Thu, Apr 25, 2024
Summer/Fall 2024 Mesonet OK-First Classes Summer/Fall 2024 Mesonet OK-First classes for public safety officials are now open for enrollment! We will be offering a mix… Read More »
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 »
Wed, Jul 01, 2015
Mother Nature turned off the spigot and cranked up the heat during the first 10 days of June, allowing swollen streams, rivers and reservoirs to slowly recede after the record May rains. The respite was short-lived, however, thanks to a tropical invasion from both the Pacific and Atlantic. First up was the remnant of hurricane Blanco from the Pacific that interacted with a stalled front and dumped 2-4 inches of rain over a wide swath of the state, including more than 10 inches near Hollis in far southwestern Oklahoma. Almost directly thereafter, the Gulf of Mexico offered up the remnant of tropical Storm Bill. That storm moved slowly to the north from the Texas Gulf Coast as it pumped moisture-laden Gulf air into the Southern Plains and Oklahoma. The state saw several rounds of rain before Bill, at that point downgraded to a tropical depression, actually arrived. The system slowed down and camped over south central Oklahoma. Totals of 6-12 inches were common from the Lake Texoma area up through central Oklahoma. Lesser totals of 2-4 inches occurred to the north and east as Bill eventually sped its way out of the state. The added moisture created widespread flooding once again. Lake Texoma, which had water surge over its spillway for only the fourth time in its history back in May, upped that count to five following Bill. A portion of I-35 in the Arbuckle Mountains was closed for several days due to a rockslide. Water nearly topped the bridge between Oklahoma and Texas when the Red River hit a historic crest of more than 42 feet. At least three deaths were attributed to the flooding, including the loss of a 2-year-old boy who was swept from his father's arms in floodwaters near Ardmore.
Thanks to the boost from the tropical systems, the statewide average precipitation total as measured by the Oklahoma Mesonet was 5.04 inches, 0.52 inches above normal and the 33rd wettest June since records began in 1895. That total would not accurately describe the precipitation pattern across the state, however. South central Oklahoma had an average of 10.13 inches, 5.40 inches above normal to rank as its third wettest June on record. In contrast, north central Oklahoma received an average of 2.45 inches, over 2 inches below normal to rank as the 31st driest. Newport led all Mesonet sites with 15.07 inches while the Panhandle location of Boise City recorded the lowest total of 1.03 inches. The National Weather Service (NWS) observing site at Ardmore recorded 16.83 inches for its wettest June on record, dating back to 1901. Healdton did the same with 15.48 inches dating back to 1894. The January-June statewide average came in at 28.73 inches, nearly 10 inches above normal and the second wettest first six months of the year on record. Only 1957's 32.69 inches stands higher. For southwestern and south central Oklahoma, it was the wettest on record at 12.04 inches and 20.10 inches above normal, respectively. Oklahoma City recorded 5.77 inches during June to bring its January-June total to 34.43 inches. That tops 1908's total of 33.23 inches as the wettest such period on record.
The statewide average temperature for June was 78.2 degrees, 1.7 degrees above normal and ranked as the 33rd warmest June on record. Altus and Grandfield reached 101 degrees on June 10 while Boise City matched that high on the 22nd for the highest temperature of the month. Several stations recorded 51 degrees on June 1 for the lowest reading. The January-June statewide average stayed just below normal at 55.6 degrees, the 54th warmest such period on record.
The number of confirmed tornadoes during 2015 stood at 75 through June according to NWS data, although there were no reports during June. The total for May rose to 67. The Mesonet site at Minco recorded a wind gust of 96 mph on the 29th associated with a severe thunderstorm.
The July outlooks from the NWS' Climate Prediction Center indicate increased odds of above normal precipitation and below normal temperatures. Accordingly, CPC does not forecast any drought development in the state through the end of July.