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MESONET TICKER ... MESONET TICKER ... MESONET TICKER ... MESONET TICKER ... December 29, 2014 December 29, 2014 December 29, 2014 December 29, 2014 The excitingly boring weather of 2014 It's hard to look past the coming arctic blast to end 2014 to look BACK at the past weather of 2014, so let's get the future excitement out of the way first. Okay, to start off with, since freezing rain has mentioned, we are officially moving the BRAUM'S BREAD-AND-MILK DEFCON LEVEL to THREE!!! I repeat, we are officially moving the BRAUM'S BREAD-AND-MILK DEFCON LEVEL to TWO!! (see how quickly we react here with up-to-the-minute hysteria??) http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20141229/braums-defcon2.png Yes, we've gone to "KNOCK PEOPLE OVER IF YOU HAVE TO" level. Mostly bombastic and reactionary, of course, but just our effort to try and keep folks from driving on ice (DISCLAIMER: should ice occur). Here is the setup as provided in pictures from the local NWS offices. http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20141229/nws-amarillo.jpg http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20141229/nws-norman1.jpg http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20141229/nws-norman3.jpg http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20141229/nws-norman4.jpg http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20141229/nws-norman5.jpg http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20141229/nws-norman6.jpg http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20141229/nws-tulsa.png Remember, this is winter weather we're talking, so the forecast is going to change between now and ICE-MAGEDDON. So keep track of the changing conditions as we get closer because the precipitation type is vitally important. However, the arctic blast is a certainty. The beast is poised to our north as we speak. http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20141229/us-windchills.png So prepare for this, because it's coming. http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20141229/wed-morning-lows.png I'm afraid there won't be any melting on the roads with this coming system. Okay, enough hysteria. Let's turn back the clock and take a look back at 2014. Enjoy. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The weather of 2014 would probably be considered boring by most, and rightfully so. After all, there were no EF-5 twisters ravaging the countryside, nor was there a never ending onslaught of days with triple-digit heat. The blizzards of the last few years never materialized, nor did that other unwelcome winter visitor, the ice storm. What we did have, however, was drought, the most boring ? if not most damaging ? of Oklahoma's weather hazards. That particular guest has been plaguing Oklahoma's ecosystem, agriculture and economy since its beginning in late fall 2010 to the tune of several billion dollars in damage. The spring rainy season was mostly a bust, although a return of moisture in late May paved the way for more rain during June and July. That uncharacteristically timed relief delayed the re-intensification of drought that started earlier in the year, but more dry stretches from August forward left over 60 percent of the state in drought at year's end. The year ended with a dark, dank and dreary December in which the sun was mostly a no-show at only 35.4 percent of possible sunshine according to the Oklahoma Mesonet's solar radiation sensors. In the end, 2014 left us with memories of a (mostly) cold and (mostly) dry year, with a few bursts of excitement to satisfy most weather enthusiasts. Here are a few or the more notable weather highlights (or lowlights) from 2014, as well as the top extremes as measured by the Oklahoma Mesonet. 2104 Oklahoma Weather Highlights ? According to preliminary data from the National Weather Service (NWS), 2014 ended up with a total of 16 tornadoes, the lowest count since accurate records began in 1950. That bests the previous minimum annual twister count of 17 back in 1988. That stands in stark contrast to recent years that ranked near the top for annual tornado totals. The record of 145 is still held by 1999, but 2011 and 2010 rank with the second- and fourth-highest totals at 119 and 103, respectively. And 2013 tied for ninth highest at 82. The annual average tornado total for Oklahoma is approximately 56. o The strongest 2014 tornado listed was an EF-2 that struck the small town of Quapaw in Ottawa County, killing one and heavily damaging as many as 50 structures. o A tornado touched down near Lake Arcadia in central Oklahoma on the December 14, only the 25th tornado since 1950 for that month. o Of the 16 confirmed tornadoes, 11 were of the weakest rating of EF-0. o Although not associated with a tornado, a thunderstorm near Burneyville on July 30th produced a wind gust of 106 mph, tied for the fourth highest in Mesonet history. ? According to preliminary data from the Oklahoma Mesonet through December 28, the statewide average precipitation total for the year thus far was 28.56 inches, 7.74 inches below normal. Depending on what possible precipitation falls in year's final three days, it is estimated that 2014 will rank somewhere from 25th to 30th driest since 1895 (note: the rankings in the statistics table below are since 1921). o The Mesonet site at Kenton recorded 13.2 inches of precipitation during 2014, the lowest such total in the state. Broken Bow and Clayton led the state with 50.8 inches each. http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20141229/2014-total-precip.png http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20141229/2014-depart-normal-precip.png http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20141229/2014-precip-stats.png o The spring (March-May) rainy season was the 11th driest on record with a statewide average of 6.57 inches, more than 5 inches below normal. http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20141229/mar-may-totals.png http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20141229/mar-may-depart-normal.png http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20141229/mar-may-pct-normal.png o The January-May statewide average was 7.39 inches, the 3rd driest first five months of the year on record. o June and July combined were the 15th wettest on record across Oklahoma with an average of 10.28 inches, nearly 3.5 inches above normal. http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20141229/jun-july-depart-normal.png http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20141229/jun-july-pct-normal.png http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20141229/jun-july-totals.png ? A no-show summer and a frigid first few months of the year guaranteed a cool 2014, and the statistics back that up. Preliminary data from the Oklahoma Mesonet place the statewide average temperature for 2014 at 58.9 degrees, about a degree below normal. Depending on what occurs the last few days of the year, that would rank 2014's temperature somewhere in the 20-30th coolest on record range. Interestingly, 2013's final statewide temperature also finished at 58.9 degrees. o Summer itself was the 24th coolest on record with a statewide average of 78.6 degrees, 1.1 degrees below normal. o July was the fifth coolest on record and 4.3 degrees below normal. o A brush with frigid weather in the middle of November proved to be one of the most significant early-season winter outbreaks on record for Oklahoma. The cold snap began with a cold front on the 11th that dropped temperatures from the 70s and 80s into the 30s and 40s. The Oklahoma Mesonet station at Boise City struggled to a high of 15 degrees on the 12th just two days after reaching a high of 81 degrees. Most of the state had spent from 100 to more than 150 hours below freezing. The event also came with a statewide blanket of snow. Amounts of 3-4 inches were common across parts of western, northern and central Oklahoma. o December finished the year off with one last warm month, but not in the way one would normally think. There were very few pleasantly warm afternoons, as daytime highs were actually a bit below normal. The morning lows, however, were another story. Through the 29th, the statewide average low temperature was 35.2 degrees, 7.7 degrees above normal. Overall, the statewide average through the 29th was 3.4 degrees above normal. The last two days of December promised to be quite chilly, however, which could bring that average down just a bit. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The 2014 Oklahoma Mesonet extremes ---------------------------------- Temperature ---------------------------------- Maximum Air Temperature FREEDOM 106.9 F 07/26/2014 Minimum Air Temperature NOWATA -12.1 F 01/06/2014 Maximum Heat Index LANE 112.6 F 08/08/2014 Minimum Wind Chill ALVA -25.0 F 01/06/2014 Greatest 1-hour Temperature Change KENTON 32.9 F (80.6 F 11/10/2014 21:55 to 47.7 F 11/10/2014 22:50) Greatest 24-hour Temperature Change SLAPOUT 66.2 F (84.6 F 11/10/2014 20:40 to 18.3 F 11/11/2014 13:15) ---------------------------------- Humidity ---------------------------------- Highest Dew Point Temperature BROKEN BOW 81.3 F 07/27/2014 Lowest Dew Point Temperature MIAMI -18.8 F 01/06/2014 ---------------------------------- Rainfall ---------------------------------- Greatest 1-hour Rainfall HINTON 3.07" 06/19/2014 Greatest 24-hour Rainfall CLAYTON 6.60" (07/30/2014 - 07/31/2014) ---------------------------------- Wind Speed ---------------------------------- Maximum Wind Speed (5-minute average) BEAVER 59.7 mph 07/01/2014 Maximum Wind Gust BURNEYVILLE 105.8 mph 07/31/2014 ---------------------------------- Pressure ---------------------------------- Highest Mean Sea Level Pressure CHEROKEE 1044.55 mb 01/23/2014 Lowest Mean Sea Level Pressure MAY RANCH 989.17 mb 04/27/2014 Gary McManus State Climatologist Oklahoma Mesonet Oklahoma Climatological Survey (405) 325-2253 gmcmanus@mesonet.org ================================================== The OCS/Mesonet Ticker https://ticker.mesonet.org/ To subscribe or unsubscribe from the Ticker or for questions about the Ticker or its content Phone or Email the Ticker Manager at OCS Phone: 405-325-2253 Email: ticker@mesonet.org --------------------------------------------------- -C- Copyright 2024 Oklahoma Climatological Survey ===================================================