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 »
Mon, Apr 01, 2019
Spring failed to gain a toehold during March, a month that both began and finished with a healthy dose of winter. A powerful cold front plowed through the Southern Plains over the first few days of the month and brought a bit of snow, a bit of ice, and a generous portion of frigid weather. Wind chills fell below zero over much of the state, and as low as minus 12 degrees in the Panhandle. Snow totals were generally light – less than an inch in most areas – although Forgan and Claremore reported 4 and 5 inches, respectively. Another strong front struck during the last couple of days of March and dropped low temperatures well below freezing across the northwestern half of the state. The Mesonet site at Eva recorded a teeth-chattering 16 degrees on March’s final day. Hail up to the size of baseballs plagued central and eastern Oklahoma associated with a storm system on the 23rd and 24th. Perhaps the most damaging March hazard was a windstorm that enveloped the state March 13-14. Winds gusted to more than 70 mph across western Oklahoma, and 50-60 mph to the east. The Oklahoma Mesonet recorded 303 instances of wind gusts 58 mph or greater on the 13th, the speed required to trigger a severe thunderstorm warning according to National Weather Service criteria. There were widespread reports of downed power lines and trees, and a fire station in Del City lost part of its roof due to the severe winds.
According to preliminary data from the Oklahoma Mesonet, March fell 3.4 degrees below normal with a statewide average of 47 degrees. That ranked the month as the 33rd coolest March since records began in 1895. The chill during that first week was profound. High temperatures in the Panhandle failed to reach 20 degrees on March 3-4, more than 30 degrees below normal. Kenton recorded a low of minus 2 degrees on March 5 for the lowest temperature of the month. McAlester broke its record low on March 5, falling to 13 degrees. The northwest half of the state spent more than 100 hours below freezing during March’s first seven days, with 50-90 of those hours below 24 degrees. The southeast half spent 50-90 hours below 32 degrees. There was a bit of spring heat to satisfy warm weather fans, mostly during the latter half of the month. Arnett and Woodward reached 87 degrees on the 28th for the highest mark. The January-March statewide average of 42 degrees was 1.4 degrees below normal, the 58th coolest first three months of the year on record.
The statewide average precipitation total was 2.58 inches, 0.46 inches below normal and ranked as the 53rd wettest March on record. There was a wide disparity between rain totals in various regions of the state, however. West central Oklahoma finished with an average of 2.86 inches, 0.57 inches above normal for their 21st wettest March on record. The Panhandle was close behind at 0.54 inches above normal with an average total of 1.97 inches, their 24th wettest March on record. Meanwhile, the southeast was more than an inch below normal at 3.12 inches, their 44th driest March. While all of the Mesonet’s 120 stations received at least an inch of rain, the majority ended at a deficit for the month. Boise City recorded the least with 1.16 inches. Cookson led all stations with 4.66 inches. The first three months of the year saw a deficit of 0.22 inches, the 50th wettest January-March on record.
Following a brief flare up of drought in southwest Oklahoma in late February, enough precipitation fell to reduce that area back to “abnormally dry” conditions on the U.S. Drought Monitor report during March. According to the April outlooks from the Climate Prediction Center (CPC), chances of that drought returning within the next month are remote. Those outlooks show increased odds for above normal precipitation across the entire state during April. Chances are also increased for above normal temperatures over eastern Oklahoma and the western Panhandle. CPC’s April drought outlook does not indicate any drought intensification within Oklahoma during April.