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 »
Tue, May 01, 2018
Wildfires rolled across the Oklahoma prairie for two weeks in April, scorching hundreds of thousands of acres and placing entire towns in jeopardy. The fires came on the heels of more than six months of drought in which western Oklahoma received virtually no significant precipitation. Vegetation that had seen abundant growth during 2017 lay dormant or dead, awaiting a spark. Weather conditions coalesced on the 12th and 17th to produce fire danger labeled “historic.” As feared, fires roared to life on the 12th, driven to a frenzy on winds gusting to over 50 mph. The two largest fires began near each other in northwest Oklahoma. The “Rhea Fire” ignited southwest of Leedey in Dewey County and would go on to consume over 286,000 acres. The “34 Complex Fire,” began as three separate fires in Woodward and Harper counties that merged into one, eventually burning over 60,000 acres. The fires were not fully contained until the 25th following two helpful rainfall events. Numerous smaller fires dotted the Oklahoma landscape. Nearly 400,000 acres burned across the state during the outbreak, burning dozens of homes and causing tens of millions of dollars in damage. Twenty fire-related injuries were reported by area hospitals, mostly due to smoke inhalation. The fires claimed two lives – a 61-year-old man died in Roger Mills County fighting a small fire that began near Leedey, and a woman died in her vehicle near Seiling.
The drought that began in October 2017 continued on during April, despite some beneficial moisture. According to preliminary numbers from the Oklahoma Mesonet, the statewide average of 2.14 inches was 1.12 inches below normal to rank as the 25th driest April since records began in 1895. Tipton had the lowest total of any Mesonet site with 0.52 inches, although Hollis was close behind at 0.54 inches. Okmulgee led the state with 5.35 inches. Only eight of the Mesonet’s 120 sites finished April with an above normal rainfall total. The statewide deficit for the year through April stood at 1.15 inches, the 60th driest January-April on record. The northwestern half of the state was much drier than the southeast through that period, however, with deficits of 3-6 inches common. Boise City recorded a paltry 0.9 inches of precipitation since the beginning of the year, while Broken Bow has had 28.3 inches.
April was remarkably cool with a statewide average of 54.1 degrees, 5.2 degrees below normal to make it the second coolest on record. Only 1983’s mark of 53.2 degrees was lower. The lowest April temperature of 16 degrees occurred at Buffalo on the fourth and Slapout on the seventh. The highest temperature 102 degrees was reported at four Mesonet sites across western Oklahoma on the 12th. The January-April statewide average temperature was 46.2 degrees, 1.2 degrees below normal to rank as the 50th coolest such period on record.
Despite the modicum of relief experienced by western Oklahoma, the amount of drought in the state remained steady at 47 percent from the end of March through April, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. The percentage of drought considered extreme-to-exceptional, the two worst categories, also remained unchanged at 35 percent. Exceptional drought, the highest level on the Drought Monitor’s intensity scale, actually increased from 15 to 20 percent.
The May temperature and precipitation outlooks from the Climate Prediction Center call for increased odds of above normal temperatures across the entire state, and above normal precipitation across all but the far western Panhandle. The greatest odds for above normal rain amounts fall across far southern Oklahoma. Despite those odds, drought is expected to persist or intensify across much of western Oklahoma due to the severity of the deficits seen in those areas since last October. To the east of that area where drought is not quite as severe, some drought improvement or removal is favored.