Ticker for June 3, 2002

                
MESONET TICKER ... MESONET TICKER ... MESONET TICKER ... MESONET TICKER ...
June 3, 2002       June 3, 2002       June 3, 2002       June 3, 2002


In Case You Were Wondering

As Summer 2002 begins to deal the finishing blows to a refreshingly
stubborn spring, one question comes to the mind: "When's it gonna be
100 degrees?".  Well, that's a question to be answered with time,
but the following chart might help provide some historical perspective:



The chart shows the frequency, by month, of the first observation
of 100 degrees or more at OKC and Tulsa. The data comes from the last
53 years.  While the main message of the chart is to scream "DON'T
BE SHOCKED IF IT'S JULY!".  However, some interesting differences
exist between Tulsa and OKC, not the least of which is the fact that,
since 1949, OKC's first-100 date has been spread throughout six months,
while Tulsa's are confined to June, July and August.  The Ticker staff
was surprised that (again, since 1949) Tulsa surpassed the century mark
in 46 of 53 years, while OKC "only" exceeded it in 45 years.

We'll be back tomorrow with some drought/rainfall numbers for May and
the last 12 months.