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, Oct 01, 2021
Drought Makes September Push The 17th warmest and driest September in Oklahoma since records began in 1895 allowed drought to flourish during the month.… Read More »
Mon, May 02, 2022
Opinions on Oklahoma’s weather are often more variable than the weather itself. Some Oklahomans will look back on April 2022 and remember the seven confirmed tornadoes that touched down, although that is still below the long-term average of 11.7 for the month. Many others will remember drought that saw both intensification in the northwest and improvement across the southeast. There is one aspect of this April’s weather that would unite most Oklahomans, however—the wind. Already Oklahoma’s windiest calendar month climatologically, the seemingly unceasing gales howling day and night became a common point of exasperation. Data from the Oklahoma Mesonet lends credence to that frustration. Both the statewide average wind speed and maximum wind speed for this April were tops since Mesonet data began in 1994 at 12.2 mph and 22.9 mph, respectively. Previous top marks were held by 1996’s 12 mph and 2011’s 22.5 mph, again respectively. Those and other metrics point towards the month as the windiest April statewide in the Mesonet era. Fourteen of April’s 30 days saw non-thunderstorm wind gusts of at least 50 mph somewhere in the state, and nine days with at least 60 mph. Tipton and Slapout shared the highest wind gusts at 74 mph on April 5 and 22, respectively. The seven confirmed tornadoes brought 2022’s total to 12, still a bit below the long-term average of 16.5 for the first four months of the year.
It was largely a state divided on the rainfall maps, with areas to the southeast of Interstate 44 receiving a surplus of moisture while those to the northwest continued in prolonged dry conditions. Combined, the statewide average for the month was 2.7 inches, 0.89 inches below normal and ranked as the 43rd driest April since records began in 1895. The differing fortunes were emphasized by north central Oklahoma’s third driest ranking at 2.58 inches below normal, as opposed to east central Oklahoma’s ranking as 26th wettest with an average surplus of 1.69 inches. Mt. Herman led the Mesonet’s 120 sites with 8.98 inches of rain for the month. Erick went nearly the entire month with no rain, finishing with a paltry tenth of an inch. Twenty-seven sites reported more than 5 inches for the month while another 38 received less than an inch. The first four months of the year finished at 7.69 inches, the 42nd driest January through April on record, 1.94 inches below normal.
The statewide average temperature finished at 61 degrees, 1.5 degrees above normal and ranked as the 39th warmest April since records began in 1895. Temperatures soared at times, with 90s being recorded on 11 of April’s 30 days, and Oklahoma’s first triple-digit temperature of 2022 was recorded on the 29th at Altus at exactly 100 degrees. The heat was more concentrated across western Oklahoma where the drought has flourished with many locations 3-4 degrees above normal for the month. Eva dropped to 16 degrees on the 14th for the lowest recorded temperature. The first four months of the year were still below normal thanks to a frigid February at 46.9 degrees, a degree below normal and the 57th warmest such period on record.
While drought’s coverage decreased from 76% of the state at the end of March to 65% at the end of April, the two highest levels of drought—extreme and exceptional—increased from 34% to 39% according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. The most intense category of drought, exceptional, increased from 8% to 11% over that same span, all across far western Oklahoma. Heavy rains forecast for early May could spell relief, however. The Climate Prediction Center’s May temperature and precipitation outlooks call for increased odds of above normal temperatures across the entire state and above normal precipitation in the eastern two-thirds of Oklahoma. CPC believes the expected early moisture, combined with the onset of the climatological wettest part of the year for most of the state, will lead to improvements in drought conditions in all but the western Panhandle through May.