Ticker for August 17, 2011

                
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August 17, 2011    August 17, 2011    August 17, 2011    August 17, 2011


Now is the summer of our discomfort

We're 5/6ths of the way through the climatological summer (June-August) and the
handwriting is on the proverbial wall ... this will probably end up as the warmest
summer on record in Oklahoma, dating back to 1895. Through August 16, the
statewide average temperature for August was 87.7 degrees. The warmest August
on record was the 87.2 degrees that occurred in 1936.



So that puts us 0.5 degrees ahead of 1936's August as the warmest on record. That
comes after our second warmest June and warmest July on record, so the race for
the warmest summer is obvious. For June 1- August 16, the statewide average
temperature as measured by the Mesonet was 86.7 degree. That puts us well ahead of
the warmest summer on record set by 1934's 85.2 degrees.



The average high temperature across the state during August has been 101.6
degrees, ranging from 104.9 degrees in the southwest to 97.9 degrees in the
Panhandle. For the summer, the average high across the state was 100.3 degrees,
ranging from 103.7 degrees in the southwest to 98.3 degrees in east central
Oklahoma.

So it's a race to the finish, with 1936 (August) and 1934 (summer) in our rear-view
mirrors. The latest 6-10 and 8-14 day outlooks show the upper-level ridge that has
been camped over the Southern Plains for much of the summer is expected to shift
farther to the west. That may allow a few more fronts down our way which could
tighten up our race against those other months. The outlooks cover August 22-30.




As you can see, the increased chances for above normal temperatures will shift to the
west with that heat dome.

It's a bold statement to tell 1934 and 1936 to eat our dust (they had enough of that
back then), but we've earned it. Of course, they didn't have air conditioners either.

Gary McManus
Associate State Climatologist
Oklahoma Climatological Survey
(405) 325-2253
gmcmanus@mesonet.org