MESONET TICKER ... MESONET TICKER ... MESONET TICKER ... MESONET TICKER ... May 7, 2015 May 7, 2015 May 7, 2015 May 7, 2015
I'll ask again...
Have ya had enough? After spending the better part of last night in the fraidy hold, I certainly have. However, we are seeing great drought relief, so let's dispense with the formalities and show you the great shrinking U.S. Drought Monitor map. Well, the drought is shrinking, not the map.
http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20150507/20150505_OK_trd.png
Now remember, that's using rainfall up through Tuesday morning, so the torrents of the last couple of days won't count until next week. I think it's obvious we'll see a lot of drought disappear from central Oklahoma.
Yesterday's rainfall was rather historic in central Oklahoma. The 7.1 inches recorded at Will Rogers in Oklahoma City was the third highest total on record for ANY day at the official OKC observing station, dating back to 1891 or so. Here are the top 10.
http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20150507/top10-okc-rains.png
The 2-day total of of 9.09 inches is the 2nd highest on record.
http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20150507/top10-okc-2day-rains.png
If you look at the Mesonet rainfall maps with the radar-gauge estimated overlay, you can see just how that hurricane-like storm just churned away dropping tornadoes and lakefulls of rain.
http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20150507/rainrfc.48hr.png
Lots of 4-8 inch rain amounts both on the gauges in central Oklahoma and also radar indicated, but there are a few areas that probably went even higher, from 8 inches to as much as 12 inches. Thus, the massive amount of flooding across central Oklahoma. This is very reminiscent of other periods of flooding in central Oklahoma we've seen, from May 31, 2013 (the El Reno massive tornado day)
http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20150507/may31-2013-rainfall.png
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To the June 13-14, 2010, event:
http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20150507/june13-14-2010-totals.png http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20150507/radar-estimates-june14-2010.png
NWS Norman has a nice writeup on that event, with rainfall totals of more than 12 inches in at least one case.
http://www.srh.noaa.gov/oun/?n=events-20100614
PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORMAN OK 1245 PM CDT TUE JUN 15 2010
...SELECTED RAINFALL TOTALS OF 5 INCHES OR MORE...
AMOUNT SOURCE APPROXIMATE LOCATION /INCHES/
..OKLAHOMA COUNTY.. 12.31 COCORAHS BRYANT AVE AND E 15TH IN EDMOND 11.85 SPOTTER AIR DEPOT BLVD AND HEFNER ROAD 11.47 MESONET BROADWAY EXTENSION AND WILSHIRE BLVD 10.73 COOP OB BRYANT AVE AND EDMOND ROAD 9.55 COCORAHS CLASSEN BLVD AND NW 48TH STREET 9.36 MESONET INTERSTATE 35 AND NE 4TH STREET 9.00 SPOTTER MACARTHUR AVE AND WILSHIRE BLVD 8.83 COCORAHS COUNCIL ROAD AND SW 44TH STREET 8.80 COCORAHS WESTERN AVE AND NW 150TH STREET 8.74 MESONET PORTLAND AVE AND NW 3RD STREET 8.59 COOP OB ARCADIA LAKE 8.47 COCORAHS MACARTHUR BLVD AND NW 50TH STREET 8.40 COCORAHS PENNSYLVANIA AVE AND SORGHUM MILL ROAD 8.06 SPOTTER MERIDIAN AVE AND NW 164TH STREET 7.91 COCORAHS MACARTHUR BLVD AND BRITTON ROAD 7.86 COCORAHS COUNCIL ROAD AND NW 23RD STREET 7.80 NWS OB WILL ROGERS WORLD AIRPORT 7.25 NWS OB WILEY POST AIRPORT 7.23 MESONET WESTMINSTER ROAD AND NE 63RD STREET 5.19 SPOTTER MACARTHUR BLVD AND NORTHWEST EXPRESSWAY
..LOGAN COUNTY.. 10.09 COCORAHS MIDWEST BLVD AND WATERLOO 7.60 COCORAHS 5 SSE GUTHRIE 7.31 COCORAHS KELLEY AVE AND WATERLOO 6.59 COOP OB 4.5 SSE GUTHRIE 6.36 COCORAHS 2 S GUTHRIE 5.52 MESONET 4 WSW GUTHRIE
..CANADIAN COUNTY.. 6.90 COCORAHS MUSTANG ROAD AND SW 74TH STREET 6.78 COCORAHS CEMETERY ROAD AND SW 59TH STREET
..PAYNE COUNTY.. 5.89 COOP OB CUSHING 5.08 MESONET 5 E ORLANDO (LAKE CARL BLACKWELL)
..POTTAWATOMIE COUNTY.. 5.58 COCORAHS 0.5 ESE TECUMSEH 5.34 COCORAHS 1 ESE SHAWNEE 5.34 MESONET 3 NNW SHAWNEE 5.27 COCORAHS 2 ENE SHAWNEE
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And all the way back to the Hurricane Tico floods of October 1983.
http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20150507/hurricane-tico-totals.gif
You can read an account of the Tico floods written by former OK Associate State Climatologist (and Ticker Grand Poobah) Deke Arndt in our Fall 2008 Seasonal Summary:
http://climate.ok.gov/summaries/seasonal/Oklahoma_Climate_Fall_2008.pdf
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And while it was due more to big rains to the NW and W of OKC, who can forget the floods of October 1923, with a wall of water 25 feet high coming down the river and overtopping the Overholser dam (also detailed in another issue of our seasonal summary):
http://climate.ok.gov/summaries/seasonal/Oklahoma_Climate_Summer_2008.pdf
Check out the Daily Oklahoman headlines from back then...sound fun?
http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20150507/oct16-1923-oklahoma.png
Yeah, you read it right..."Western Area of State May Face Famines." A much different time, eh?
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So it's hard to say what's the worst flood. Each have their own distinctive stories with differing timelines and such. The good news is that last night's floods didn't appear to claim any lives. In fact, I haven't heard of any deaths yet from last night's weather, but I'm just perusing preliminary data.
Speaking of preliminary data, it appears about a dozen tornadoes touched down yesterday, along with a ton of large hail and high wind reports (and flash/river flooding!).
http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20150507/yesterday-storm-reports.gif
Watch for info from your local NWS offices for more up-to-date info. And more bad news, it looks like we'll be doing something similar for the next few days. The chances for severe weather will continue as long as that big upper-level low and dryline are out to our west, with some of the severe weather forecasters I listen to saying that Saturday looks "very interesting." Ominous!
http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20150507/nws-amarillo-svr.jpg http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20150507/nws-norman-thur-svr.jpg http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20150507/nws-norman-fri-svr.jpg http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20150507/nws-norman-sat-svr.jpg http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20150507/nws-tulsa-svr.png
Here is some info on the tornado potential for the NWS Norman forecast area:
http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20150507/tornado-potential-thur.jpg http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20150507/tornado-potential-fri.jpg
Again, I'll just re-post the Saturday image. To see a moderate risk on Day 3 is a bit worrisome. But at least we won't be dealing with any schooltime issues this time.
http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20150507/nws-norman-sat-svr.jpg
Notice that graphic says "Tornadoes likely." BOO HISS!!
To quote the Storm Prediction Center for Saturday:
"BY LATE SATURDAY AFTERNOON...THE INGREDIENTS SHOULD COME TOGETHER TO SUPPORT A SEVERE WEATHER OUTBREAK ACROSS THE SRN/CENTRAL PLAINS. ALTHOUGH THERE REMAIN UNKNOWN DETAILS WITH RESPECT TO MOST SIGNIFICANT THREAT AND STORM EVOLUTION...GENERAL PATTERN RECOGNITION AND REMARKABLE AGREEMENT IN LATEST GUIDANCE ... ALL SUPPORT A RELATIVELY HIGH CONFIDENCE FORECAST OF NUMEROUS INTENSE STORMS/SUPERCELLS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING VERY LARGE/DAMAGING HAIL AND A FEW STRONG/LONGER-LIVED TORNADOES IN THE MODERATE RISK AREA."
Let those maps be your clarion call (not sure what that means, but I've read it somewhere and it sounds serious, so I used it). Be prepared for the next 3-4 days NOW! Go about your normal lives, but remain weather aware. These forecasts and outlooks WILL change between now and each period represented. Just like yesterday, lots of heating allowed us to go from a somewhat benign severe weather day to a near historic one.
And for crying out loud, folks need to quit driving into deep water. At the least you'll end up with a car full of water. At the most you'll end up DEAD. Flash flood deaths in Oklahoma are almost universally preventable, and only in rare circumstances should they happen. It ain't funny, it ain't smart, and those that do it only endanger emergency personnel that have to attempt rescues.
Turn around, don't drown.
Grumpy State Climatologist's translation: Knock it off!
Gary McManus State Climatologist Oklahoma Mesonet Oklahoma Climatological Survey (405) 325-2253 gmcmanus@mesonet.org
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