2016

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.

Known as the state’s most active severe weather month, May tried to live up to that moniker with several extended periods of threatening weather. Although it didn’t quite match some of the more ferocious Mays since the beginning of the decade, it was still quite lively nonetheless. At least one instance of severe weather was reported somewhere in the state on 16 of the 24 days between May 8 and May 31. The National Weather Service published a preliminary count of 19 tornadoes during May, four short of average for the month.

Fears of the strengthening drought and associated wildfire danger, so prevalent through the first three months of the year, lasted about a week into April before Mother Nature unleashed spring on Oklahoma. Flooding, gigantic hail, severe winds and a final week filled with the threat of tornadoes were all in the offing during the month. The drought was quenched in most parts of the state by repeated storm systems. According to preliminary data from the Oklahoma Mesonet, the robust moisture propelled April to rank as the seventh wettest on record, dating back to 1895.

The dry weather that had plagued the state during the first two months of 2016 continued during March. Drought conditions spread across nearly all of northwestern Oklahoma and aided the massive Anderson Creek wildfire that burned 367,620 acres across Woods County in Oklahoma and the adjacent counties in southern Kansas. The total acreage burned in Oklahoma amounted to 88,082, all within Woods County. The fire, whipped by winds of over 60 mph, began on March 22 near Camp Houston in Woods County before quickly spreading to the north and then east.