29th. November 30 was a day of transition as the month's second strong cold front barreled through the state.
The snow added a bit of moisture, but the big rains of Nov. 21-23 provided the biggest boost to the month's statewide average of 2.12 inches, 0.4 inches below normal and the 50th wettest November on record. Areas across south central Oklahoma recorded more than 6 inches of moisture with the Mesonet station at Ketchum Ranch in Stephens County leading the way at 6.6 inches. Totals of 3-5 inches surrounded that mark from southwestern up into east central Oklahoma. Much of the far northwest remained considerably dry with less than an inch of moisture. Far southeastern Oklahoma was also left wanting with barely an inch falling across that region. The statewide average precipitation total for climatological fall, September-November, finished at 7.84 inches, 1.74 inches below normal to rank as the 58th driest autumn on record. The year-to-date period remained quite dry at 27.04 inches, more than 7 inches below normal and the 25th driest January-November on record.
Oklahoma did see a reduction in drought intensity according to the U.S. Drought Monitor report. Parts of southwestern through central Oklahoma saw extreme-to-exceptional drought reduced to severe-to-moderate intensity. With the southeastern corner's poor showing during the month, that area actually saw abnormally dry conditions increase. The "abnormally dry" designation is not a drought intensity, but signifies an area that could be entering (or leaving) actual drought conditions. By month's end, 60 percent of the state was considered to be in at least moderate drought. The Drought Monitor’s intensity scale slides from moderate-severe-extreme-exceptional, with exceptional being the worst classification.
The December precipitation and temperature outlooks from the National Weather Service's Climate Prediction Center (CPC) indicate increased odds of above normal precipitation and temperature across the state. The expectation according to CPC forecasters is for a dramatic pattern change across the northern two-thirds of the U.S. following the first few days of December, replacing chilly arctic air with above normal temperatures through the month's first couple of weeks. Medium range outlooks call for greatly increased odds of above normal precipitation across the Southern Plains during the second week of December. CPC's U.S. Monthly Drought Outlook sees drought persisting or intensifying across most of Oklahoma, with some improvement or removal likely across south central Oklahoma.