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 »
Wed, Apr 01, 2020
Winter seemed to take a final bow after February in Oklahoma, leaving March with a warm and wet transition to spring. Areas of southern Oklahoma failed to see temperatures dip below freezing, and Hollis managed to hit 100 degrees on one of the earliest dates in state history. The lack of wintry weather was replaced by active spring weather. Severe storms were not prevalent, but there were three distinct storm systems that brought damaging weather to the state. Severe storms on the 19th spawned at least two tornadoes according to preliminary data from the National Weather Service. The first twister touched down just after midnight on the 19th near Olive in Creek County, damaging trees and a few structures. The second tornado struck later that morning near Okemah in Okfuskee County, again damaging trees and a few structures. The two confirmed tornadoes became the fourth and fifth the state has seen thus far in 2020, equaling the 1950-2019 average for those three months.
According to preliminary data from the Oklahoma Mesonet, the statewide average rainfall total was 4.93 inches, 1.89 inches above normal to rank as the fifth wettest March since records began in 1895. As is usually the case in Oklahoma, the heftiest totals were primarily across eastern sections. Totals from 6-9 inches were common southeast of Interstate 44, with Byars leading the way at 9.44 inches for the month. Of the Mesonet’s 120 sites, 74 had at least 5 inches of rain, and 25 of those sites had at least 7 inches. The only stations that failed to reach at least an inch were in the far northwest, including three of the sites in the drought plagued western Panhandle. Kenton had the lowest March total with 0.32 inches. The far northwest was the only area of the state with a moisture deficit – generally less than an inch – while surpluses generally grew to 1-3 inches elsewhere. Southwestern and south central Oklahoma saw their third wettest Marches on record at 2.42 inches and 2.94 inches above normal, respectively. The first three months of the year finished with a statewide average of 10.21 inches, 3.78 inches above normal to rank as the fifth wettest January-March since 1895.
The statewide average temperature was 54.9 degrees according to the Mesonet, 4.5 degrees above normal to rank as the 12th warmest March on record. That lofty ranking was owed as much to the lack of cold weather as to an abundance of warm weather. Fifteen Mesonet sites failed to dip below freezing during the month, and more than half spent less than 10 hours at or below 32 degrees. Eva led the state with 76 hours below freezing. The month’s lowest temperature of 20 degrees occurred at three different sites over two days. The month’s highest temperature was a record breaker. Hollis reached 100 degrees on the 26th for 2020’s first triple-digit temperature, the last dating back to Sept. 27, 2019. It also set the mark for the highest temperature ever recorded on any March 26 in Oklahoma history. The January-March statewide average temperature was 46.4 degrees, 2.9 degrees above normal to rank as the 16th warmest such period since 1895.
Very little drought remained in the state at the end of March, although the heaviest precipitation failed to hit the most stricken area. The far western Panhandle remained in moderate-to-severe drought, virtually unchanged since the beginning of last fall. Smaller areas of persistent drought in the far southwest received enough precipitation to be improved to the point of elimination. The April temperature and precipitation outlooks from the Climate Prediction Center (CPC) do not provide much hope for drought relief in the western Panhandle with increased odds of above normal temperatures and precipitation over much of the state, but no such indications in that area. Given those outlooks, CPC’s April drought outlook expects some relief for the remaining dry conditions in the far southwest, but persistence and possibly even more development southeastward in the western Panhandle.