Thursday, September 26, 2024 | 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM | National Weather Center Rm. 3902

The Oklahoma Mesonet and the Cooperative Institute for Severe and High-Impact Weather Research and Operations (CIWRO) at the University of Oklahoma are jointly hosting a 1-day, in-person, professional development workshop for Oklahoma 3rd-6th grade public school teachers. The workshop will focus on the atmospheric ingredients that can spur tornadoes, plot weather data on maps and graphs, and hands-on activities.

Oklahoma continued to suffer from severe weather in May, marking an exceptionally active spring storm season. The state recorded four more storm-related fatalities in May, bringing the total to eight in 2024, along with hundreds of injuries. At least 43 tornadoes touched down in May, following a record-breaking 55 tornadoes in April, surpassing the previous high of 54 in 2012. With two additional tornadoes in March, the preliminary total for 2024 stands at 100, a number that may rise as National Weather Service personnel continue to assess storm damage.

Severe weather roared back into Oklahoma during April with giant hail, severe winds up to 80 mph, flash flooding, and over 40 tornadoes—a number that is destined to grow with further investigation by National Weather Service damage survey teams. That total included a historic outbreak on April 27, a day where at least 22 tornadoes were confirmed to have struck the state—the second-most prolific outbreak for a single day during April on record, behind the 33 twisters back on April 14, 2011.

Despite recent beneficial rains, drought is on the rise once again in Oklahoma. Northwest and east-central sections of Oklahoma saw drought increase on this week’s U.S. Drought Monitor map, and overall coverage has increased from 3% of the state to more than 15% in the last three weeks. This is the fourth in a series of drought intensifications Oklahoma has seen since this larger drought episode began back in late summer of 2021.

Thursday, May 30, 2024
9 AM to 3 PM
National Weather Center

The Oklahoma Mesonet is hosting a 1-day, in-person, professional development workshop for Oklahoma middle and high school teachers. The workshop will focus on how to access and use Mesonet data and general weather topics. Space limited to 20 participants.

Registration Deadline: Wednesday, May 15, 2024

Location: National Weather Center, 120 David L. Boren Blvd., Norman 73072

Oklahoma’s weather was mostly lamb during March, although it did have its lion moments. The state experienced only one true outbreak of severe weather, but that single event on March 14 was significant nonetheless with two confirmed tornadoes in McIntosh and McCurtain counties and hail greater than softball size in Ada. Remarkably, Oklahoma had gone nearly five months without a confirmed tornado since the previous two back on October 24, 2023, in Garvin and Potawatomie counties.

Wildfires tore through northwestern Oklahoma in late February, propelled by severe winds gusting to over 60 mph, relative humidity values in the teens, and temperatures soaring more than 30 degrees above normal. Over 140,000 acres were scorched in Oklahoma, with Oklahoma Emergency Management officials reporting the loss of at least 13 homes, as damage assessments continued through the month's end. Additionally, reports of lost livestock and other structures emerged.