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 »
Fri, Apr 01, 2022
March’s weather ran the gamut of nearly all the hazards Oklahoma has to offer, befitting a seasonal transition month in the Southern Plains. Winter got the first crack with a blast of arctic air during the month’s second week. Temperatures plummeted and a storm system blanketed the northern half of the state with 2-3 inches of snow. The frozen weather resulted in numerous traffic accidents and closed many businesses and schools. Spring took its turn with at least three tornadoes rumbling out of Texas across Love, Marshall, and Johnston counties on March 21. The twisters produced significant damage in and around the Kingston and Lake Texoma area, destroying homes and knocking out power to nearly 10,000 customers. Several injuries were reported with the storms, and one fatality occurred across the state line in Texas. One of the tornadoes was rated as an EF2 by National Weather Service personnel that surveyed the damage. Other severe storms occurred on March 17 and 29 with scattered reports of large hail and high winds. Fire danger was a common occurrence throughout the month, a result of the continued dry conditions. Several large fires burned out of control during the last week of March, including the Washita River fire that spread from the Texas Panhandle into Roger Mills County in Oklahoma. The fire, which was still not contained at month’s end, burned nearly 40,000 acres and at least eight structures. The ongoing drought was a constant backdrop to the other weather hazards. Dry conditions that began late in the summer of 2021 were somewhat alleviated by the rain and snow during March. Coverage of the drought dropped through the month from 87 percent at the end of February to 76 percent at the end of March according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. The most intense areas of drought—extreme and exceptional—dropped from 52 to 34 percent over that time.
According to preliminary data from the Oklahoma Mesonet, the statewide average precipitation total finished at 2.45 inches for the month, 0.33 inches below normal and ranked as the 60th wettest March since records began in 1895. Totals ranged from 6.73 inches at Broken Bow to 0.17 inches at Kenton. While deficits were not terribly large, generally ranging from 0.5 to 1.5 inches, they were still prevalent across much of the state. Conditions were much drier in far southwestern Oklahoma and the western Panhandle, and wetter in the northern and eastern sections of the state. Fifteen of the Mesonet’s 120 sites recorded less than an inch for the month, and another 27 had less than 2 inches. Eighteen stations reported 4 inches or more. The first three months of the year were 1.42 inches below normal with a statewide average of 4.62 inches—the 45th driest January through March period on record.
Several winter intrusions inched the month to the cool side of normal. The statewide average temperature was 50 degrees, 1.2 degrees below normal and ranked as the 59th warmest March since records began in 1895. Temperatures across the state ranged from 94 degrees at Hollis on the 29th to 7 degrees at Eva on the 12th. Wind chill values dropped below zero in the Panhandle on several days, the lowest of which was Eva’s minus 7 degrees on the 12th. The first three months of the year were 2.1 degrees below normal with a statewide average of 41.9 degrees, the 56th coolest such period on record.
The Climate Prediction Center’s temperature and precipitation outlooks for April do not give much hope for drought relief through the next month. The outlooks show increased odds of above normal temperatures for the entire state, and below normal precipitation for the southwestern two-thirds of Oklahoma. Those odds are enhanced across far southwestern Oklahoma and the western Panhandle for precipitation, and again in the southwest for temperature. CPC’s April drought outlook shows persistence or intensification during the month where drought already exists, but no new development is expected. The possibility of blowing dust across western Oklahoma due to the dry conditions is also mentioned.