monthly climate summary

Winter seemed to take a final bow after February in Oklahoma, leaving March with a warm and wet transition to spring. Areas of southern Oklahoma failed to see temperatures dip below freezing, and Hollis managed to hit 100 degrees on one of the earliest dates in state history. The lack of wintry weather was replaced by active spring weather. Severe storms were not prevalent, but there were three distinct storm systems that brought damaging weather to the state. Severe storms on the 19th spawned at least two tornadoes according to preliminary data from the National Weather Service.

In February, Oklahoma finally received a month worthy of winter. It wasn’t tremendously cold, nor was it excessively wet, but it did provide much of Oklahoma with its first decent snow of the season. A strong storm system passed through the state on February 5 and dropped sleet, freezing rain, and 4-6 inches of snow along and around the Interstate 44 corridor. Higher totals of 6-8 inches were reported in the southwest, with a few localized areas receiving as much as 10 inches.

Although January’s weather continued this winter’s general tilt towards unusually mild conditions, that failed to prevent several bouts of wintry weather from striking the state. In true Oklahoma fashion, the first bout of snow and ice was foreshadowed by severe weather, including a couple of tornadoes. Those weak twisters struck on January 10 near Prague and Park Hill according to National Weather Service reports. The Park Hill tornado was the more destructive of the two, damaging roofs, outbuildings and trees.

Warm and mostly dry December weather dashed any hopes of walking in a winter wonderland, including dreams of a white Christmas. Very little in the way of wintry weather was seen during the month, save for a couple of inches of snow in the western Panhandle and a few bouts with freezing drizzle and fog. Christmas Day itself was the second warmest on record with a statewide average temperature of 57 degrees, topped only by 2016’s 57.6 degrees and far removed from 1983’s record cold of 4.7 degrees. Spring weather took up the slack for the dearth of winter excitement.

November’s weather was somewhat tame by Oklahoma’s standards, with cold weather dominating the headlines. Several intrusions of arctic air blasted the country during November, and Oklahoma caught the edges of the frigid weather each time. Along with that cold came a mostly dry month across a droughty western Oklahoma. Heavy rains fell across the eastern half. There was a bit of snow across far northern Oklahoma – totals of 2-4 inches were observed in the Panhandle.

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.

Drought had gained a toehold across western and central Oklahoma during a hot, dry first half of August; further spread and intensification seemed inevitable. All the while eastern Oklahoma was being inundated by heavy rains and flooding. Then the rains spread west, bringing a hefty dose of severe weather and drought relief with them. Mother Nature put an exclamation point on the tumultuous weather on August 26. A stifling day with temperatures in the 100s saw the heat index soar as high as 118 degrees before severe storms – including an EF-1 tornado – blasted the state later that evening.

Drought returned to the state for the first time since March 12, a stark reminder that spring deluges can quickly be forgotten during the unforgiving Oklahoma summer. The abrupt end of the moisture actually extended back to mid-June in some areas, but the deficits widened further during July. The lack of rain coincided with intermittent periods of hot, windy weather. Those sporadic bouts of extreme summer conditions helped to accelerate the drought development process, despite the month being cooler than normal overall.