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 »
Wed, May 01, 2019
Following a few brief glimpses in March, spring finally arrived in earnest during April. The month was wet for most and warm for all, and came complete with all the spring severe weather hazards Oklahomans are accustomed to. The state’s first official tornado of 2019 struck on the 17th near Shattuck. The twister, rated an EF1 by the National Weather Service (NWS), damaged homes, sheds, trees and fences. Baseball size hail fell near Selman in Harper County that same day, and near Gould in Harmon County on April 3. Non-thunderstorm related severe winds damaged scaffolding at a bridge construction site in Moore on the 13th, shutting down Interstate 35 in both directions. The area around Hobart in Kiowa County received 5-7 inches of rain overnight on the 23rd and resulted in severe street flooding. Mother Nature spun a severe tale to end the month as well. Tornadoes, flash flooding, and large hail began before noon on April 30, and the severe weather intensified as the day wore on. As many as a dozen twisters were reported. The official tally will be determined with further investigation by NWS personnel. Flooding was widespread across the southeastern two-thirds of the state, with some areas receiving more than 6 inches of rain in just a few hours. Significant flash flooding was reported in Nowata, Ottawa, and Tulsa counties.
The deluge to end the month boosted the statewide average rainfall total from the Oklahoma Mesonet to 4.75 inches, 1.49 inches above normal to rank as the 22nd wettest April since records began in 1895. All regions of the state finished above normal for the month save for the Panhandle, which fell 0.67 inches below normal for their 44th driest April on record. Southwestern Oklahoma was the wettest area relative to normal with an average of 6 inches, 3.37 inches above normal – their seventh wettest April on record. Hobart led the state with 9.91 inches of rain, a whopping 7.45 inches above its normal April total. Sixty-three of the Mesonet’s 120 stations recorded at least 5 inches of rain during the month, while all six stations in the Panhandle had less than an inch. 2019 was off to a wet start with a January-April statewide average of 10.93 inches, 1.24 inches above normal to rank as the 27th wettest such period on record.
The statewide average temperature was 60.4 degrees, 1.1 degrees above normal to rank as the 45th warmest April on record. The state saw its first 90-degree temperatures of 2019 on April 9 at the Beaver, Stillwater and Waurika Mesonet sites. Those were the first 90s in the state since Oct. 6, 2018. April’s last freeze – and possibly the state’s final spring freeze – occurred on the 19th in the Panhandle. The month’s highest reading of 94 degrees was recorded at both Buffalo and Hollis on April 10. The lowest mark of 21 degrees was reported at Eva on April 14. The first four months of 2019 fell 0.6 degrees below normal at 46.8 degrees to rank as the 56th warmest January-April on record. Southeastern Oklahoma was the only region of the state above normal for that period with an average of 50.2 degrees, 0.6 degrees above normal to rank as their 39th warmest.
Drought development during April was prevented by the abundant moisture. In areas where moisture was a bit more scarce, previous rains kept drought at bay. Abnormally dry conditions were present in southwestern Oklahoma on the U.S. Drought Monitor to start the month but were quickly eradicated by heavy rains in that region. The Climate Prediction Center’s (CPC) temperature outlook for May indicated increased odds of below normal temperatures across the western half of the state, with the odds a bit greater in the Panhandle. The May precipitation outlook showed increased odds of above normal rainfall across the entire state. Those odds were much greater across far southeastern Oklahoma, however. CPC’s drought outlook for May did not foresee new drought development within the Southern Plains or Oklahoma.