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 »
Thu, Jun 01, 2017
May gets top billing as Oklahoma’s rowdiest weather month, and it certainly lived up to that notoriety this year. At least three major severe weather outbreaks occurred during May. These short but intense periods of disturbed weather brought the state tornadoes, severe winds, hail to the size of grapefruits, and widespread flooding. Data from the National Weather Service suggest as many as 50 tornadoes touched down during the month, a number that could rise as more possible twisters are investigated. The state’s first tornado death since May 9, 2016, occurred with a large EF2 tornado that struck the Elk City area on May 16. The tornado, which reached 1000 yards wide at one point, was on the ground for 18 miles. The fatality occurred as it struck a vehicle, killing the driver who was fleeing the tornado. As many as eight businesses and 200 homes were damaged or destroyed along the twister’s path in Beckham County. The Oklahoma Mesonet site at Walters recorded a thunderstorm related wind gust of 104 mph on the 18th, the seventh highest wind gust recorded by the network since its inception in 1994. The small town then suffered a flash flood the following evening. The last severe outbreak of the month hit the state on the 27th into the 28th with damaging hail, severe winds and numerous tornado warnings.
According to preliminary data from the Oklahoma Mesonet, the statewide average precipitation total was just a tad below normal at 4.66 inches. The rainfall totals were quite variable across the state, however. Mesonet sites in the Panhandle and a broad swath from south central into the northeast ranged from 1-4 inches above normal. Interspaced in between was an even larger area of below normal totals, with deficits of 1-4 inches. The far southeast also came in 2-3 inches below normal. Tishomingo led the Mesonet with 10.05 inches while Tipton brought up the rear with an inch. May’s totals end a climatological spring season (March-May) that saw impressive surpluses erase equally impressive deficits. The spring statewide average was 13.78 inches, nearly 3 inches above normal to rank as the 19th wettest on record. The northeast and Panhandle areas experienced their fifth and sixth wettest spring on record, respectively. The totals exceeded normal by 8-10 inches across the northeast. There were small pockets of 1-4 inch deficits across southern Oklahoma. The January-May statewide average ended at 18.4 inches, 3.89 inches above normal to rank as the 14th wettest such period on record. The wet spring eradicated the last traces of drought within Oklahoma by the end of May, per the U.S. Drought Monitor. It was the first drought-free report for the state since June 21, 2016. Over 73 percent of the state was in drought at the beginning of March.
The wet, stormy weather ensured Oklahoma’s first cooler than normal month since December 2016. The statewide average temperature of 66.6 degrees fell 1.6 degrees below normal to rank as the 34th coolest May on record. While the month itself was mild, one weekend was befitting of mid-summer. Temperatures rose into the upper 90s and 100s from the 25th through the 27th. Combined with a strong flow of moisture from the Gulf of Mexico, the heat index rose even higher, prompting a heat advisory for central and southern Oklahoma. Burneyville registered a heat index of 110 degrees on the 27th. Altus and Grandfield recorded the highest actual air temperature of 102 degrees that same day. The lowest reading was 29 degrees at Kenton on May 1 – also the state’s last freeze. The first five months of the year ended at 55 degrees, the third warmest such period on record.
The outlooks for both temperature and precipitation favor a mild, wet month to come, with increased odds of below normal temperatures and above normal precipitation. Accordingly, the drought outlook for June indicates drought development is unlikely.