November

The Oklahoma Mesonet’s temperature data tell the story of a dry and unusually warm November, but there was actually a good dose of winter during the month, as well as a nice measure of rain at the end. The state’s first significant wintry precipitation of the season fell in the state on Thanksgiving Weekend across the northwestern half. Totals generally ranged between 2-4 inches, but a swath of 4-6 inches occurred across far northwestern Oklahoma and the eastern Panhandle. Isolated totals of 8-9 inches were reported in parts of Beaver and Harper counties.

Oklahoma’s extended spate of warmer than normal weather—which began in early June and continued largely uninterrupted for the next five months—came to an abrupt halt on Nov. 10 following a clash with the season’s first true arctic cold front. Highs in the 70s and 80s those first 10 days of November were soon replaced with highs in the 40s and 50s, and low temperatures below freezing more often than not. Any hint of a return to the weather’s previous mild ways was quashed by recurring cold fronts throughout the rest of the month.

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.

November’s weather struggled to live up to the level of excitement provided by October’s historic cold snap and ice storm, although it had its moments. Following that burst of moisture just before Halloween, some areas of the state went more than a month without seeing at least a quarter inch of rain in a single day. Other areas saw Oklahoma’s weather at its worst, however. Storms on the 24th brought severe weather back to the state with damaging winds and hail up to the size of golf balls. At least two tornadoes touched down that day in southeastern Oklahoma.

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.