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, Feb 01, 2017
January 2017 would have been remembered as exceedingly warm and dull if not for the visit from a powerful mid-month winter storm. The storm struck over the weekend of Jan. 13-15 and prompted a State of Emergency declaration for all 77 counties by Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin. An unusually moisture-laden weather system for January, the storm left the northwestern half of the state encased in ice and the southeastern half waterlogged. The freezing line meandered about the I-44 corridor at the beginning of the storm before slowly retreating to the northwest, bringing a mixed bag of impacts from southwestern through northeastern Oklahoma. Far northwestern Oklahoma and the eastern Panhandle were particularly hard hit, with ice thicknesses up to 1.5 inches coating trees and powerlines. Catastrophic impacts occurred in that region with widespread tree and electric utility infrastructure damage. At the height of the power outages, more than 23,000 customers were without service, many for several days. At month’s end, there were still approximately 700 customers without electric service. According to the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management, 65 total injuries were reported with the storm due to cuts, falls and automobile accidents. In addition, two electrical linemen were electrocuted in Beaver County while working to restore services, killing one.
The storm dumped 3-4 inches of moisture across the far northwest and south central regions of the state, while 1-2 inches of precipitation fell across most other areas. Another storm the following weekend added to those previous totals to produce a decidedly wet January across Oklahoma. According to preliminary statistics from the Oklahoma Mesonet, the statewide average was 2.52 inches of liquid precipitation, nearly an inch above normal and the 13th wettest January on record. Those records date back to 1895. January was the wettest on record for the Panhandle with an average of 2.4 inches, close to 2 inches above normal. North central and west central sections each tallied their fourth highest totals on record. Skiatook led the Mesonet with 4.05 inches of rain, although Tulsa was close on its heels at 4.02 inches. The Mesonet’s lowest total of 0.84 inches came at Hobart. That was the only Mesonet station that failed to record at least an inch of rain during the month.
Although the ice storm monopolized the headlines, the temperatures were certainly noteworthy as well. An arctic blast on the sixth and seventh of the month plunged Oklahoma into a frigid pool of air not seen in the state since February 2011. Kenton reached minus 19 degrees on the seventh, and Kingfisher and Chickasha fell to minus 12 that same day. Wind chill temperatures dropped into the minus teens to minus 20s over a broad region that morning. Forty-five of the Mesonet’s 121 stations recorded lows below zero during that period and only one station, Tulsa, remained in double-digits with a low of 11 degrees. Several days later, many stations recorded highs in the 70s and 80s. Altus reached 84 degrees on the 11th, January’s highest reading on the Mesonet. Overall, January was pleasantly mild with a statewide average of 40.6 degrees, nearly 3 degrees above normal to rank as the 17th warmest on record.
Before the mid-month deluge, drought had taken firm control over much of the state. Accounts of empty farm ponds, flagging reservoirs, wildfire outbreaks and destroyed wheat crops and grasslands were being reported from all areas of Oklahoma. By January 10, the U.S. Drought Monitor had 88 percent of the state affected by drought, with 58 percent of that being severe-to-extreme. The Drought Monitor’s intensity scale slides from moderate-severe-extreme-exceptional, with exceptional being the worst classification. The month’s final map reflected a reduction in drought to about 80 percent of the state. The severe-to-extreme drought coverage had dropped from 58 percent to 31 percent. About 49 percent was considered “moderate” on the month’s final map.
The Climate Prediction Center’s (CPC) February temperature outlook shows greatly increased odds of above normal temperatures across much of the United States, including Oklahoma. The precipitation outlook shows slightly increased odds of below normal precipitation across the western two-thirds of the state. With those two outlooks in mind, and combined with long-range computer modeled precipitation forecasts, CPC’s February Drought Outlook indicates a persistence of drought across Oklahoma where it existed at the end of January. No further development is expected during February, however.
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