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, Sep 01, 2017
August is often Oklahoma’s most brutal summer month. The spring rains become a distant memory, heat gains momentum through July, and the state’s landscape turns a sickly shade of yellow. With drought intensifying along with the heat this summer, August looked bleak once again. However, Mother Nature was in a charitable mood. The upper-level heat dome – a common visitor to the Southern Plains in late summer – shifted to the west and brought Oklahoma under northwesterly flow aloft. That change meant more cool fronts and storm systems to interact with the rich moisture flowing north from the Gulf of Mexico. With that favorable pattern in place through much of the month, Oklahoma enjoyed one of its most mild and wet Augusts on record.
According to preliminary data from the Oklahoma Mesonet, the statewide average precipitation total was 6.42 inches, 3.47 inches above normal and the second wettest August since records began in 1895. August 1915 holds the top spot with 6.48 inches. The Oklahoma City East site led the Mesonet with 13.04 inches, but there were plenty of hefty totals during the month. Ten Mesonet sites recorded at least 10 inches, and 79 received between 5 and 10 inches. Buffalo had the lowest total with 1.55 inches. Climatological summer (June 1-Aug. 31) was the 29th wettest on record with a statewide average of 12.24 inches, 1.89 inches above normal. The January-August average of 30.59 inches was 5.73 inches above normal to rank as the eighth wettest such period on record.
Those that don’t favor summer’s usual fare can thank the string of cool fronts, abundant rainfall and its associated cloudiness for the delightfully mild August. According to preliminary data from the Mesonet, the statewide average temperature was 76.4 degrees, 4.4 degrees below normal to rank as the sixth coolest August on record. The Mesonet's 121 stations recorded a temperature of at least 100 degrees 22 times, and those occurred on only two days – Aug. 5 and Aug. 19. Freedom and Kingfisher led the state with 103 degrees on Aug. 5 while Eva had the lowest temperature at 47 degrees on the month’s final morning. Climatological summer ended as the 29th coolest on record with a statewide average of 78.7 degrees, about a degree below normal. The mild August put a dent in 2017’s march towards a top-10 warmest ranking, but the first eight months of the year remained 1.8 degrees above normal at 64 degrees, the 11th warmest January-August on record.
Flooding was the biggest weather hazard Oklahomans faced during August, given the frequent downpours. Flash flooding resulted in numerous water rescues across the Oklahoma City area on both Aug. 22 and Aug. 25, and in the Tulsa area on Aug. 15. The Tulsa area faced a more violent weather hazard early on the sixth with the touchdown of four tornadoes. The strongest tornado, rated an EF-2 on the Enhanced Fujita scale, injured more than two dozen people and caused significant damage to businesses in the midtown Tulsa area. Three additional EF-1 tornadoes struck Broken Arrow, Chelsea, and Oologah. Drought impacts virtually disappeared thanks to the generous rainfall amounts. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, 19 percent of the state was considered in drought and another 30 percent abnormally dry at the beginning of the month. Drought had been totally eliminated and only two percent of Oklahoma was still abnormally dry by the end of August.
The September outlooks from the Climate Prediction Center (CPC) indicate increased odds of below normal temperatures and precipitation across most of the state. However, no drought is expected to develop in September according to CPC’s September Drought Outlook.