MESONET TICKER ... MESONET TICKER ... MESONET TICKER ... MESONET TICKER ... September 1, 2020 September 1, 2020 September 1, 2020 September 1, 2020
Crcofall Dundee
http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20200901/crocofall-dundee.png
Now you might be saying to yourself "but Gary, you said fall was this week." First off, if your name isn't Gary, that's an odd thing to say to yourself. Thirdly (second is first loser), I did say it was sort of fake fall this week. But NEXT week, that's when FALL fall arrives. You like highs in the 60s and lows in the 40s? Okay, first you call yourself by my name in your head, now I hear you like cold weather. Seek help! Here's a sampler of just a bit of forecast model output showing the *POSSIBLE* weather pattern change for next week.
http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20200901/1pm-wednesday-sept9.png
http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20200901/7am-thursday-sept10.png
Again, *POSSIBLE* weather pattern change. Still a good week or so to go for Mother Nature to gum up the works, but it is that time of year when these things start to happen a bit more frequently. Hopefully we'll see eastern Oklahoma dry out by then, and western Oklahoma get a bit more rain. There are still substantial chances for more moisture this week, but some folks are throwing up a soggy white flag. Others, like in Alva, are saying "what rain?" Chances aren't as great up across NW OK.
http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20200901/latest.oklahoma.flood.png http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20200901/3day-rain-totals.png
http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20200901/7day-rain-forecast.gif
As you'll see in the August monthly summary below, much of the state remained below normal when it came to precip over the last month. If we can lower those high temperatures down 20-30 degrees, that will take a lot of pressure off the soil moisture, at least.
Speaking of August, let's take a look back at a cool, mostly dry month, and look forward to September...another who knows what month. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cold Fronts Tame August Heat Sept. 1, 2020
Three strong cold fronts brought the summer heat to its knees during August, but drought took advantage of a mostly dry month to proliferate across western Oklahoma. The far southeast was anything but parched, however, after several rounds of heavy precipitation and a brush with the outskirts of Hurricane Laura left it with nearly a foot of rain for the month. There were sporadic outbursts of severe weather during August. Straight line winds of 70 mph and greater were suspected in the derailment of 16 train cars in Ellis County on August 10, and the Oklahoma Mesonet site at Burneyville recorded a wind gust of 80 mph on the 16th. Mother Nature saved the most exciting weather for last, though, with a strong cold front on August’s final day. The front kicked off several rounds of storms that brought widespread severe weather and flooding. Numerous water rescues of stranded motorists were reported with flash flooding across central and southeastern Oklahoma, and hail to the size of golf balls fell with many of the storms.
The triple dose of cold air during August brought Oklahoma’s statewide average temperature down 1.8 degrees below normal according to preliminary data from the Mesonet. The month finished at 79 degrees to rank as the 26th coolest August on record, dating back to 1895.
http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20200901/august-avg-temps.png
http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20200901/august-temp-depart.png
Heat was still present during August, owing to its summer roots. Temperatures soared into the triple digits at times, topping out at 110 degrees at both Camargo and Hollis on the 28th. Oklahoma City recorded its first triple-digit temperature of the summer that day at 102 degrees. Heat index values indicated oppressive heat was even more widespread. Idabel’s heat index rose to 118 degrees on the 29th. The Mesonet’s 120 sites recorded heat index values of at least 105 degrees 546 times during August. The state’s lowest temperature was 53 degrees at Cookson on the 19th. Summer finished with a statewide average temperature of 80.1 degrees, 0.5 degrees above normal to rank as the 58th warmest June-August on record. The first eight months of the year ranked as the 25th warmest at 63.2 degrees, a degree above normal.
http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20200901/summer-avg-temps.png
http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20200901/summer-temps-depart.png
August was dry for the most part, but saved somewhat by the late-month storm system that brought flooding rains across central and southeastern Oklahoma. The statewide average total of 2.94 inches was just 0.01 inches below normal to rank as the 57th wettest on record. That total belied the actual experiences across the state, however. The Panhandle fell 1.13 inches below normal for their 29th driest August on record, while the southeast was 4.06 inches above normal for their fifth wettest. The far southeast was 4-8 inches above normal, bolstered by tropical rains from Hurricane Laura. Nevertheless, most of the state was somewhere between 1-3 inches below normal. The Mesonet site at Broken Bow led the month’s totals at 11.13 inches, and Blackwell brought up the rear with 0.49 inches. The summer finished at 9.55 inches to rank as the 55th driest on record, 0.80 inches below normal. The January-August average total of 28.06 inches was 3.2 inches above normal to rank as the 21st wettest such period on record.
August ------ http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20200901/august-rain-totals.png
http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20200901/august-rain-depart.png
http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20200901/august-rain-pct.png
Summer ------ http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20200901/summer-rain-totals.png
http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20200901/summer-rain-depart.png
http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20200901/summer-rain-pct.png
Year-to-date ------------ http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20200901/jan-august-rain-totals.png
http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20200901/jan-august-rain-depart.png
http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20200901/jan-august-rain-pct.png
The worst drought conditions continued across southwestern and west central Oklahoma. The U.S. Drought Monitor portrayed most of the western third of the state in moderate-to-severe drought intensity, with small areas of extreme drought centered on Harmon and Beckham counties. Severe drought also existed in northern Cimarron County. The Drought Monitor’s intensity scale slides from moderate-severe-extreme-exceptional, with exceptional being the worst classification. The chance for drought relief appears greatest in the main body of the state, according to the Climate Prediction Center’s (CPC) September drought outlook. The drought is expected to persist and possibly intensify where it currently exists in the Panhandle. The drought outlook is based partly on CPC’s September precipitation outlook, which sees increased odds of above normal precipitation in all but the Panhandle, where increased chances of below normal rainfall are indicated. The September temperature outlook shows increased chances for below normal temperatures across the eastern two-thirds of Oklahoma.
http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20200901/sept-temp-outlook.gif
http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20200901/sept-precip-outlook.gif
http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20200901/september-drought-outlook.png
Gary McManus State Climatologist Oklahoma Mesonet Oklahoma Climatological Survey (405) 325-2253 gmcmanus@mesonet.org
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