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 »
Fri, Sep 30, 2011
While little relief from drought was found in September, the reprieve from the intense summer heat was nearly instantaneous. After three summer-like days to begin the month, fall weather kicked into high gear and temperatures plummeted. The hottest summer in Oklahoma history soon gave way to the 30th coolest September since records began in 1895. The statewide average temperature for the month was 70.9 degrees according to preliminary data from the Oklahoma Mesonet, 1.6 degrees below normal. Unfortunately, similarly good news did not arrive for most of drought-stricken Oklahoma. The statewide average precipitation total finished at 1.66 inches for a deficit of 2.15 inches, the 20th driest September on record. The northeastern quarter of the state did see some relief, however, with drought-reducing rainfall totals of 3-4 inches. The rest of the state languished in dusty dry soils with totals of less than 1.5 inches in most areas. The Oklahoma Mesonet site at Oilton led the state with 4.47 inches while the south central town of Durant failed to record a quarter of an inch of moisture.
The end of September also brings the end of the water year (October 1-September 30). That period also encompasses the current drought, whose genesis occurred around this time last year with the arrival of La Nina in the equatorial pacific waters. This water year finished as the second driest on record for Oklahoma with a statewide average precipitation total of 20.26 inches, 16.43 inches below normal. The driest such period on record was 18.69 inches from the 1955-1956 water year. For the Panhandle, west central, central and southwestern parts of the state, it was easily the driest water year on record. Southwest Oklahoma’s water year average of 12.68 inches was more than 18 inches below normal and nearly 5 inches drier than the previous record low total of 17.45 inches, again from the 1955-56 water year.
The latest U.S. Drought Monitor graphic from the National Drought Mitigation Center continues to show over 66 percent of the state is impacted by “exceptional” drought, the worst such designation possible. Recent improvements were seen in east central Oklahoma with much of the northeastern one-quarter labeled in “extreme-severe” drought, the second and third worst drought designations. Three months ago, only 33 percent of the state had the exceptional drought label. The latest U.S. Drought Monitor map indicates the entire state suffering from severe-to-exceptional drought impacts.
The re-emergence of La Nina in the equatorial pacific waters last month does not bode well for the drought-plagued Southern Plains and Oklahoma. The climate phenomenon, marked by cooler than normal sea surface temperatures, often brings warmer and drier weather to the southern one-third of the United States from late-fall through spring. Any hint of drier than normal weather is unwelcome news to Oklahoma’s agricultural industry. Oklahoma has experienced approximately $1.6 billion dollars in losses due to the current drought, according to estimates by Oklahoma State University’s Division of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources. Conditions entering this La Nina episode are much worse than at this time last year when only four percent of the state had any type of drought designation.
The latest U.S. Seasonal Drought Outlook from the National Weather Service’s Climate Prediction Center predicts drought to persist or intensify for all of Oklahoma through the end of 2011. Some improvements are possible in northeastern Oklahoma and the western Panhandle, however. With La Nina’s return, continued drought into 2012 appears likely.