Ticker for March 17, 2010

                
MESONET TICKER ... MESONET TICKER ... MESONET TICKER ... MESONET TICKER ...
March 15, 2010     March 15, 2010     March 15, 2010     March 15, 2010


Et tu, March?

Well, the ides of March are upon us and I'm still patiently awaiting my first
80-degree temperature. We did hit 75 degrees at the Waurika Mesonet site on the
ninth, but I'm neither at Waurika nor is it the ninth. For those wondering
(i.e., masochists), the low temperature for the month thus far was 18
degrees at Cookson on the third.

Temperatures have been fairly close to normal for the most part. Unfortunately
it's a continuation of the same problem (it's my Ticker, I get to declare it a
problem!) we've had for much of the winter with high temperatures being below
normal and the low temperatures being more moderate. For March thus far, the
statewide average high temperature was 58.3 degrees, 2 degrees below normal,
while the average low was 2.2 degrees above normal at 36.7 degrees. That
equals an average temperature of 47.5 degrees, which is 0.1 degrees above
normal.

Now personally I'd prefer those two anomalies to be switched. And while were
at it, take 5 degrees from petty cash and add it to those highs. But despite
promises of temperatures in the mid-to-upper 60s in the coming days, the
longer-range outlooks from the CPC show us with above-normal chances at
below-normal temperatures for the 6-10 day period:



For brevity's sake, let's just blame the Arctic Oscillation again, since it's
a much more convenient scapegoat than the below normal 500-HPA heights and
active EL NINO SUB-TROPICAL JET STREAM(!!):



At least the chances of normal or above-normal temperatures even out as we
close out the month, based upon the 8-14 day outlook:



Now if somebody would kindly remove this knife from my back I'll get back to
cleaning my toga and frowning at all those 40s in western Oklahoma.

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