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, Nov 09, 2018
Oklahomans experienced the gamut of their state’s annual weather hazards during October. Flooding rains, extreme heat, an arctic blast, the season’s first snow, severe thunderstorms, and a slew of tornadoes – all were present during an active weather month. A weak tornado formed near Fairfax on Oct. 7, damaging roofs and power poles. Tornadoes struck again just after daybreak on Oct. 9, forming along the leading edge of a squall line moving across central Oklahoma. Eight tornadoes touched down that day according to preliminary data from the National Weather Service, most in and around the Oklahoma City area. The twisters damaged homes and businesses, but no injuries were reported. The most significant tornado started near Tinker Air Force Base and produced significant roof damage, later flipping cars in a Midwest City parking lot. Straight-line wind damage was also reported across central and eastern Oklahoma with the line of storms. The preliminary count of at least nine confirmed tornadoes is the third highest October tally in the state since records began in 1950, behind 1998’s record total of 27 and 19 in 2001. For excitement of a different sort, the state’s first measurable snowfall of the season occurred on Oct. 14 in the western Panhandle, although a few flakes were reported as far south as Clinton in western Oklahoma. More snow was reported in the Panhandle on a cold and dreary Halloween day.
Moisture was plentiful – and at times overwhelming – for the third consecutive month. According to preliminary data from the Oklahoma Mesonet, October finished with a statewide average of 6.78 inches, sixth wettest since records began in 1895 with a surplus of 3.24 inches. Western and south central Oklahoma were especially wet with widespread totals of 6-12 inches. Sixty-eight of the Mesonet’s 120 sites had at least 6 inches for the month, 13 of which had more than 10 inches. Hobart led the state with 12.89 inches. It was drier than normal for some, particularly across northeastern Oklahoma. Oilton recorded the lowest total at 2.82 inches. Combined with the abundant moisture of the previous two months, the Mesonet’s August-October total jumped to 16.01 inches, 6.05 inches above normal to rank as the fifth wettest August-October on record for Oklahoma. That’s somewhat similar to last year’s 13th wettest total of 12.61 inches for the same period. The January-October average total of 36.16 inches was 4.23 inches above normal, the 17th wettest such period on record.
Mesonet stations saw heat index values of at least 95 degrees 125 times during the month’s first week, with four of those sites reaching 100 degrees. The month’s top actual air temperature of 97 degrees was reported at several sites on Oct. 3. The season’s first freeze arrived on the 14th with temperatures plunging into the 20s across northern Oklahoma. Wind chills dipped into the teens on the 14th and 15th during Oklahoma’s first bout of the season with true arctic air. Eva recorded October’s lowest temperature of 25 degrees on the 16th. The statewide average temperature fell a degree below normal at 59.9 degrees, the 30th coolest October on record. The January-October average of 63.8 degrees was 0.7 degrees above normal to rank as the 32nd warmest such period since 1895.
The wet August-October nearly eradicated drought across the state. Drought dropped from 55 percent of the state at the beginning of August to less than 2 percent at the end of October according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. Far northeast Oklahoma retained the last vestiges of drought as deficits there have continued since October 2017. The November outlooks from the Climate Prediction Center indicate increased odds of below normal temperatures for all but the far western Panhandle, and above normal precipitation across the entire state. That results in a November drought outlook with complete drought removal likely in northeastern Oklahoma, and no new development across the rest of the state.