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, Aug 01, 2019
Drought returned to the state for the first time since March 12, a stark reminder that spring deluges can quickly be forgotten during the unforgiving Oklahoma summer. The abrupt end of the moisture actually extended back to mid-June in some areas, but the deficits widened further during July. The lack of rain coincided with intermittent periods of hot, windy weather. Those sporadic bouts of extreme summer conditions helped to accelerate the drought development process, despite the month being cooler than normal overall. Severe weather still made its presence known with reports of the customary culprits, including high winds, large hail, and flash flooding. There were no official reports of tornadoes. The preliminary Oklahoma twister count for 2019 stood at 129 at the end of July, the second highest total since accurate records began in 1950. The highest total of 145 occurred in 1999.
According to preliminary data from the Oklahoma Mesonet, the statewide average rainfall total was 1.63 inches, 1.25 inches below normal, to rank as the 29th driest July since records began in 1895. Rainfall fortunes varied widely across the state. Substantial rains fell across much of eastern Oklahoma, where totals of 3-5 inches were common. Copan led the Mesonet at 5.81 inches, with Wister a close second at 5.35 inches. Significant deficits reigned across much of central and western Oklahoma. Forty-five of the Mesonet’s 120 stations recorded less than an inch of rain for the month, while 87 received less than 2 inches. Chickasha had the lowest total at 0.03 inches, although Minco was close behind with 0.04 inches. The Oklahoma City official observing site at Will Rogers Airport recorded 0.06 inches, tied for its fourth driest July on record. By the end of July, parts of north central Oklahoma had gone 45 days without at least a quarter-inch of rainfall. That streak extended to 38 days across central and southwestern Oklahoma. Chickasha, Hobart and Minco had gone 38 consecutive days without at least a tenth of an inch. The first seven months of the year were still extremely wet with a January-July statewide average of 27.86 inches, a surplus of 5.95 inches and the ninth wettest such period on record.
The statewide average temperature was 80.2 degrees, 1.3 degrees below normal to rank as the 34th coolest July on record. Several cold fronts helped keep the extreme heat confined within shorter windows. The strongest of those fronts moved through the state on the 22nd, dropping high temperatures into the low 80s. Lows in the 50s were common, and Camargo dropped to 48 degrees on the 24th for the month’s lowest reading. More than a dozen low temperature records were set across the state that morning. Extreme heat still visited at times, however. Kenton recorded July’s highest temperature at 107 degrees on the 19th. The Mesonet measured heat index values of at least 110 degrees 154 times during the month, maxing out at 116 degrees at Burneyville on July 10. The year continues to run on the cool side. The January-July statewide average was 58.6 degrees, a degree below normal, to rank as the 42nd coolest such period on record.
Nearly 6% of the state was in moderate drought according to the July 30 U.S. Drought Monitor report, and another 13% was considered “abnormally dry,” a drought precursor. Those designations cover most of the southwestern quarter of the state, with another dollop centered over Ellis County in the northwest. Drought development is considered likely across the western two-thirds of the state through the end of August according to the Climate Prediction Center’s (CPC) monthly drought outlook. That drought development would be in addition to those areas that saw drought advance by the end of July. CPC’s temperature and precipitation outlooks for August indicate increased odds of above normal temperatures across the southwestern one-third of the state, and above normal precipitation over far northeastern Oklahoma.