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 »
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.
