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 »
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, Dec 01, 2021
An extended pattern of warm, dry weather exacerbated drought conditions during November. Drought impacts, including fire danger and soil moisture depletion, increased throughout the month under the pressure from unusually high temperatures and strong winds. At the end of November, much of the area west of Interstate 35 had gone from 20 to 60 days without at least a quarter-inch of rain in a single day. For Boise City, that streak had extended to 95 days. Nearly 42% of the state was in drought by the end of the month according to the U.S. Drought Monitor, but another 38% was considered abnormally dry and in danger of slipping into drought without beneficial moisture soon. There was one burst of excitement from severe weather. An outbreak of severe storms struck central and northeastern Oklahoma the evening of Nov. 10, bringing large hail and damaging winds to those areas of the state. Four tornadoes touched down in northeastern Oklahoma that night, raising 2021’s preliminary total to 60. The annual average tornado total for Oklahoma is 57.2, based on data from 1950 to 2020.
The statewide average precipitation total for the month finished at 0.82 inches, 1.5 inches below normal and ranked as the 29th driest November since records began in 1895. Sallisaw led the month at 2.38 inches. Only five Oklahoma Mesonet sites reached the 2-inch mark. Sixty-eight sites fell below an inch, and two sites—Boise City and Kenton—failed to register any precipitation at all. November rainfall deficits ranged from over 3 inches in far southeastern Oklahoma to about half an inch across the western Panhandle. There were no areas with a moisture surplus. The parched month capped off an exceedingly dry climatological fall, which runs from Sept. 1 through Nov. 30. The statewide average total was 5.81 inches, 3.19 inches below normal, to rank as the 27th driest autumn on record. Miami’s 13.4 inches led the seasonal totals while Kenton’s 0.7 inches captured the low mark. The first 11 months of 2021 had a statewide average of 32.34 inches to finish 1.91 inches below normal, the 61st wettest January – November on record.
The statewide average temperature was 51 degrees, 1.6 degrees above normal and ranked as the 29th warmest November on record. The unusually warm weather was sustained throughout the month with just a few transitory reminders of the actual season. The Mesonet recorded temperatures of at least 80 degrees nine days out of the month, including the final two. Beaver managed 90 degrees on Nov. 7, and Mangum also reached that mark on the 16th, to tie for the highest reading of the month. It did get cold at times, especially in the dry air of the Oklahoma Panhandle. Boise City reached a low of 15 degrees on the 18th for the lowest temperature of the month. The climatological fall ended as the 8th warmest on record with a statewide average of 64 degrees, 2.8 degrees above normal. The January-November period was 0.4 degrees below normal at 61.9 degrees, the 55th warmest such period on record.
With drought beginning to flourish once again, all eyes turn towards December for hopes of relief. The precipitation outlook from the Climate Prediction Center is not high on optimism, however, with increased odds of below normal precipitation indicated for the entire state. Those odds are even more enhanced across most of western and southern Oklahoma. Warm weather can increase drought impacts, and CPC’s December temperature outlook shows odds tilted strongly towards warmer than normal conditions across the state, especially the southern half of Oklahoma. With those considerations in place, CPC’s December drought outlook calls for persistence and also intensification of drought across the western two-thirds of the state, but also bleeding into far northeastern Oklahoma. CPC lists their forecast confidence as “high” for the Oklahoma region in December’s drought outlook.