Mesonet Ticker for March 12, 2025

                
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March 12, 2025     March 12, 2025     March 12, 2025     March 12, 2025


Annual dues




Hey, you wanna know the difference between this year and last year? Well, this
year is 2025, and last year was 2024.

You are welcome! That's pure science and math for ya, I'm glad to...hey, what's
with the hand gestures? How rude!

Anyway, wanna know another difference? Well, it was greener at this time last year
vs. the same time this year, for several difference reasons.

1. The last few months have been much colder this year than last year, keeping
vegetation from greening up, albeit a bit early last year. Check out these
statewide temperature graphs from last year vs. this year, January-today (except
"today" last year is not today, but it WAS today...got me??).



Both have some significant cold air in there, but this year (purple) for the most
part lags behind last year (orange) by 4-5 degrees, which is significant. And
2024 did end up tied for the warmest year on record in Oklahoma, so it got an
early start.

2. We didn't have the extended dry period through the winter last year like
this year. Remember, it got up to over 100 days without at least a quarter-inch
of rain in a single day this year, and the remnants of that dry weather are
still showing up in NW OK.



You can also see it on these statewide avg. rainfall graphs from last year
(green) vs. this year (red, but looks brown in this graph), January 1-March 11.



So colder and drier have left us "less green" in some areas this year vs. last
year, especially there in the wheat belt from SW OK to NC OK, which shows up
quite nicely in last year's map vs. this years. Go ahead, go back and look. I'll
wait.

And that green winter wheat can be a very effective wildfire fighting tool since
fires can be snuffed out when meeting that green vegetation, or at least not
burn as readily.

All important factors when we're faced with this for the next week, especially
on Friday's massive-looking fire day.







That's it for today. Come back tomorrow for more fun things, like "oh jeez,"
and "holy crap!"

Gary McManus
State Climatologist
Oklahoma Mesonet
Oklahoma Climate Survey
gmcmanus@ou.edu
                

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