Mesonet Ticker for October 29, 2026

                
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October 29, 2026   October 29, 2026   October 29, 2026   October 29, 2026


Rain shmain




The internet is abuzz with word of Julia Stiles' performance on "Dancing With
the Stars," which is I guess a TV show? But also abuzz-worthy is talk of a
rare November Sudden Stratospheric Warming event up near the Wal Mart at the
North Pole. You know, where Santa shops. And this could lead to a weakening
of the Polar Vortex, which could mean a big displacement of cold air southward.

Where would this cold air displacement go? No idea.
Will there be a weakening of the Polar Vortex? Maybe.
Will there even be a Sudden Stratospheric Warming event? Maybe.
Is there a Wal Mart at the North Pole. Probably not.

So I'm obviously being non-committal for a reason, because there's lots of
uncertainty and just downright skepticism mixed in there, but it got me to
thinking (most of the time when I try to think, nothing happens!) about just
how warm we've been throughout the year. I've been tracking it, of course, and
how basically in the last 16 months, we've continued to whack temperature records
right and left. Heck, even the last 5 years are record warm as a whole.

But 2026 continues to put a knot on the warmest year record's noggin so big you
could put corn holders on it and butter it up. The January-September statewide
average was 68.6 degrees, 5F degrees above normal (!!!!!) and 1.5F higher than
the previous warmest Jan-Sept set back in 2012. And October has continued to
warm parade at a clip of about 6.1F above normal. The warmest Jan-Oct on record
is again 2012's 66.3F, and we're gonna probably end up somewhere around 68.4F
or thereabouts this year. Again, well on our way to absolutely SHATTERING the
previous warmest year of 2012 when the January-December statewide average ended
up at 63.2F.

So in other words, unless something changes dramatically in the next couple of
months, say...a kink in the polar jet stream that allows cold air to spill
down our way, the warmest year on record is where we are headed. Heck (for
crying out loud), even that might not drop us below 2012, considering we're
already more than 2F above its record pace. It's tough to break out that kind
of persistent warmth.

Look at the graph again...we've had maybe two or three true extended below-
normal periods, and really only one brutal winter blast. Is one coming up?

No idea.

How about rain? Yes!



Maybe that will help with more drought relief, and we can keep the colors
changing for the better on the Drought Monitor map.





By the way, Saturday will be the "coolest" out of the next five. On the last day
of October. Mostly 70s for highs.



Brrrr.

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

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