monthly climate summary

Although drought, severe storms and flooding rainfall all made their presence known during the month, March’s weather story was dominated by fire. Several months of elevated fire danger came to a head March 6 with the ignition of four large wildfires across far northwestern Oklahoma and southern Kansas. The group of fires was labeled the “Northwest Oklahoma Complex.” The wildfires, pressed by winds gusting to more than 60 mph, scorched a total of 779,292 acres. Approximately 472,000 acres of that total were in Kansas. The cost of the fires, both to property and lives, was tremendous.

If glimpses of winter were sporadic in December and January, they were downright scarce during February. Temperatures often soared into the 70s and 80s, culminating with a maximum of 99 degrees at the Mangum Mesonet site on February 11. That tied the mark for highest temperature ever recorded in Oklahoma during not only February, but winter as well. That record was set previously at Arapaho on Feb. 24, 1918. According to preliminary Mesonet data, the statewide average for February was 49.8 degrees, 7.7 degrees above normal to rank as the fourth warmest February since records began in 1895.

January 2017 would have been remembered as exceedingly warm and dull if not for the visit from a powerful mid-month winter storm. The storm struck over the weekend of Jan. 13-15 and prompted a State of Emergency declaration for all 77 counties by Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin. An unusually moisture-laden weather system for January, the storm left the northwestern half of the state encased in ice and the southeastern half waterlogged.

December was a cold month for many Oklahomans, a dry month for most, and a memorable one for all. Normally, snow would be the big news during the first month of winter, but drought intensification, one of the more memorable cold snaps in recent memory, and one of the warmest Christmas Days on record captured the headlines this year. According to preliminary data from the Oklahoma Mesonet, the statewide average temperature was 38.4 degrees, 0.5 degrees below normal and the 50th coolest December since records began in 1895.

Mother Nature did little during November to sooth those areas in Oklahoma most impacted by drought. Significant rains were scattered and temperatures were well above normal – as was the Oklahoma wind. All those factors contributed to drought intensification. According to preliminary data from the Oklahoma Mesonet, the statewide average rainfall total was 1.23 inches, 1.28 inches below normal and ranked as the 41st driest November since records began in 1895.

Autumn remained a reluctant visitor during October as the jet stream retreated far to the north, leaving Oklahoma to bask in near summerlike heat. According to preliminary data from the Oklahoma Mesonet, the statewide average temperature finished at 66.9 degrees, 6 degrees above normal, to rank as the fourth warmest October since records began in 1895. High temperatures reached into the 80s and 90s somewhere in the state on 30 of October’s 31 days. Several stations climbed into triple-digits across the northwest on the 16th and 17th.

As a transition period between summer and fall, Mother Nature often provides Oklahoma with a wildly varying tale to tell during September. This year was no exception. At first glance, a description of Oklahoma’s weather during September seems fairly straightforward –a toasty month with an abundance of moisture in the west and too little in the east. The state’s weather story is never quite that simple, of course. Far northwestern Oklahoma was actually the driest region of the state, and parts of eastern Oklahoma enjoyed a surplus.

Autumn didn’t fully arrive during August, but it sure gave Oklahomans a nice preview for a week during the middle of the month. It was enough of a sneak peek to keep the month’s statewide average temperature at about a half-degree below normal. Unfortunately, the autumnal preview was flanked by some downright miserable summer weather. Those summer bookends came with plenty of triple-digit temperatures and even more triple-digit heat indexes. Grandfield led the state with 106 degrees recorded on the third. Meanwhile, it was jacket weather at Bristow with a low of 48 degrees on the 22nd.

The state’s sizzling summer continued unabated through July, at least for most Oklahomans. The Oklahoma Mesonet recorded at least one triple-digit temperature in the state on 25 of the month’s 31 days. Goodwell and Hooker led all Mesonet sites with highs of 108 degrees on the 11th. Those temperature extremes were reflected in the statewide average for the month. According to preliminary data from the Oklahoma Mesonet, th3 statewide average temperature was 82.8 degrees, 1.3 degrees above normal to rank as the 43rd warmest July since records began in 1895.

Lack of rain and hot weather took its toll during June, allowing drought to make a comeback from central through northeastern Oklahoma. Moisture deficits dating back to late April rose to 4-8 inches across a large swath of northern and eastern Oklahoma. During that period, heavy rains inundated southern Oklahoma at times and prompted numerous flash flood warnings. To highlight the disparity in moisture, the El Reno Mesonet site in central Oklahoma recorded a scant 2.7 inches of rain since May 1 while Mangum totaled a whopping 13.5 inches in the far southwest.