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Drought, Severe Weather Steal Headlines in April
The proverbial April showers will not lead to May flowers this year as the month ended desperately dry across much of Oklahoma. Widespread rains never materialized, which allowed drought to once again make significant gains to the east from the hardest hit areas across western Oklahoma. Severe weather made a few brief appearances as well, although the month was still tame compared to some recent Aprils. The preliminary count from the National Weather Service of four tornadoes during April is actually well below the 1950-2013 average of 12, but one of those occurrences led to a fatality. An EF2 twister struck the small town of Quapaw on April 27, killing one person and injuring five others according to the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management. Nearly 50 homes and businesses were damaged in the storm, including the town's fire station.
Preliminary data from the Oklahoma Mesonet indicate that the state experienced its 12th driest April since records began in 1895 with a statewide average of 1.64 inches, a deficit of 1.72 inches. The month was particularly dry across north central Oklahoma where an average of about a half-inch of moisture fell, marking this April as the second driest on record for that region. Most Mesonet sites across western and northern Oklahoma recorded less than an inch of rainfall, with several seeing less than a quarter-inch. Medford had the lowest total with a meager 0.15 inches, 3.1 inches below normal for that location. Of the 120 Mesonet stations, 36 recorded less than an inch of rainfall for the month. Wilburton led the state with 5.5 inches of rain.
http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20140501/apr.totrain.png http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20140501/apr.departure.rain.png http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20140501/apr.pctrain.png
Dry weather has dominated headlines since the beginning of 2014. The January- April statewide average was 4.20 inches, nearly 5.5 inches below normal and the second driest such period on record. Medford has received a tally of an inch since January 1, a deficit of over 8 inches and a crippling blow to one of the state's most bountiful winter wheat producing areas. Only Goodwell and Kenton recorded less for that period with 0.9 and 0.7 inches, respectively. http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20140501/jan.apr.totals.png http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20140501/jan.apr.departure.png http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20140501/jan.apr.pct.png
The statewide average temperature finished close to normal during April at 58.8 degrees, 0.3 degrees below normal.
http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20140501/apr.avgtavg.png http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20140501/apr.departure.tavg.png
The first four months of the year were exceedingly cool, however, at 44.3 degrees statewide, 2.5 degrees below normal and the 16th coolest January-April on record. April became the 13th month out of the last 15 to finish cooler than normal.
http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20140501/2012-2014-temps.png
The state experienced a multitude of dry, windy days that saw massive dust storms in the Panhandle that often pushed east into the main body of Oklahoma. Those conditions also helped propel drought towards the northern and eastern side of the state. The latest U.S. Drought Monitor report valid for April 29 showed over 20 percent of the state to be in exceptional drought and 39 percent covered by at least extreme drought. Just over 79 percent of the state was considered to be in at least moderate drought. The Drought Monitor?s intensity scale slides from moderate-severe-extreme-exceptional, with exceptional being the worst classification. A mere three months ago only two percent of the state was in exceptional drought, with 10 percent in at least extreme drought. Currently, approximately 14 percent of the state is considered abnormally dry, and seven percent completely free of any dry conditions. Most of those two categories reside across southeastern Oklahoma.
http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20140501/20140429_OK_trd.png http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20140501/20140128_ok_trd.png
Moisture prospects for the first week of May look rather bleak, although there are indications of more significant rainfall showing up for the month's second week.
http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20140501/may6-10.precip.outlook.gif http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20140501/may8-14.precip.outlook.gif
The Climate Prediction Center's (CPC) U.S. Drought Outlook for May expects the western half of the state to see drought persist or intensify through the end of the month with some improvements or removal possible across eastern Oklahoma.
http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20140501/month_drought.png
The CPC May outlook for temperature sees increased odds of above normal temperatures, but no indication for rainfall with equal chances of seeing above-, below- or near-normal amounts.
http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20140501/may.precip.outlook.gif http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20140501/may.temp.outlook.gif Gary McManus State Climatologist Oklahoma Mesonet Oklahoma Climatological Survey Work: (405) 325-2253 Cell: (405) 823-9054 gmcmanus@mesonet.org
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