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 »
Thu, Sep 01, 2016
Autumn didn’t fully arrive during August, but it sure gave Oklahomans a nice preview for a week during the middle of the month. It was enough of a sneak peek to keep the month’s statewide average temperature at about a half-degree below normal. Unfortunately, the autumnal preview was flanked by some downright miserable summer weather. Those summer bookends came with plenty of triple-digit temperatures and even more triple-digit heat indexes. Grandfield led the state with 106 degrees recorded on the third. Meanwhile, it was jacket weather at Bristow with a low of 48 degrees on the 22nd. Oilton recorded a low of 49 degrees the previous day for the first 40s registered in the state since June 17. Broken Bow had the misfortune to claim not only the top heat index of the month at 116 degrees on the 11th, but they also came in second with 114 degrees a day later. The Mesonet reported 110 instances of heat index values of at least 110 degrees. The Panhandle was particularly fortunate to spend a significant amount of time during August behind stalled cold fronts. While those fronts often failed to progress too far southeast, they provided the Panhandle with its 32nd coolest August to date at 1.3 degrees below normal. The end of August also brought the climatological summer – June 1 through August 31 – to a close and this year’s ended as the 31st warmest since records began in 1895 at 1.4 degrees above normal, signifying the very warm June and July this year. For the January-August period, Oklahoma was again on the warm side at 1.7 degrees above normal, the 11th warmest on record.
As is often the case, the rainfall pattern was not quite as simple. The stalled fronts across the northwest provided frequent triggering mechanisms for showers and storms. The Panhandle and west central Oklahoma saw their 26th and 19th wettest Augusts on record, respectively. The far southeast was caught up in the tropical moisture that produced the historic flooding in Louisiana and Texas. The Mesonet gauges in McCurtain County recorded from 8-12 inches. That region’s average of 5.99 inches was more than 3 inches above normal and ranked as their 12th wettest August. Outside of those areas, however, Mother Nature was a bit stingier. From 1-2 inches was the norm, while several stations reported less than an inch. Overall, the statewide average came out just a bit above normal at 3.08 inches. Ringling had the Mesonet’s lowest total during August at 0.26 inches. Mt. Herman led all sites with 12.88 inches. The summer was also near normal but again the disparity between regions was quite stark. The northeast had the driest time at 3.4 inches below normal, their 28th driest summer on record. West central Oklahoma fared the best at more than 2 inches above normal to rank as their 17th wettest. The January-August statewide average came in at 23.89 inches, about an inch below normal.
While the rains across southeastern and northwestern Oklahoma helped prevent and eradicate drought, the dearth of moisture in other areas accelerated drought formation and intensification. The U.S. Drought Monitor map at the beginning of August showed eight percent of the state in at least moderate drought, with an additional 30 percent in abnormally dry conditions – a precursor to drought formation. By month’s end, those numbers had risen to 14 percent in at least moderate drought to 34 percent in abnormally dry conditions. The moderate to severe drought in the far southeast had shifted west, also intensifying across central and northeast Oklahoma. Heavy rains during the month’s final two days could signal drought relief on September’s first Drought Monitor report.
The Climate Prediction Center’s (CPC) temperature and precipitation outlooks for September give equal chances for above-, below- and near-normal values. That does not mean to imply that normal values are expected, rather that all three classifications have equal odds of occurring. A wet looking first two weeks of September prompted CPC’s Drought Outlook to show all the current drought areas in Oklahoma improving by the end of the month.