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 »
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 »
Wed, Jan 03, 2018
Oklahoma’s seemingly endless supply of mild weather came to an abrupt halt during the third week of December, ushering in a frigid end to a warm 2017. A bulge in the jet stream allowed frosty air to plunge southward and place most of the country into an arctic deep freeze. Oklahoma’s introduction to the cold air came on Dec. 21 and lasted through the end of the year. Highs in the 60s and even a few 70s were common during the first three weeks of December, topped by a high of 83 degrees at three Mesonet sites in southwest Oklahoma on the fourth. Following the arctic front on the 21st, much of the state endured more than 150 hours at or below freezing through the rest of December, topped by Beaver and Slapout’s 216 hours. Mother Nature saved the coldest air for December’s final day with temperatures dipping into the single digits and wind chills of minus 10 degrees or lower across northern Oklahoma. The month’s lowest temperature of zero degrees was recorded at the Eva Mesonet site on the 31st. With the cold air in place, small storm systems brought bouts of occasional wintry weather in its usual forms. Sporadic stretches of light snow provided joy to some, while freezing drizzle caused travel problems for others. Despite the chilly end, December was warm for the most part. According to preliminary data from the Oklahoma Mesonet, the month finished above normal by about a degree with a statewide average of 39.8 degrees. Those records date back to 1895.
The dry weather that had plagued the state since early October continued through December. Of the 120 Mesonet sites, five in northwestern Oklahoma received no moisture for the month, and an additional 39 recorded a quarter-inch or less. The Mesonet site at Beaver had not recorded a drop of precipitation for 85 consecutive days as of Dec. 31, dating back to Oct. 7. Several storm systems managed to squeeze out significant moisture across far southeastern Oklahoma. Eleven stations in the southeast recorded at least 3 inches of rain, with Valliant leading the way at 5.65 inches. Unfortunately, the totals dropped rapidly to the northwest leaving approximately 90 percent of the state below normal for the month. The snowfall was light for the most part, although the Tulsa area accumulated as much as 2.5 inches on the 23rd.
Drought increased at an unusually rapid pace during December, when evaporation and consumption are diminished. The extended dearth of precipitation began to cause significant harm to Oklahoma’s wheat and cattle industry, however. The percentage of drought coverage in the state increased from 40 percent in late November to 76 percent at the end of December according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. Most of that increase occurred across southern and western Oklahoma. The drought intensity was lessened across far southeastern Oklahoma thanks to the beneficial rains, although the area remained in drought. The percentage of the state in drought at the end of December was the most since late March.
Although the statistics paint 2017 as a warm and wet year, the shorter time scales portray Oklahoma’s normal highly variable climate. According to preliminary data from the Oklahoma Mesonet, the year was the 13th warmest since records began in 1895 with a statewide average of 61.8 degrees, 1.8 degrees above normal. The highest temperature recorded by the Mesonet in 2017 was 108 degrees at Kingfisher on July 22, although the heat index calculated at Copan was 115 degrees that same day. The lowest reading of minus 19 degrees came at Kenton on Jan. 7. On that same day, the wind chill calculated at Hooker bottomed out at minus 28 degrees. 2017 also ranked as the 29th wettest year on record at 2.02 inches above normal with a statewide average of 38.52 inches. That rain came in fits and spurts, however. Extended dry stretches occurred during February-March, June-July, and again during the final three months of the year. April and August were both exceedingly wet, ranking as the third and second wettest on record for those particular months, respectively. November ranked as the fifth driest on record. Hugo led the Mesonet with 56.9 inches of rain for the year. Buffalo had the lowest total at 21.1 inches. The National Weather Service’s preliminary tornado count of 86 was well above the 1950-2016 average of 56. May was the big twister month with 57 reported touchdowns, including a deadly EF2 tornado in Beckham and Washita counties that resulted in one fatality. An EF2 tornado injured 30 and caused significant damage to businesses in the midtown Tulsa area on Aug. 6.
The precipitation and temperature outlooks for January from the Climate Prediction Center (CPC) indicate increased odds of below normal temperatures and above normal precipitation across eastern Oklahoma. No clear signal was apparent for the remainder of the state. The CPC January-March outlooks released on December 21 show increased odds for above normal temperatures and below normal precipitation across the entire state, but especially across western Oklahoma. The January Drought Outlook from CPC calls for either persistence or intensification within the drought stricken areas across the western two-thirds of the state. Far eastern Oklahoma could see improvement or even drought removal by the end of the month. La Niña – the cooling of waters in the eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean that tilts the odds for warmer and drier cool seasons across the southern tier of the United States – is expected to continue through mid-to-late spring according to the most recent CPC advisory.