Ticker for November 9, 2009

                
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November 9, 2009   November 9, 2009   November 9, 2009   November 9, 2009


1/16ths Indian Summer

Technically (can you get technical about lore??), an Indian Summer is that
period of unusually warm weather in fall after the first frost and before the
first snowfall. I suspect that is a provincial definition since that would
often push our Indian Summers into mid- or late-November. But regardless of
who's making the rules, I'm just happy with the warmth after the mockery of that
second-coldest October we just experienced.

According to Oklahoma Mesonet data, November thus far is 6.8 degrees above
normal across the state at 59.8 degrees. The average high temperature is 73.9
degrees and the average low is 45.7 degrees, as compared to normal values of
65.4 degrees and 40.4 degrees, respectively.

Most of the southeastern one-half of the state is still waiting for a freeze
this fall, and in reality, only northwestern Oklahoma has had a hard freeze of
any consequence:



This is not out of the norm as we're still within our range of average first-
freeze dates for most of that area:



So technically (there's that word again), this Indian Summer is only valid in
far western Oklahoma minus the Panhandle (since they've already had a snow this
fall), and also in the northeast. Oh yeah, and in Antlers?! Regardless of how
we label it, however, it still amounts to wonderful weather.

Gary McManus
Associate State Climatologist
Oklahoma Climatological Survey
(405) 325-2253