Thu, Apr 25, 2024
Summer/Fall 2024 Mesonet OK-First Classes Summer/Fall 2024 Mesonet OK-First classes for public safety officials are now open for enrollment! We will be offering a mix… Read More »
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 »
Wed, Nov 01, 2017
October’s weather was highly variable, and a bit too exciting at times as is usually the case during this transition period from summer to winter. Temperatures ranged from the teens to the 90s and rainfall totals fluctuated from double-digits to less than a quarter-inch. Flurries in the Panhandle as early as Oct. 11 brought the state its first snow of the season, although the sleds remained stored in the attic. The last of several cold fronts during the month provided trick-or-treaters with a chilly and sometimes damp search for candy. Severe weather seemed to get the most emphatic exclamation point of the month, however. Turbulent weather on the 21st brought severe winds, large hail and at least five tornadoes according to preliminary numbers from the National Weather Service. Twisters are not particularly uncommon during October. From 1950 through 2016, it had the fifth highest tornado count of any month with 130, and stands as the most active fall month. It is more uncommon to have a tornado strike a venue where The Beach Boys are performing, however. An EF1 tornado touched down on the east side of Newcastle and moved along State Highway 9 into the Norman area, striking the site of the concert at the Riverwind Casino. Minor damage was reported at the facility, and no injuries were noted. Another EF1 tornado moved through the northwest outskirts of Seminole, damaging homes and businesses. An additional three tornadoes were being investigated in southwest Oklahoma. The preliminary count for the year rose to 81 tornadoes, well above the 1950-2016 annual average of 56.
According to preliminary data from the Oklahoma Mesonet, the statewide average precipitation total finished at 3.43 inches, 0.11 inches below normal to rank as the 42nd wettest October since records began in 1895. Pawnee led the Mesonet with 10.95 inches for the month, more than 7 inches above normal. That surrounding area in the northeast saw widespread totals of 6-9 inches. Kenton measured a measly 0.16 inches, more than an inch below normal for that portion of the state. Twenty-nine of the Mesonet’s 120 stations recorded at least 5 inches of rain, and another 20 had at least 4 inches. Deficits of 1-3 inches were evident across northwestern and southern Oklahoma. The year was still on pace to finish significantly wet with a statewide average of 37.09 inches, 5.16 inches above normal to rank as the 12th wettest January-October since 1895.
Temperatures went on a roller coaster ride during October with wild swings between storm systems and fronts. Those extreme temperature variations were epitomized on Oct. 9 during the passage of a strong cold front. At one point that afternoon, the wind chill was 29 degrees in Boise City and the heat index was 97 degrees in Durant. The Mesonet’s actual air temperatures during October ranged from 94 degrees at Idabel and Valliant to 18 degrees at Buffalo on the 28th. The season’s first freeze occurred on Oct. 10 in the far northwest. Most of the state had experienced a hard freeze (at or below 28 degrees) by the end of the month. The statewide average for October finished 0.7 degrees above normal at 61.6 degrees, although that ranked as the 57th coolest on record. The year remained on the warm side with a January-October statewide average of 64.7 degrees, 1.6 degrees above normal and the 18th warmest such period on record.
The Climate Prediction Center (CPC) issued a La Niña watch during September, placing odds of its occurrence during the winter at 70 percent. That phenomenon, signified by cooler than normal equatorial waters off the western coast of South America, tends to bring the Southern Plains warmer, dryer winters. Given that possibility, CPC’s outlooks for November began to reflect those impacts. The November temperature outlook indicated increased odds for above normal temperatures across the entire state. The precipitation outlook was for increased odds of below normal precipitation across all but the far northeastern corner. Drought, which had decreased to a mere 3 percent of the state during October, was expected to persist in those areas but no further development was expected through November.