Thu, Apr 25, 2024
Summer/Fall 2024 Mesonet OK-First Classes Summer/Fall 2024 Mesonet OK-First classes for public safety officials are now open for enrollment! We will be offering a mix… Read More »
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 »
Thu, Sep 05, 2019
Drought had gained a toehold across western and central Oklahoma during a hot, dry first half of August; further spread and intensification seemed inevitable. All the while eastern Oklahoma was being inundated by heavy rains and flooding. Then the rains spread west, bringing a hefty dose of severe weather and drought relief with them. Mother Nature put an exclamation point on the tumultuous weather on August 26. A stifling day with temperatures in the 100s saw the heat index soar as high as 118 degrees before severe storms – including an EF-1 tornado – blasted the state later that evening. Nearly 100,000 residents were left without power as straight-line winds of up to 90 mph struck central and northeastern Oklahoma. The tornado traveled from Logan County to just north-northwest of Edmond, damaging trees and a few structures along its path. Another weak tornado dropped in Beaver County on the 23rd, again damaging trees and a few structures. The two confirmed twisters brought Oklahoma’s 2019 total to at least 138, the second highest count since accurate records began in 1950. The highest total of 145 tornadoes occurred in 1999.
The statewide average rainfall total was 5.44 inches according to preliminary data from the Oklahoma Mesonet, 2.49 inches above normal and ranked as the eighth wettest August since records began in 1895. Nearly the entire state had a surplus of moisture, save for southwestern and west central Oklahoma where deficits of up to 2 inches occurred. Surpluses ran from 2-4 inches across northwestern Oklahoma to more than 10 inches across the northeastern quarter of the state. Northeastern Oklahoma experienced its wettest August on record with an average of 8.78 inches, 5.54 inches above normal. Twelve of the Mesonet’s 120 sites recorded at least 10 inches of rain, and another 51 had 5 inches or more. The Mesonet site at Oilton led the state with 13.64 inches. Valliant brought up the rear with 0.81 inches, the only site that failed to receive at least an inch of rain for the month. The climatological summer (June-August) ended as the 30th wettest on record at 12.14 inches, 1.79 inches above normal. The northeast also experienced its wettest January-August on record at 47.46 inches, 18.57 inches above normal. The statewide average was 33.87 inches, 9.01 inches above normal to rank as the fifth wettest January-August on record.
The statewide average temperature was 81.8 degrees, a degree above normal to rank as the 46th warmest August on record. Drought-stricken western Oklahoma was 3-4 degrees above normal, while the rainy northeast was 2-4 degrees below normal. Several Mesonet sites reached 108 degrees for the highest temperature of the month. Kenton recorded the lowest reading of 55 degrees on three separate days. The actual air temperature failed to adequately describe the oppressive nature of August’s heat, however. Combined with an abundance of humidity, the heat index soared. The Mesonet’s 120 sites reached a heat index of at least 115 degrees 45 times during August, and at least 110 degrees 566 times. At least one site reached a heat index of 105 degrees on 23 separate days. The summer was a bit mild at 0.3 degrees below normal. The first eight months were on the cool side – about 0.7 degrees below normal, the 48th coolest January-August on record.
Oklahoma’s drought coverage grew from 6 percent at the end of July to nearly 24 percent by August 20, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. While the total coverage decreased to about 18 percent by month’s end, the drought’s intensity increased in the parched southwestern corner of the state. The Climate Prediction Center’s (CPC) September outlooks called for increased odds of above normal precipitation across the northwestern half of the state, but equal chances for above-, below-, or near-normal rainfall in the remainder of Oklahoma. Equal odds were also indicated across the entire state for temperature. CPC’s September drought outlook shows drought persisting in south central Oklahoma, but some improvement is expected farther to the west. No additional development is expected.