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December 28, 2018 December 28, 2018 December 28, 2018 December 28, 2018
Extremely 2018
http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20181228/MesonetExtremes2018.png
Another year (mostly) in the books, and another 365 days of 120 lonely Mesonet
sentinels standing in fields, keeping watch over Oklahoma's tumultuous weather.
And what a year it was, with Oklahoma's normal extremely extreme weather coming
at a steady pace, in between periods of extreme extremely normal tranquility. Now
we assume all the extremes on the above graphic are extremely safe for the rest
of the year, but in the case of another rogue extreme, we'll update the graphic
accordingly.
Some of the things on the map look pretty inviting right now, like the 113 degrees
recorded at Grandfield on July 19. Now come on, wouldn't that look nice for today,
at least for a few hours? Not sure about the 120.5-degree heat index, though. I'd
hate to actually sweat in the winter. Here's a snippet of what that day looked
like, just a bit before peak heating. A guy can dream, right?
http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20181228/July19-air-temps.png
http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20181228/July19-heat-index.png
The two rainfall records can go spit, as Sgt. Murtaugh would say. We just had
an extreme December rain (and blizzard in the Panhandle)...let's dry out for
awhile. The 14.48 inches at Fittstown on Sept. 22 was indeed the definition
of extreme, however, becoming the highest 24-hour rainfall total ever recorded
in the Mesonet's 25 year history, and coming just a bit short of the greatest
24-hour rainfall total ever recorded in the state's history, going back to the
1880s. You can read all about this incredible event here:
http://ticker.mesonet.org/select.php?mo=09&da=24&yr=2018
The highest wind gust of 82.7 mph on Aug. 19 at the Inola Mesonet site was a
result of a close encounter with a twister, and marks the 4th tornado (that we
know of) that has hit an Oklahoma Mesonet site. Others include El Reno
(5/24/2011), Tipton (11/7/2011), and Fort Cobb (11/7/2011).
http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20181228/Inola-tornado.png
As for the lowest wind chill and air temperature extremes, don't get me started.
Do I need to turn this Ticker around?? Find a happy place indeed!
http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20180116/really.png
So there you have it, the Mesonet Extremes of 2018. Each has their own unique
story, as you folks probably do as well from each of those days.
Take heart as we start 2019 with a blank weather slate. There will be more
extremes. Some will be worse than others, but we'll take those in stride as a
state. But at least we know we'll have those 120 lonely sentinels with their
array of sensors keeping watch, ready to alert us if need be.
The Oklahoma Mesonet, Oklahoma's Weather Network for 25 years.
Gary McManus
State Climatologist
Oklahoma Mesonet
Oklahoma Climatological Survey
(405) 325-2253
gmcmanus@mesonet.org
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