MESONET TICKER ... MESONET TICKER ... MESONET TICKER ... MESONET TICKER ... January 3, 2012 January 3, 2012 January 3, 2012 January 3, 2012
December in review
A hearty welcome to 2012 from the entire Ticker staff, where our New Year's resolution is 641 X 482 (you probably figured out long ago that we were a few pixels away from normal). The first half of December continued Oklahoma's wet ways that began in October. The statewide average precipitation total for the month finished at 2.39 inches, which at 0.34 inches above normal doesn't seem like a lot, but that's still good for the 27th wettest December since 1895.
http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20120103/dec-precip.png http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20120103/dec-pct-norm.png
As you can see, much of northwestern Oklahoma was well above normal thanks to a couple of hefty precipitation events. Keep in mind that while the map shows the Panhandle precipitation totals to at least 180 percent of normal, the actual normal precipitation is generally less than an inch out that way. For instance, Boise City's looking good at greater than 180 percent of normal, but it doesn't seem so bountiful when you consider their normal for the month is about half of an inch. But the 1.04 inches they did get was very much needed. For the entire Panhandle, the average precipitation total was 1.77 inches, a whopping 1.1 inches above normal or 263 percent of normal. Much the same for north central Oklahoma with an average of 2.92 inches, 220 percent of normal with a surplus of 1.6 inches.
Another thing, how does 0.34 inches above normal get you the 27th wettest December on record? Well, we've talked about this before, but without taking variability and CHANGES in variability into context, assumptions can become dangerous. The December climate trends graph for statewide average precipitation from 1895-2011 will demonstrate that better than words.
http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20120103/december-precip-trends.png
So now you can see the culprit. The December precipitation totals averaged across the state spend a LOT of time on the extreme dry side, especially prior to the 1980s ... another example of how our precipitation changed characteristics 30 years ago. Comparing this December's total to the normals established based on the relatively wetter 1971-2000 data, the surplus doesn't seem significant. Compared it to the long-term average of 1.76 inches, the surplus becomes 0.63 inches -- much more befitting of our 23rd wettest December on record. But again, not that impressive compared to our recent past.
The statewide average temperature for the month was 40 degrees, a whole degree above normal and the 52nd warmest December on record. One thing interesting from the statistics though ... the Panhandle climate division was actually 2.8 degrees below normal at 32.2 degrees, the 25th coolest December for that area. No doubt helped to that anomalous reading by the snowfall that pounded the area mid-month.
http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20120103/dec-avg-temp.png http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20120103/dec-temp-depart.png
The statewide statistic would obviously look a bit higher if not for the Panhandle's overly cool month.
And don't look now, but it's been a couple of weeks since the state has seen significant precipitation with little on the horizon.
http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20120103/mesonet.rainfall.tenthinch.png http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20120103/mesonet.rainfall.quarterinch.png
Reason to panic? Hardly. While more of the wet stuff would be nice for further drought eradication, a dry period from late December and into January is nothing new. We are now smack dab in the middle of Oklahoma's driest time of the year.
Last January was significantly dry as well, and look how that worked out for us in February. Never count your chickens before they're frozen in a blizzard.
Gary McManus Associate State Climatologist 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
===================================================
|