Tue, Feb 02, 2021
Warm and Wet January Greets New Year The winter storm that began the year captured January’s biggest weather headline. The event straddled the changeover from 2020 to… Read More »
Mon, Jan 04, 2021
Winter Flexes Muscles During December A powerful winter storm pounded the state on 2020’s final day, a fitting epitaph to a tumultuous year—and a wintry… Read More »
Mon, Dec 14, 2020
OSU - Mesonet offers management tools to help producers promote cattle comfort OSU News and Information https://news.okstate.edu/articles/agricultural-sciences-natural-resources/2020/stotts_cattle-comfort-advisor.html MEDIA CONTACT: Donald Stotts | Agricultural Communications Services | 405-744-4079 | donald.stotts@okstate.edu Read More »
Tue, Dec 01, 2020
November Sees More Drought, Tornadoes November’s weather struggled to live up to the level of excitement provided by October’s historic cold snap and ice storm,… Read More »
Mon, Nov 02, 2020
Historic Storm Haunts October A historic winter ice storm struck the state during the last week of October, leaving nearly 400,000 residences and businesses… Read More »
Thu, Oct 15, 2020
Spring 2021 Mesonet OK-First Classes Spring 2021 OK-First classes for public safety officials are now open for enrollment! For just the second time in program… Read More »
Thu, Oct 01, 2020
Winter Chill Stuns September A historic cold snap set the tone for a cool September, which saw one of the earliest intrusions of winter… Read More »
Tue, Sep 01, 2020
Cold Fronts Tame August Heat Three strong cold fronts brought the summer heat to its knees during August, but drought took advantage of a… Read More »
Mon, Aug 03, 2020
July Sees Drought Relief July brought a near miraculous recovery to much of Oklahoma, which was faced with an intensifying drought headed into… Read More »
Thu, Jul 02, 2020
June Rains Falter As Drought Surges Largely deprived of its primary rainy season, Oklahoma saw drought surge across the state during June. A mid-month bout with… Read More »
Wed, Jun 03, 2020
Tornado Count Slows During May Cool weather dominated a good part of May, and possibly robbed Mother Nature of the heat needed for her… Read More »
Wed, May 20, 2020
Summer/Fall 2020 Mesonet OK-First Classes Summer/Fall 2020 OK-First classes for public safety officials are now open for enrollment! For the first time in program history… Read More »
Fri, May 01, 2020
Weather Hazards Battle for April Headlines It’s difficult to say which weather hazard should claim top billing for April. Two late season freeze events made their… Read More »
Wed, Apr 01, 2020
Spring Steps Forward During March Winter seemed to take a final bow after February in Oklahoma, leaving March with a warm and wet transition to… Read More »
Mon, Mar 02, 2020
Snowstorm Highlights February Weather In February, Oklahoma finally received a month worthy of winter. It wasn’t tremendously cold, nor was it excessively wet, but… Read More »
Tue, Feb 04, 2020
Snow Thrives Despite Warm January Although January’s weather continued this winter’s general tilt towards unusually mild conditions, that failed to prevent several bouts of wintry… Read More »
Fri, Jan 03, 2020
December Tornado Caps Record Year Warm and mostly dry December weather dashed any hopes of walking in a winter wonderland, including dreams of a white… Read More »
Mon, Dec 02, 2019
November Feels Winter Chill November’s weather was somewhat tame by Oklahoma’s standards, with cold weather dominating the headlines. Several intrusions of arctic air blasted… Read More »
Tue, Nov 05, 2019
October's Weather Was Frightful Despite the season, spring and winter weather stole most of the headlines during October. A cold front moved through the… Read More »
Tue, Oct 01, 2019
Summer Weather Scorches September September normally sees at least one or two decent cold fronts to whet the appetite for fall. Mother Nature had… Read More »
Tue, Feb 04, 2020
Although January’s weather continued this winter’s general tilt towards unusually mild conditions, that failed to prevent several bouts of wintry weather from striking the state. In true Oklahoma fashion, the first bout of snow and ice was foreshadowed by severe weather, including a couple of tornadoes. Those weak twisters struck on January 10 near Prague and Park Hill according to National Weather Service reports. The Park Hill tornado was the more destructive of the two, damaging roofs, outbuildings and trees. Notably, the first two tornadoes in 2019, on the way to a record total of 149, did not come until April 17. The snow and ice that followed the severe weather was generally light, but it was enough to disrupt traffic through the 11th. Localized amounts of 2-3 inches were reported in the northeast. Light freezing rain and snow created hazardous driving conditions across northern Oklahoma on the 17th and 22nd. The most impressive winter storm struck in the northwest on the 28th, however. A heavy wet snow – bolstered by half-dollar sized flakes – fell across the northwest quarter of the state. Totals from 3-5 inches were common, with as much as 10 inches being reported from Turpin in the eastern Panhandle. Heavy winds caused blowing and drifting snow and made for `hazardous driving conditions. Despite the multitude of winter storms, most of the state lacked any significant snowfall for the season through January.
According to preliminary data from the Oklahoma Mesonet, the statewide average precipitation total was 3.48 inches, 1.92 inches above normal and ranked as the sixth wettest January since records began in 1895. Totals ranged from 4 to 8 inches across eastern Oklahoma, with the Cloudy Mesonet site leading the way at 8.08 inches. Boise City and Kenton were the only two sites failing to reach an inch of precipitation at 0.17 and 0.23 inches, respectively. Deficits of about a quarter-inch covered that area, while the rest of the state had surpluses of 1-5 inches. A very similar pattern emerged for the December-January period, with precipitation totals ranging from just under an inch in the far western Panhandle to more than 8 inches in the southeast. The December-January statewide average finished at 4.54 inches, a surplus of 0.92 inches, to rank as the 20th wettest such period on record.
The statewide average temperature was 41.9 degrees, 4.2 degrees above normal and the 14th warmest January on record. The Panhandle was an outlier at just 2.7 degrees above normal, but still warm enough to rank as the 18th warmest February for that area of the state. Above normal minimum temperatures were responsible for much of the state’s positive January temperature anomaly. Lows were 5-6 degrees above normal while highs were generally 1-3 degrees above normal. There was a slew of 70s during January, with Hugo’s 77 degrees on the 15th leading the pack. The lowest temperature recorded by the Mesonet was 5 degrees at Boise City on the 11th. The December-January statewide average of 42.5 degrees was the fifth-warmest first two months of winter on record, 4.2 degrees above normal. Remarkably, the Mesonet recorded only six single-digit temperatures at its 120 sites over that period.
The abundant moisture continued to slowly whittle away at persistent drought conditions across southwest Oklahoma and the western Panhandle. Areal coverage of drought dropped about 2% during the month – from 10% to 8%. – according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. Chances for further reductions appear slim according to the Climate Prediction Center (CPC). Their February precipitation outlook indicates Increased odds of below normal precipitation across most of the state, with those odds a bit greater across north central Oklahoma. The temperature outlook shows equal chances for above-, below- and near-normal temperatures across the entire state. CPC’s February Drought Outlook expects the remaining drought to either persist or intensify through the month.
