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 »
Mon, Mar 02, 2020
In February, Oklahoma finally received a month worthy of winter. It wasn’t tremendously cold, nor was it excessively wet, but it did provide much of Oklahoma with its first decent snow of the season. A strong storm system passed through the state on February 5 and dropped sleet, freezing rain, and 4-6 inches of snow along and around the Interstate 44 corridor. Higher totals of 6-8 inches were reported in the southwest, with a few localized areas receiving as much as 10 inches. There were other minor winter systems throughout the month, but none that packed the punch of the February 5 storm. For the cool season through February, all of Oklahoma has had at least a trace of snow. Portions of northwestern Oklahoma and the western Panhandle have received more than a foot of snow. Severe weather was rare during February, other than some storms in the southeast on the 18th that had large associated with them.
According to preliminary data from the Oklahoma Mesonet, the statewide average temperature was 41.6 degrees, half of a degree below normal to rank as the 68th coolest February dating back to 1895. That statewide reading was influenced by below normal temperatures in the far southwest, as well as sustained frigid conditions in the far western Panhandle; readings there were 2-3 degrees cooler than normal. The month’s high temperature of 83 degrees was recorded at three different Mesonet sites on February 2. The lowest temperature of 1 degree came just four days later at Tipton. Buoyed by unusual warmth during December and January, the climatological winter (December-February) was significantly warm at 42.3 degrees, 2.8 degrees above normal and ranked as the 10th warmest on record. February’s highest and lowest temperatures also served as winter’s extremes. The first two months of the year ranked as the 28th warmest such period on record at 41.9 degrees, 2.1 degrees above normal.
There were some hefty rainfall totals during February, but those were uncommon. Heavy rainfall for the month was concentrated in the most likely area; far southeastern Oklahoma had totals from 4-6 inches, with the Mt. Herman Mesonet site leading the way at 6.02 inches. The driest area also came as no surprise. The far western Panhandle station of Kenton had the lowest total with 0.26 inches. Most surpluses and deficits were within a half-inch of normal. Combined, the statewide average was 1.81 inches, just 2 hundredths below normal to rank as the 45th wettest February since 1895. Of the Mesonet’s 120 sites, 41 recorded less than an inch of moisture for the month. Winter ended as the 28th wettest on record, but only 0.85 inches above normal with a statewide average of 6.3 inches. Cloudy led all sites with 14.46 inches of rainfall for the season. Kenton had the lowest winter total of 1.06 inches. The first two months of 2020 were the 10th wettest January-February on record at 5.25 inches, 1.86 inches above normal.
Oklahoma’s drought coverage was cut nearly in half through February according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. The amount of drought stood at 8.03% at the end of January, but had dropped to 4.66% by the end of February. An even larger reduction occurred since the start of climatological winter on December 1, when drought covered 14.27% of the state. All of the drought over the last three months occurred across the western one-third of the state. The amount of the state in at least “abnormally dry” conditions – areas in drought and additional parts possibly headed towards drought – fell from 35% to 13% through winter. The March temperature outlook from the Climate Prediction Center (CPC) indicates increased odds for above normal temperatures across all of Oklahoma, but those odds are greater in eastern Oklahoma. The precipitation outlook shows enhanced chances of below normal precipitation across the northwestern quarter of the state, but above normal across far eastern Oklahoma. CPC expects the existing drought to persist in the state through March, but no new development is anticipated.