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 »
Fri, Oct 01, 2021
Drought Makes September Push The 17th warmest and driest September in Oklahoma since records began in 1895 allowed drought to flourish during the month.… Read More »
Wed, Sep 01, 2021
Drought Returns During Arid August A run of hot, dry weather finished off climatological summer in true Oklahoma fashion following a delightfully mild first two… Read More »
Mon, Aug 02, 2021
Summer Heat Scarce During July Oklahoma’s July was mild for the most part, and a bit wet for much of the state. Extreme temperatures—at least… Read More »
Thu, Jul 01, 2021
June Sees Summer Swoon A slow start to summer gave way to sweltering heat through the middle of June before once again succumbing… Read More »
Tue, Jun 01, 2021
Heat Hiatus Continues During May May’s weather was rather tame by Oklahoma standards, with severe weather greatly diminished by an abundance of cool, cloudy… Read More »
Fri, May 07, 2021
Fall 2021 Mesonet OK-First Classes Fall 2021 OK-First classes for public safety officials are now open for enrollment! We will be offering a mix of… Read More »
Mon, May 03, 2021
Cold April Feels Severe Weather Impacts Cool weather helped keep severe weather at bay in Oklahoma throughout much of April. A late spring freeze—damaging in its… Read More »
Thu, Apr 01, 2021
March Weather More Lamb Than Lion The first month of spring greeted Oklahoma with warmer and more tranquil weather than the historic cold and snowy February… Read More »
Mon, Mar 01, 2021
Historically Frigid February Punctuates Winter Oklahoma experienced a historic cold air event during February, boosting the month into the company of other legendary frozen periods… Read More »
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, May 03, 2021
Cool weather helped keep severe weather at bay in Oklahoma throughout much of April. A late spring freeze—damaging in its own right—punctuated the scarcity of severe weather during the month’s first three weeks. The cold eventually gave way to an emphatic exclamation point, however, when tornadoes, flooding, high winds, and a hail-borne catastrophe struck during April’s final week. At least four confirmed tornadoes touched on April 28, including an EF-1 twister that struck near Pauls Valley at the stroke of midnight. The tornado damaged homes and outbuildings on at least two farms before dissipating. Two more tornadoes struck near Stilwell around 6 a.m., and another near Crowder later that morning. Heavy rains of 4-6 inches fell over a wide area from south central through east central Oklahoma, prompting flood warnings. Pauls Valley recorded over 6 inches of rain overnight on the 28th that left downtown buildings flooded and stranded motorists requiring water rescues. Despite the early fireworks, the big show came later that night. A large, solitary supercell thunderstorm began dropping quarter-size hail near Gotebo that evening. As the storm approached Grady County, the hail size increased to golf balls until growing to baseballs as it entered the Newcastle and Norman area. The storm laid a footprint of giant hail through Norman from west to east, hammering cars and damaging homes in its path. The destructive force of the hail was enhanced by winds of over 70 mph.
A hard freeze saw temperatures drop into the mid-20s over nearly the entire state April 20-21. This freeze was particularly jarring since some locations had not experienced freezing temperatures since early March. According to preliminary data from the Oklahoma Mesonet, the statewide average temperature finished at 57.2 degrees, 2.1 degrees below normal and ranked as the 22nd coolest April since records began in 1895. The state’s highest temperature was 93 degrees at Beaver and Slapout on April 25. The lowest reading of 21 degrees came on April’s first day at Eva in the central Panhandle. The first four months of 2021 fell on the cool side at 45.8 degrees, 1.6 degrees below normal and ranked as the 45th coolest January-April on record.
Interstate 44 was a curious dividing line between feast or famine rainfall during April. Areas to the southeast saw plenty of beneficial moisture while areas to the northwest went largely without significant rainfall. Totals to the southeast of I-44 ranged from 3-9 inches, with the Mesonet site at Sallisaw leading the state at 10.09 inches. Totals dwindled rapidly to the northwest, generally falling below an inch. The Mesonet site at Eva had the lowest tally at 0.02 inches for the month. Regionally, the Panhandle experienced its second driest April on record with an average of 0.11 inches, 1.55 inches below normal. East central Oklahoma’s total of 7.47 inches was its 11th wettest, 3.24 inches above normal. The year fell on the wet side at 9.82 inches, 0.13 inches above normal and ranked as the 41st wettest January-April on record.
Drought nearly doubled during April according to the U.S. Drought Monitor, with coverage expanding from about 11 percent of Oklahoma at the end of March to 20 percent at the end of April. Much of that increase came across south central Oklahoma, where long-term deficits had been expanding since late fall 2020, and over the western third of Oklahoma with its shorter-term deficits. Longstanding drought in the western Panhandle continued unabated during April. The May temperature outlook from the Climate Prediction Center indicates increased odds for above normal temperatures for all of Oklahoma, but especially the southwestern half of the state. The precipitation outlook sees increased chances of drier than normal weather across far western Oklahoma and the Panhandle, but above normal precipitation in the far southeast. CPC’s May drought outlook sees drought development as “likely” across the western one-third of the state, but drought removal or improvement across south central Oklahoma.