August

Many a rainy summer has stared into the unyielding gaze of August and faltered. Coming off the wettest May-July period on record for Oklahoma, this August was met with similar expectations. In that regard, however, it was an unmitigated failure with preliminary data from the Oklahoma Mesonet indicating a statewide average of 2.3 inches. That is more than half an inch below normal and ranks the month as the 46th driest August on record, dating back to 1895. The northeast saw a surplus of more than 1.7 inches to rank as the 24th wettest August for that area.

August made a valiant effort to continue the unusually cool and remarkably wet conditions of June and July and place a final exclamation point on one of the more enjoyable Oklahoma summers in recent memory. Unfortunately, that message was lost during the month's final two weeks as the heat and dry weather of a normal Oklahoma summer found their way back to the state.

According to data from the Oklahoma Mesonet, August finished one degree above normal to rank as the 53rd warmest on record and a half an inch below normal to come in as the 42nd driest. Those records date back to 1895. Despite those seemingly benign statistics, August actually had weather to suit just about all summer appetites. The month started with one of the hottest stretches the state has ever experienced, moved to mild and wet for a spell, then ended once again on the hot side.

To get a sense of the state’s legendary heat waves of its past, Oklahoma’s youngest generation would normally turn to the stories of parents, grandparents or great-grandparents. Tales of those summers from the 1930s, 1950s and even 1980 seemed as dated as rotary phones or changing the television channel by hand. They will no longer need to ask older generations about harsh summers, however. They now have their own stories to tell, and theirs will be from the hottest of them all – the summer of 2011.

The end of August brings the climatological summer months (June-August) to a close and data from the Oklahoma Mesonet reveal the worst kept secret in the state – this summer was a hot one. Of course, with Oklahoma weather, the final picture is never that simple. The summer was actually composed of two acts. The first half of the summer was warm and wet, but not overly hot. While June finished as the seventh warmest on record, much of that warmth was due to higher overnight temperatures and was accompanied by plenty of rainfall for most areas.