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TweetThe Oklahoma Weather Timeline provides a decade-by-decade listing of interesting or disastrous events that have occurred in Oklahoma's weather history. For more detailed daily summaries (since 2003) please view the Oklahoma monthly climate summaries.
Timeline 1930-1939
1930 January 18: Watts reports overnight low temperature of -27 degrees, to tie the all-time lowest temperature in Oklahoma.
1930 Coldest January of century: statewide averaged temperature of 24.9 degrees.
1930 November 19: F4 tornado at Bethany, kills 23.
1931: Warmest September of century with a statewide averaged temperature of 80.6 degrees.
1932 June 3: Flood on the North Canadian, severe in Oklahoma City. 5 dead, 3200 homeless.
1932-1938: General droughty conditions combine with inappropriate farming practices and a depressed economy to create the "Dust Bowl" throughout the High Plains including northwestern Oklahoma.
1933: Driest June, statewide-averaged precipitation of 0.46 inch.
1933: Tie for warmest December, statewide-averaged temperature of 46.5 degrees.
1934 April 3-4: Hammon flood in eastern Roger Mills County. 14 inches of rain in 6 hours near Cheyenne.
1935: Coldest February of century, statewide-averaged temperature of 44.9 degrees.
1935 February, March, and April: Unusually severe dust storms. The most general one on April 10-11,covered almost the entire state and was the heaviest known in central and eastern portions, reducing visibility to 11/2 blocks as far east as Cleveland (Pawnee County). The "Black Sunday" dust storm that struck in northwestern Oklahoma on the 14th was the worst ever seen in that region. Visibility was reduced to zero from Kenton to Arnett, beginning shortly after 4 PM. According to the observer at Kenton, the storm struck at 4:20 PM "turning afternoon brightness immediately into midnight darkness, and absolute zero visibility. It was totally dark and impossible to see without searchlight for at least 15 minutes. In the course of one hour, faint visibility was returning just enough to get around in the open. The storm came from the north and northeast and traveled at a very great speed." (Quote from Climatological Data, April 1935 which cited Mr. Ralph H. Guy.) "Panhandle stations reported moderate to heavy dust 20 days during the month (April) and light dust on other days." Oklahoma City noted dust on 18 days. Only the 3rd, 19th, and 29th (April) were without dust.
1936: Alva (July 18), Altus (July 19 and August 12), and Poteau (August 12) each report daily maximum temperatures of 120 degrees, the highest ever recorded in Oklahoma.
1936: Warmest (87.9 degrees) and driest (0.22 inches of precipitation) August of century.
1938: Wettest February of century, statewide-averaged precipitation of 4.66 inches.
