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 »
Fri, Jun 01, 2018
In defiance of spring, Mother Nature slipped right into summer during May, and broke a major record in doing so. Based on preliminary data from the Oklahoma Mesonet, the month finished as the warmest on record with a statewide average of 74.6 degrees, 6.4 degrees above normal. The previous record of 74 degrees was set back in 1962. This abrupt transition was especially jarring coming directly after the second coolest April on record. The heat was unkind to those battling severe drought conditions, but sporadic heavy rains did lend improvements to some. The statewide average precipitation total of 3.99 inches fell 0.83 inches below normal to rank as the 48th driest May on record.
As Mays go in Oklahoma, this year’s chapter was relatively quiet, but severe weather did make itself known at times. Oklahoma’s longest streak without a tornado to begin a year ended on May 2 with at least 15 tornado touchdowns. The Hollis Mesonet site recorded a wind gust of 81 mph on the 14th, damaging trees and outbuildings. Baseball size hail propelled by winds up to 79 mph produced significant damage around Erick in Beckham County on the 29th.
May’s high temperatures rarely reached the extreme category with only a few triple-digit readings during the month’s final week. Temperatures consistently rose into the 90s, however, and heat index values thrived in the high-moisture environment common during May, topping out at 113 degrees at Grandfield on the 31st. That site recorded the month’s highest temperature of 104 degrees that same day. The lowest temperature of 37 degrees was reported by the Eva Mesonet site on May 5. May also marks the end of climatological spring. Combined with a warm March and chilly April, the record-setting May propelled the season to the 30th warmest spring on record with a statewide average of 60.5 degrees, 1.2 degrees above normal. The first five months of the year came in 0.3 degrees above normal to rank as the 41st warmest January-May on record.
Rain totals were highly variable across the state, befitting the convective nature of spring rains in Oklahoma. Parts of southeastern Oklahoma fell close to 5 inches below normal, while isolated areas in northwestern Oklahoma were more than 5 inches above. The Mesonet site at Alva in Woods County recorded 9.2 inches for the month while the Fairview site 40 miles away received 1.5 inches. Those tight gradients were evident throughout Oklahoma. The 9.2 inches at Alva led the state, while Kenton brought up the rear with 0.9 inches. Drought was threatening to develop once again across eastern Oklahoma in those areas with significant deficits. Climatological spring ended as the 22nd driest on record with a statewide average of 8 inches, 3.12 inches below normal. The January-May period was the 49th driest with a statewide average deficit of 1.9 inches.
Drought decreased across the state by a mere 2 percent during May according to the U.S. Drought Monitor, but “Exceptional” drought – the Monitor’s highest intensity level – dropped from 24 percent to 10 percent. A little over 45 percent of the state remained in some level of drought by the end of the month. The Climate Prediction Center (CPC) had little good to say in their June outlooks. Their temperature outlook had greatly increased odds of above normal temperatures across the entire state, but especially the western half. The precipitation outlook indicated increased odds of below normal precipitation for Oklahoma, with higher odds across the western two-thirds. Those outlooks led to a CPC June drought outlook that called for drought to persist across the northwestern half of the state with development likely across the southeastern half.