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 »
Fri, May 01, 2020
It’s difficult to say which weather hazard should claim top billing for April. Two late season freeze events made their pitch by battering the state’s winter wheat crop and fruit orchards, primarily on the 15th and again on the 18th. Temperatures dropped into the 20s as far south as the Red River, with a bit of light snow falling across the western half of the state during the extended cold snap. Drought also made a bid for the top spot by threatening to spread from its confines in the far western Panhandle to a much broader area of western Oklahoma. Some locations barely had enough moisture to wet the topsoil, further damaging agricultural interests. A burn ban was implemented in Texas County due to extreme fire danger, a result of the dry conditions. Despite the impacts of those hazards, the winner of the headline battle went to the gold standard of Oklahoma’s springtime hazards – severe weather. Four different storm systems brought violent weather to Oklahoma during April, including hail from the size of golf balls up to softballs, damaging winds of over 80 mph, and at least 13 tornadoes. The worst of those twisters struck southern portions of Madill late on the afternoon of the 22nd, killing two and destroying at least a dozen homes and businesses. The tornado was rated as an EF2 by National Weather Service investigators. Another EF2 twister touched down in McCurtain County on the 28th. The two fatalities were the first in the state due to a tornado since May 25, 2019, in El Reno. The 13 confirmed tornadoes raised the preliminary 2020 total to 18. Average for January-April in Oklahoma is 16.5.
According to preliminary data from the Oklahoma Mesonet, the statewide average temperature for the month was 57.5 degrees, 1.8 degrees below normal to rank as the 28th coolest April since records began in 1895. Altus recorded the month’s highest temperature of 98 degrees on the 28th. Kenton dropped to 19 degrees during the April 15 freeze event for the state’s lowest reading. Hours spent below freezing ranged from 92 at Boise City to about an hour at several locations across the southeast. Six of the Mesonet’s 120 stations failed to fall below freezing during April. The first four months of the year remained 1.9 degrees above normal at 49.3 degrees, the 20th warmest January-April on record.
The statewide average precipitation total finished at 2.69 inches to rank as the 43rd driest April on record at 0.57 inches below normal. Thirty-four Mesonet sites recorded at least 4 inches of rain for the month, with 13 of those seeing 5 inches or more. Clayton led the state with 9.01 inches. Twenty-seven sites saw an inch or less with Watonga bringing up the rear at 0.23 inches. The eastern quarter of the state had surpluses ranging from 1-3 inches for April, while parts of western and central Oklahoma suffered deficits of nearly 3 inches. West central Oklahoma’s total of 0.83 inches was 1.58 inches below normal to rank as their 13th driest on record, while the southeast saw their 32nd wettest at 6.22 inches, 1.74 inches above normal. The January-April statewide average was 13.16 inches, 3.47 inches above normal to rank as the 10th wettest on record.
The persistent moderate to severe drought conditions across the western Panhandle expanded slightly eastward during April, but the amount of “abnormally dry” conditions – signifying areas in danger of drought – increased from 4% at the end of March to 14% at the end of April. The new areas were contained entirely within the western half of the state. The May temperature and precipitation outlooks from the Climate Prediction Center (CPC) don’t hold much hope for alleviating the dry areas of western Oklahoma. Greatly increased odds of above normal temperatures are indicated for far western Oklahoma, with increased odds for above normal precipitation confined to the eastern two-thirds of the state. The increased heat would exacerbate the loss of soil moisture across western Oklahoma, possibly intensifying and expanding the current drought conditions. CPC’s May Drought Outlook reflects that thinking with the western one-quarter of Oklahoma expected to see drought development through the month.