Thu, Apr 25, 2024
Summer/Fall 2024 Mesonet OK-First Classes Summer/Fall 2024 Mesonet OK-First classes for public safety officials are now open for enrollment! We will be offering a mix… Read More »
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 »
Mon, Aug 01, 2016
The state’s sizzling summer continued unabated through July, at least for most Oklahomans. The Oklahoma Mesonet recorded at least one triple-digit temperature in the state on 25 of the month’s 31 days. Goodwell and Hooker led all Mesonet sites with highs of 108 degrees on the 11th. Those temperature extremes were reflected in the statewide average for the month. According to preliminary data from the Oklahoma Mesonet, th3 statewide average temperature was 82.8 degrees, 1.3 degrees above normal to rank as the 43rd warmest July since records began in 1895. That does not paint the complete picture of the miserably hot weather, however. Those temperatures combined with the stifling humidity to boost heat index values well into the dangerous category throughout the month. The Mesonet’s 121 stations recorded 984 instances of daily maximum heat indexes of at least 105 degrees, and 89 times at or above 110 degrees. Kingfisher took the top spot in that category at 116 degrees. The climatological summer season, which runs from June 1 through August 31, stands 2 degrees above normal to rank as the 24th warmest June-July on record. Hooker topped the seasonal triple-digit count with 22 days at or above 100 degrees. The January-July statewide average of 61.5 degrees was 2 degrees above normal as well, the ninth warmest such period on record.
Intermittent episodes of very heavy rainfall kept much of the northern half of the state well above normal while far southern Oklahoma was not quite as fortunate. Thirty-four Mesonet sites recorded at least 5 inches of rain during July with Pawnee leading the state at 11.77 inches. Most of central though east central Oklahoma had generous totals of 6-9 inches. That was not the case for southeastern Oklahoma, however. Several stations in that region failed to register an inch of rain for the month with Durant recording the lowest total at 0.23 inches. The statewide average of 3.84 inches was nearly an inch above normal to rank as the 32nd wettest July on record. Thanks to a dry June, the first two months of summer remained on the dry side at nearly a half-inch below normal, although west central and southwestern Oklahoma had a soggier start with their 37th- and 28th-wettest June-July periods, respectively. The first seven months of the year combined for a statewide average of 20.97 inches, about an inch below normal.
The heavy rains from central through northeastern Oklahoma put a halt to the spread of flash drought in those regions, counteracting dry weather that began back in late April. Unfortunately, the aforementioned lack of rain across southern Oklahoma led to flash drought erupting in that region by month’s end. The July 5 U.S. Drought Monitor report had four percent of the state in moderate drought and an additional 15 percent in “abnormally dry” conditions – a drought precursor. The final Drought Monitor of the month had over nine percent of the state in moderate drought, mostly across southeastern Oklahoma, and 29 percent was considered abnormally dry. A small section of Bryan and Choctaw counties had intensified to severe drought. The Drought Monitor’s intensity scale slides from moderate-severe-extreme-exceptional, with exceptional being the worst classification. Several state lakes had begun to show signs of drought stress according to the Oklahoma Water Resources Board. Broken Bow Lake in McCurtain County fell 6 feet below normal as of July 27 and Lake Stanley Draper in central Oklahoma was 10 feet down at that time. Lugert-Altus, Foss, Atoka and Skiatook were some of the other major reservoirs that had dipped below normal.
The Climate Prediction Center’s (CPC) August outlooks called for increased odds of above normal temperature across the eastern half of the state and below normal precipitation across the far southeast. The seasonal outlooks see increased odds for above normal temperatures across the entire United States through early fall and the southern half through winter and next spring. Below normal precipitation over the country’s southern tier, including Oklahoma, is indicated from late this fall through next spring. CPC’s Monthly Drought Outlook expects drought to persist across Oklahoma through August, although no new drought was projected to develop.