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, Nov 01, 2021
Oklahomans are growing accustomed to Mother Nature’s October weather shenanigans following a snowstorm of up to 13 inches in 2019 and a crippling ice storm in 2020. A spring severe weather motif was chosen for October 2021 with at least 31 tornadoes touching down during the month, besting the previous October record total of 27 set back in 1998. That preliminary total also surpasses the 25 twisters tallied during the first nine months of the year. While most of the tornadoes were considered weak — rated EF0 or EF1 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale — they were damaging, nonetheless. Oct. 10 was the most active day with 17 confirmed tornadoes along the Interstate 44 corridor. The most intense twister, rated an EF2, touched down near Anadarko and created “substantial” damage throughout the town according to Anadarko city officials. Two EF1 twisters struck Coweta and Webbers Falls later that night and damaged numerous homes and businesses, as well as Coweta High School. Severe winds and large hail were also quite fierce that evening. Norman was hit with hail up to the size of baseballs that caused significant damage to a large swath of the city. It was Norman’s second disastrous hailstorm in 6 months. Another severe weather outbreak struck the evening of the 12th overnight into the 13th, producing another 13 tornadoes which were also accompanied by large hail and severe winds. These tornadoes traversed southwest through central Oklahoma, damaging houses and businesses along the way. The month’s final tornado struck northeast Norman just after midnight on Oct. 27, damaging trees, fences and homes. The preliminary total for the year now stands at 56. The annual average for Oklahoma is 57.2 tornadoes based off of 1951-2020 data. Non-thunderstorm related winds buffeted the state on Oct. 28. Fifty-seven of the Mesonet’s 120 sites recorded wind gusts of at least 50 mph. The site at May Ranch in northern Woods County reported a gust of 74 mph that afternoon.
The statewide average rainfall total of 3.76 inches was 0.4 inches above normal and ranked as the 37th wettest October since records began in 1895. Totals of 4-8 inches were common across central and eastern Oklahoma, as well as parts of the southwestern corner to the state. Several areas across western Oklahoma failed to eclipse the 2-inch mark, however. The Mesonet site at Cookson led the state with 8.82 inches while the site at Kenton had the low end of the sites at 0.36 inches. Fifty-eight Mesonet sites recorded at least 4 inches for the month, and another 18 reported at least 3 inches. The statewide average for the first 10 months of the year was 31.51 inches, 0.42 inches below normal and ranked as the 47th wettest January-October on record.
Summer seemed reluctant to give way to fall during October. Triple-digit temperatures occurred as late as October 9, and Hollis reached 92 degrees on the 26th. The statewide average temperature finished at 64 degrees, 2.7 degrees above normal and ranked as the 22nd warmest October on record. The highest temperature of the month, 102 degrees, was recorded at Freedom on Oct. 9, one of five sites to reach at least 100 degrees on that date. The first freeze of the fall season occurred at Eva on Oct. 14 with a low of 32 degrees. The lowest temperature of the month was 26 degrees at Eva on the 16th. The first 10 months of the year ranked as the 61st coolest on record at 63 degrees, 0.6 degrees below normal.
The flash drought that had surged across the state during September was greatly diminished during October, dropping from 73% to just under 41% throughout the month according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. However, an additional 54% of the state remained under abnormally dry conditions according to the report. The Climate Prediction Center’s November outlooks indicate increased odds for above normal temperatures across the entire state, and below normal precipitation across southwestern Oklahoma and the western Panhandle. CPC’s November drought outlook sees drought persisting through the month where it is already established, but also developing across all the remaining western two-thirds of the state.
