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, Jun 03, 2020
Cool weather dominated a good part of May, and possibly robbed Mother Nature of the heat needed for her most exotic springtime menu item; tornadoes. There was still the normal offering of large hail, damaging winds, and flash flooding, but the twister count was below average. The National Weather Service indicated a preliminary total of 13 tornadoes for the month, well below the 1950-2019 average of 24.4, and a relatively minuscule tally compared to last May’s all-time Oklahoma monthly record of 105. The 2020 preliminary total of 33 also falls below the January-May average of 41.
The statewide average precipitation total was 5.04 inches according to the Oklahoma Mesonet, 0.22 inches above normal and ranked as the 50th wettest May since records began in 1895. It was an all too familiar rainfall pattern for Oklahoma, with roughly the southeastern half of the state receiving an abundance of moisture while the northwestern half suffered deficits. Those deficits approached 3 inches in parts of central Oklahoma, and were generally 1-2 inches elsewhere. Surpluses of 2-4 inches were common across the southeast. Stigler was 9.5 inches above normal with a state-leading 15.06 inches, although Valliant was just a hair behind at 15.05 inches. Kenton occupied a familiar spot with the state’s lowest total of 0.48 inches. The northwest versus southeast rain pattern extended from spring back to the beginning of the year. Spring ended as the 24th wettest on record with a statewide average of 13.1 inches, 1.98 inches above normal, yet the Panhandle suffered its 24th driest at 3.31 inches, 2.58 inches below normal. Spring deficits ranged from 2-4 inches across the northwest quarter, but a bit above that in Blaine and Kingfisher counties. Surpluses peaked at 8-12 inches in far eastern Oklahoma. The first five months of the year ended with a surplus of 4.01 inches, the 14th wettest January-May on record at 18.52 inches averaged statewide.
The month both began and ended with summer-like conditions, but sandwiched in between was an extended period of much cooler than normal weather. Temperatures soared into the 80s and 90s the first few days of the month, while the southwest saw triple-digits. The airport at Frederick reached 108 degrees on May 4 to become the highest temperature ever recorded in the state that early in the year, topping Buffalo’s 107 degrees from May 1, 1992. The weather cooled from there until the final week when highs once again reached the 80s and 90s. Overall, the statewide average temperature as measured by the Oklahoma Mesonet was 66.8 degrees, 1.4 degrees below normal to rank as the 35th coolest May on record. The lowest temperature of the month was 31 degrees at Eva on the ninth – the state’s final freeze of the season. Spring finished on the warm side by 0.8 degrees at 60.1 degrees, the 38th warmest on record. The year was still on a warm pace at 52.9 degrees, 1.3 degrees above normal for the 21st warmest January-May in the books.
Drought took a large step forward across western into central Oklahoma, increasing its areal coverage from about 4% at the end of April to more than 14% at the end of May. Drought also increased in severity in the far western Panhandle with most of Cimarron and Texas counties covered by moderate to severe drought by the end of the month. The June temperature and rainfall outlooks from the Climate Prediction Center (CPC) show little hope for substantial drought relief; increased odds of above normal temperatures and below normal precipitation are indicated across all of Oklahoma. Those odds are reflected in CPC’s June drought outlook, with those areas of existing drought in the state expected to persist and intensify. Additional drought development is termed “likely” across much the rest of northern and western Oklahoma.