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, Oct 01, 2021
Drought Makes September Push The 17th warmest and driest September in Oklahoma since records began in 1895 allowed drought to flourish during the month.… Read More »
Mon, Oct 03, 2022
Drought surged across Oklahoma as the driest September since 1956 took its toll on the state’s landscape. The amount of drought in the state remained largely unchanged through September at approximately 99%, but the intensity of that drought increased dramatically according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. Extreme and exceptional drought, the Drought Monitor’s two worst categories, jumped from 47% on Aug. 30 to 64% at the end of September, the highest such levels seen in the state since Feb. 19, 2013. Exceptional drought alone rose to 17%, its highest level since May 8, 2018. Soil moisture plummeted and fire danger increased in the hot, dusty conditions. The USDA estimated that 91% of the state’s topsoil moisture was considered “short to very short” by the end of the month. The Oklahoma Mesonet measured critically dry soils down to at least 32 inches, which helped boost large wildfire potential into the extreme category. Farm ponds were reported low to completely dry across many parts of the state, and the bulk of Oklahoma’s larger reservoirs sat 5-10 feet below normal through the third week of September.
The statewide average rainfall total was 0.71 inches according to the Oklahoma Mesonet, 2.61 inches below normal and ranked as the fifth driest September since records began in 1895. None of the 120 Mesonet sites came even close to a surplus for the month. Fittstown led the way with 2.36 inches. Three western Oklahoma sites—Eva, Grandfield, and Hollis—shared the bottom spot with three-hundredths. Eighty-seven sites recorded less than an inch for the month, and 54 of those sites actually had less than a half-inch. Much of the state had gone at least a month without a quarter-inch of rainfall in a single day, with some locations across northern Oklahoma missing out for more than 60 days. The first nine months of the year remained squarely on the dry side with a statewide average of 22.01 inches, 6.56 inches below normal and ranked as the 21st driest January through September on record. The Oklahoma Panhandle was particularly dry at 11.63 for their ninth driest such period on record.
The statewide average temperature of 75.7 degrees ranked as the 24th warmest September since records began in 1895, 2.8 degrees above normal. Temperatures were solidly above normal for most of the month, at times 10 to 15 degrees higher than the seasonal averages. The 120 Mesonet sites recorded triple-digit temperatures 342 times on 10 separate days, with 102 degrees being the top mark at many locations across several days. The month’s—and possibly the seasons’—final 100s occurred on the 25th at the Burneyville, Hugo, and Valliant Mesonet sites. September’s coldest reading of 36 degrees occurred on the 30th at Wister. That reading and the 39 degrees at Talihina the same day were the first 30s recorded in the state since May 22. The year continued very warm with a January through September statewide average of 64.8 degrees, a degree above normal and ranked as the 22nd warmest such period on record.
The Climate Prediction Center’s outlooks for October portray possible warm and dry conditions continuing, with increased odds of above normal temperatures for the entire state and below normal precipitation for all but the western Panhandle. The western Panhandle has equal chances for above-, below-, and near-normal precipitation for October. CPC’s October drought outlook indicates drought persisting across the entire state through the end of the month, and expanding to cover most of the Southern Plains through that same period.
