OCS monthly climate summaries.
August’s heat and drought appeared ferocious at first, with widespread triple-digit temperatures and moisture deficits throughout the first half of the month. A strong cold front signaled a pattern change, however, and the heat settled into more seasonable levels for the last half of the month. On the whole, August was still well above normal and contributed to the hottest climatological summer seen in the state since 2011.
The seemingly impenetrable heat wave and dry spell that had punished Oklahoma since early June continued through nearly all of July, giving Oklahoma the type of scorching hot weather unseen in the state since the brutal summers of 2011 and 2012. A strong cold front snuck through the heat dome’s defenses near the end of the month to bring some relief, but the damage was done. The combination of hot weather, a lack of significant moisture, and relentless sunshine combined to plunge Oklahoma into flash drought that had covered the entire state by the end of July.
June managed to pack pieces of three seasons into a single month. The first 10 days were quite springlike, with abundant rainfall and high temperatures in the 70s and 80s. That there was very little in the way of severe weather was a bonus for this period, as was the drought reduction across much of the state. Drought coverage dropped from 43% of Oklahoma at the end of May to 31% at the end of June according to the U.S. Drought Monitor, and the worst two categories of drought—extreme and exceptional—fell from 17% to 5% over that same period.
May’s reputation as Oklahoma’s most prolific severe weather month was confirmed within the first week with as many as 21 tornadoes in the month’s first five days. While most of that count were weak EF0 or EF1 tornadoes, they were damaging, nonetheless. That total also included two strong EF2 twisters that struck both Earlsboro and Seminole on May 4. The Earlsboro tornado traveled in nearly a complete circle, producing damage in the southeast side of the city first and then the northeast side along its circuitous route.
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.
March’s weather ran the gamut of nearly all the hazards Oklahoma has to offer, befitting a seasonal transition month in the Southern Plains. Winter got the first crack with a blast of arctic air during the month’s second week. Temperatures plummeted and a storm system blanketed the northern half of the state with 2-3 inches of snow. The frozen weather resulted in numerous traffic accidents and closed many businesses and schools. Spring took its turn with at least three tornadoes rumbling out of Texas across Love, Marshall, and Johnston counties on March 21.
Three impactful winter storms struck Oklahoma during February, snarling traffic on state highways, bringing down power lines, and forcing widespread closures of businesses and schools. The first storm struck Feb. 1-3 and dumped 4-6 inches of snow over a significant portion of the state. Larger totals were scattered about, with nearly a foot of snow reported in both Hooker and Seminole. That same system covered parts of southeastern Oklahoma with up to a half-inch of freezing rain, damaging trees and power infrastructure in the area.
Winter arrived with conviction at the dawn of the new year in Oklahoma and delivered a startling counterpunch to the record-shattering heat of December. At least five strong cold fronts traversed the state during January, each one drawing Oklahoma back into a more familiar winter mindset as memories of December’s warmth faded. The disparity in the hours below freezing as measured by the Oklahoma Mesonet was demonstrative of the difference between the two winter months. During December, most of the state spent between 50 and 150 hours below freezing.
In what could best be described as a climatological anomaly on steroids, Oklahoma soared to its warmest December on record, besting the previous mark by more than 5 degrees. It was a remarkable display of muscle by Mother Nature that saw the statewide average temperature finish more than 10 degrees above normal as measured by the Oklahoma Mesonet. For some perspective, the next nine warmest Decembers all reside within 2 degrees of each other. No other calendar month in Oklahoma has such a large spread between the top two marks. May has the next largest difference at 1.2 degrees.
An extended pattern of warm, dry weather exacerbated drought conditions during November. Drought impacts, including fire danger and soil moisture depletion, increased throughout the month under the pressure from unusually high temperatures and strong winds. At the end of November, much of the area west of Interstate 35 had gone from 20 to 60 days without at least a quarter-inch of rain in a single day. For Boise City, that streak had extended to 95 days. Nearly 42% of the state was in drought by the end of the month according to the U.S.