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 »
Thu, Nov 29, 2012
Oklahoma Drought Picture Worsens During November
Drought surged during November with a return to the dry, warm and windy weather pattern that Oklahoma has become accustomed to over the last couple of years. According to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor report, the amount of extreme to exceptional drought rose from 72 percent last week to 91 percent this week. The state had not seen that amount of extreme to exceptional drought since late September. Other than a small but persistent area of moderate drought in far northeastern Oklahoma, the entire state remained in at least severe drought according to the report. The Drought Monitor’s intensity scale slides from moderate-severe-extreme-exceptional, with exceptional being the worst category. The bulk of that increase came across areas in southern and eastern Oklahoma that had been categorized in severe drought since September.
Through November 28, the statewide average temperature stood at 52.4 degrees according to preliminary data from the Oklahoma Mesonet, approximately 3.4 degrees above normal. That would rank this November as the 12th warmest since 1895, although a couple of warm days to finish the month could increase that ranking. November is set to become the 26th month out of the last 32 to finish warmer than normal, dating back to April 2010. Oklahoma’s 2012 January-November average temperature remains approximately two-tenths of a degree ahead of 1954 in a race to break the record for warmest calendar year.
The month has also been exceedingly dry, a continuation of what the state has seen since May. The Mesonet’s statewide average total for the month will finish at 0.57 inches, more than 2 inches below normal and the 21st driest November on record. It has been 63 days since the Mesonet site at Buffalo has seen a day with at least a quarter-inch of rain. Other parts of western and southern Oklahoma have gone from 40-60 days with a similar lack of rainfall. It has been 60 days since the Hollis Mesonet site has recorded a tenth of an inch of daily rainfall and as many as 47 days in the Panhandle. This November stands in stark contrast to last year’s version, which ended as the 12th wettest on record at nearly 2 inches above normal. The current span of particularly dry weather extends farther back than the beginning of November. According to preliminary data from the Oklahoma Mesonet and the National Climatic Data Center, the statewide average rainfall total for May through November was 13.48 inches, the second driest such period on record in Oklahoma. The only drier May through November was 1952’s 13.34 inches.
The combination of wind, warmth and lack of rainfall accelerated the loss of moisture from the state’s soils and reservoirs, and impeded the progress of the winter wheat crop. The November 26 weekly crop update from the USDA’s Oklahoma office of the National Agricultural Statistics Service noted that the state’s topsoil and subsoil moisture conditions were rated 95 percent and 97 percent poor to very poor, respectively. The report also indicated that only 13 percent of the winter wheat crop was rated as good, with one percent in the excellent category. Eleven of the state’s major reservoirs are at less than 70 percent of normal capacity, with an additional eight being below 80 percent. Lake Altus-Lugert is in the worst shape at 17 percent of capacity.
There is very little rain in the forecast, although light amounts are expected across eastern Oklahoma associated with a frontal system early next week. Longer range outlooks from the National Weather Service’s Climate Prediction Center (CPC) indicate increased odds of more warm and dry weather in store for December. The CPC also sees increased odds of above normal temperatures lasting through the winter, but little confidence in any prediction on precipitation. December, January and February are the three driest months for Oklahoma.
Oklahoma Mesonet consecutive day without 1/10 inch rainfall