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, Aug 03, 2020
July brought a near miraculous recovery to much of Oklahoma, which was faced with an intensifying drought headed into summer’s scorching middle stanza. Uncharacteristically wet conditions succeeded in beating the drought back to a more manageable level, however, especially across the hardest hit areas in northern and central Oklahoma. Drought covered as much as 51 percent of the state on July 7 according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. That coverage was reduced nearly in half by the end of July, however, eventually encompassing a little less than 26 percent of the state. The worst remaining conditions were across southwestern and west central Oklahoma where severe-to-extreme drought dominated the Drought Monitor map. The Drought Monitor’s intensity scale slides from moderate-severe-extreme-exceptional, with exceptional being the worst classification. Some of the heaviest rains were accompanied by severe weather. Two large areas of severe storms moved from north to south across the center and eastern sections of the state on the 11th, along with damaging winds of up to 80 mph. The storms left tens of thousands without power – for several days in some cases. Another round of storms on the 30th packed winds of over 90 mph and caused extensive tree and power line damage across southern Oklahoma. The Oklahoma Mesonet site at Fittstown recorded a wind gust of 90 mph that evening.
In a stunning reversal of fortune following its 12th driest June on record, north central Oklahoma recorded its second wettest July with an average of 7.8 inches of rainfall, a surplus of 4.99 inches. Only 1950’s 8.59 inches ranked higher. Overall, the statewide average of 4.84 inches was 1.96 inches above normal to rank as the 16th wettest July on record. Several locations broke rainfall records for July. Enid’s 13.06 inches became their highest July total since its records began in 1894, topping 1960’s 12.97 inches. Ames and Jefferson – both with data stretching back to the 1890s – also saw records fall with 10.61 and 9.55 inches, respectively. Enid’s value for the month was bested when a volunteer observer near the small town of Hunter in Grant County reported the state’s highest total with 16.17 inches. That ranks as the 13th highest July rainfall total ever recorded in the state. Wewoka’s 18.83 in 1950 tops the list. Three Oklahoma Mesonet sites surpassed 10 inches, led by Breckinridge’s 11.96 inches. Butler brought up the rear at 1.23 inches. The January-July statewide average of 25.07 inches ranked as the 19th wettest such period on record with an average surplus of 3.16 inches.
The month began with searing heat, peaking on the 14th with the Mesonet’s site at Hollis hitting 113 degrees. The Mesonet’s 120 sites recorded triple-digit readings 258 times during the month, and 286 heat index values of at least 110 degrees. Stillwater topped heat index reports during July at 121 degrees on July 11. Rain and its associated cloudiness helped to cool the state down during the second half of the month. The most enjoyable weather was reserved for the month’s final week when highs dropped into the 80s and low 90s. Northeastern Oklahoma failed to escape the 70s on July’s final day. Altogether, the statewide average temperature was 82 degrees to rank as the 54th warmest July on record at half a degree above normal. The first seven months of the year were 1.4 degrees above normal at 60.9 degrees to rank as the 17th warmest January-July on record.
The Climate Prediction Center (CPC) sees continued drought woes through August for those areas of the state currently in drought, but no further drought development is expected. Drought is expected to persist or intensify across much of the western half of the country. The temperature outlook indicates increased odds of below normal temperatures across the northeastern third of the state, but the worst drought areas across western Oklahoma are shown with “equal chances,” where odds are equal for above-, below- and near-normal temperatures. The precipitation outlook also shows all of the Southern Plains, including Oklahoma, with those same equal chances for each corresponding rainfall category.