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 »
Tue, Oct 01, 2019
September normally sees at least one or two decent cold fronts to whet the appetite for fall. Mother Nature had different plans this year, however, steering summer right past the beginning of autumn and giving Oklahoma its fourth warmest September since records began in 1895. The Panhandle experienced its warmest September on record, while the north central, southeast, and west central areas of the state had their second warmest. Tulsa ended with their second warmest September on record at 81.2 degrees, 8.2 degrees above normal. Oklahoma City’s 78.8 degrees earned them a ranking of seventh warmest at 4.9 degrees above normal. Gage suffered its warmest September since its records began, dating back to 1904. At least eight other NWS sites eclipsed their previous September monthly temperature records.
The statewide average temperature of 79.4 degrees – as observed by the Oklahoma Mesonet – was a whopping 7.1 degrees above normal. Only 1931’s 80.1 degrees, 1998’s 79.6 degrees, and 1939’s 79.5 degrees were higher. Triple-digit temperatures occurred as late as Sept. 27 with the Buffalo and Freedom Mesonet sites registering 101 and 100 degrees, respectively. The month’s highest temperature of 103 degrees occurred at Grandfield on the seventh. Twenty-eight readings of at least 100 degrees were reported by the Mesonet during the month. The month’s lowest reading was 48 degrees at Kenton on the 25th. The heat index was not as unbearable as it had been over the previous couple of months, but it did hit the century mark 596 times at the Mesonet’s 120 sites. A heat index of 106 degrees topped that category at six different sites. The first nine months of the year ended at 63.7 degrees, 0.3 degrees above normal to rank as the 50th warmest January-September on record.
Rains were both plentiful and scarce, depending upon location. The statewide average of 3.43 inches was a tenth of an inch below normal to rank as the 51st wettest September on record. Deficits of 2-4 inches were the rule across the northwest and parts of central and southeast Oklahoma. Meanwhile, surpluses of 2-5 inches occurred in the north central, northeast and southeast sections of the state. Parts of McCurtain County received more than 10 inches while the far northwest struggled to eclipse a half-inch. The Mesonet’s highest recorded total was 11.6 inches at Mt. Herman in McCurtain County. Freedom in Woodward County recorded a tenth of an inch to bring up the rear. The year continued on pace to finish as one of the top-10 wettest on record with a January-September statewide average of 37.01 inches, 8.62 inches above normal, the eighth wettest such period since records began in 1895.
Drought continued a slow decline after peaking in late August. By the end of September, drought had been reduced to less than 12% of the state according to the U.S. Drought Monitor, down from a high of 24% on August 20. Most of the drought was considered moderate in intensity, centered on far southwestern Oklahoma. There was a small area of severe drought in the far southwest that had been downgraded from extreme drought the previous week. The Drought Monitor’s intensity scale slides from moderate-severe-extreme-exceptional, with exceptional being the worst classification. Moderate drought increased slightly across the northwest in Ellis, Roger Mills and Woodward counties. Additionally, 16% of the state was considered in “abnormally dry” conditions, a precursor to drought intensification or an area recovering from drought but not yet back to normal.
The October temperature outlook from the Climate Prediction Center (CPC) indicates increased odds for above normal temperatures across the southeastern half of the United States, including Oklahoma. Those odds are greater across the southern two-thirds of the state. The October precipitation outlook shows increased odds for above normal precipitation across the northwestern one-third of Oklahoma, with better chances in the Panhandle and far northwest. CPC’s October drought outlook anticipates drought removal across the northwest and Panhandle, but persistence in southern Oklahoma.