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, Dec 01, 2016
Mother Nature did little during November to sooth those areas in Oklahoma most impacted by drought. Significant rains were scattered and temperatures were well above normal – as was the Oklahoma wind. All those factors contributed to drought intensification. According to preliminary data from the Oklahoma Mesonet, the statewide average rainfall total was 1.23 inches, 1.28 inches below normal and ranked as the 41st driest November since records began in 1895. The four sites in McCurtain County led the state with more than 4 inches of rain, the only Mesonet stations out of 119 to eclipse that mark. Valliant led the way with 4.93 inches. Southwestern Oklahoma also saw significant moisture with more than 2 inches across Greer, Kiowa and Comanche counties. Hooker and Goodwell brought up the rear with 0.04 inches and 0.02 inches, respectively. Sixty-three of those 119 stations recorded less than an inch of rain for the month. November brought climatological autumn to a close and as expected, it finished much drier than normal. The September-November statewide average of 6.44 inches was more than 3 inches below normal to rank as the 36th driest fall on record. The January-November period was extremely dry from much of eastern into central Oklahoma. The east central region was more than 10 inches below normal to rank as the 24th driest on record, while southwestern Oklahoma enjoyed a surplus of more than 3 inches and a ranking of 27th wettest. Statewide, the average fell more than 4 inches below normal to rank the year thus far as the 53rd driest on record.
The statewide average temperature was 5.3 degrees above normal at 54.6 degrees to rank as the third warmest November on record. High temperatures rose into the 70s and 80s with unusual regularity well into the month. Buffalo topped the Mesonet with a reading of 90 degrees on the 16th breaking the all-time statewide high for that date. The previous record high for Nov. 16 was 89 degrees set at Ft. Reno more than a decade before statehood in 1894. Periodic cold fronts meant occasional forays into freezing weather, especially in the dry air across northwestern Oklahoma. Hooker and Beaver reached 12 degrees on the 19th for the lowest readings. The Mesonet site at Eva in Texas County fell to 32 degrees or lower for a total of 100 hours to lead the state. Nearly the entire state had experienced a hard freeze of at least 28 degrees by the end of the month. The near historic warmth of October and November pushed climatological fall to end as the 2nd warmest on record at 65.6 degrees, 4.8 degrees above normal, still well below 1931’s 66.4 degrees. The first 11 months of 2016 rose 2.6 degrees above normal, the third warmest such period on record.
Drought erupted and intensified from the beginning of the month according to the U.S. Drought Monitor, rising from 36 percent of the state on Nov. 1 to nearly 57 percent of the state by month’s end. That is the highest percentage of the state in drought since 59 percent on May 5, 2015. The biggest increase came in the more intense drought categories, with severe drought increasing from 8 percent to 16 percent and extreme drought emerging at 3 percent. The Drought Monitor’s intensity scale slides from moderate-severe-extreme-exceptional, with exceptional being the worst classification. Drought increased from 14 percent of the state to 57 percent during autumn. Oklahoma was drought free at the beginning of 2016.
The December temperature and precipitation outlooks from the Climate Prediction Center (CPC) were noncommittal for Oklahoma save for slightly increased odds of above normal precipitation across far southeastern Oklahoma. CPC’s U.S. Monthly Drought Outlook for December therefore showed some drought improvement across far southeastern Oklahoma. Otherwise, drought is expected to persist in the state where it currently exists. No drought development is forecast.