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, Oct 01, 2018
Many of Oklahoma’s most extreme rainfall events have occurred during the fall, the result of a rare conjunction of meteorological ingredients converging over the Southern Plains. Those ingredients – the remnants of a pacific tropical system, a stalled front, and abundant moisture from the Gulf of Mexico – came together late in the month to produce massive rainfall totals across south central Oklahoma. The Oklahoma Mesonet site at Fittstown recorded 14.2 inches of rain on Sept. 21, the second-highest daily total observed in the state since individual station records began in the 1880s, and the highest total in the 25-year history of the Mesonet. Enid remains in the top historical spot with 15.68 inches on Oct. 11, 1973, while the Mesonet’s previous record of 12.42 inches at Burneyville on April 29, 2009, was easily bested. There were numerous unofficial and radar-estimated reports of 15-20 inches in the Pontotoc County area during the storm. The rain totals represent a greater than 1,000-year 24-hour event according to the Oklahoma Conservation Commission and USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service. Widespread flooding was reported across the southern half of the state, and the National Weather Service (NWS) issued a flash flood emergency for Pontotoc County and the surrounding area.
Heavy rains during the first week combined with that later storm to produce a statewide average total of 5.21 inches, a surplus of 1.68 inches, to rank as the 19th wettest September since climate division records began in 1895. Much of southern Oklahoma received between 8-10 inches of rain, although the far southwest struggled to reach 4 inches. South central Oklahoma’s average of 11.04 inches was 7.11 inches above normal, the wettest September on record for that section of the state. The northern third of the state did not fare as well with 1-2 inches commonly reported. The northeast corner’s average of 2.9 inches was 1.6 inches below normal, 48th driest on record. Fifteen of the Mesonet’s 120 stations recorded at least 10 inches, led by Fittstown’s 18.75 inches, and another 48 sites received at least 5 inches. The NWS cooperative observer at Pontotoc reported 20.89 inches for the month. Kenton had the lowest total at 0.26 inches. Statewide, August and September combined to produce the eighth wettest such period on record at 9.21 inches, 2.63 inches above normal. The average for the first nine months of the year rose to 29.15 inches, 0.76 inches above normal to rank as the 40th wettest January-September on record.
The Mesonet’s 120 sites recorded only five triple-digit temperatures during September, versus 10 readings in the 30s. The state’s highest temperature of 100 degrees was observed at five different locations, the last at Talihina on the 19th. Barring a rare triple-digit temperature during the final three months, that was undoubtedly 2018’s last such occurrence. The Eva Mesonet site recorded the lowest September temperature of 36 degrees on the 22nd. Despite the lack of extreme heat, the statewide average temperature still managed to finish 1.1 degrees above normal to rank as the 59th warmest September on record. The positive temperature anomaly was due mainly to September’s minimum temperatures, which were nearly 4 degrees above normal.
Drought took a large step back for the second consecutive month. Drought coverage dropped from 55 percent of the state at the beginning of August to 9 percent at the end of September. Only two small core areas of drought remained – across far southwestern Oklahoma and a smaller area centered on eastern Osage and southern Washington counties. The October outlooks from the Climate Prediction Center (CPC) indicate increased odds of above normal temperatures across the entire state, but especially eastern Oklahoma, and above normal precipitation. Given those outlooks, CPC’s October Drought Outlook sees improvement across the remaining drought areas in Oklahoma by the end of October.