Ticker for August 19, 2011

                
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August 19, 2011    August 19, 2011    August 19, 2011    August 19, 2011


Could Oklahoma's summer end up as the hottest on record in the U.S.?

Yes. And that concludes today's Ticker. Okay, just kidding. Check this out.
According to the Oklahoma Mesonet, the average temperature for the the summer
(remember, records are kept on the climatological summer, June 1-August 31)
through August 18 is 86.7 degrees. That's all the highs and all the lows
averaged together to get a statewide figure. It's a little more complicated
than that (climate divisions, weighting factors, etc.), but that's the gist of
it. Now, here are the hottest summers on record since records began in the U.S.
in 1895. Oklahoma owns the first, second and third spots, and four of the
top-10. The current hottest summer on record is Oklahoma's 1934 statewide
average temperature of 85.2 degrees.

Check my math, but 86.7 beats 85.2 by 1.5 degrees. A lot can happen in the next
13 days, but it certainly looks possible that we could not only break the all-
time record, but shatter it in the process.

State           Year      Avg. Temp
Oklahoma	1934	    85.2
Oklahoma	1936	    84.4
Oklahoma	1980	    84.3
Louisiana	1998	    84.3
Texas	        1980	    84.3
Texas	        1998	    84.3
Oklahoma	1954        84.2
Texas	        1934	    84.2
Louisiana	2010        84.1
Arkansas	1934	    83.5
Texas           1918        83.5

By the way, why is Oklahoma so prominent on that top-10 list? What gives? As it
turns out, Oklahoma's land-locked southern geography leaves us the perfect
candidate to soar past our neighbors. Famous hot spots in the west, such as
Death Valley, Las Vegas and Phoenix, are in states where elevation keeps
statewide averages down. Texas? high elevations in the west and Gulf Coast
locations in the east dampen the extreme heat of its interior. Temperatures in
states east of Oklahoma are modulated by the higher moisture content of the
atmosphere while states to the north receive less direct sunlight. The higher
moisture content can be a plus for higher minimum temperatures, but it can
also keep those daytime maximums a bit lower as well. So moisture and elevation
are the great equalizers.

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More all-time records are keyed up and ready to fall.

Oklahoma City's high of 103 degrees yesterday put it at 48 days at or above 100
degrees this year, two away from the all-time OKC record of 50 set in 1980. That
record could very well fall this weekend.

Grandfield is now up to 83 days above 100 degrees so far in 2011. That places it
tied with Healdton (1980) and Walters (1998) for second place all-time with
three to tie and four to win. The NWS office in Norman has forecast triple-
digits for the next six days with a lot of possible hot weather ahead of us.
And break up Altus, it's made the chart tied for sixth with 81 days.

Historical 100-degree days in a year
1: HOLLIS               - 86 days in 1956
2: GRANDFIELD           - 83 days in 2011
2: HEALDTON             - 83 days in 1980
2: WALTERS (Mesonet)    - 83 days in 1998
5: CHATTANOOGA          - 82 days in 1998
6: ALTUS                - 81 days in 2011
6: WOODWARD             - 81 days in 1896
6: HOLLIS               - 81 days in 1952
6: HOLLIS               - 81 days in 1939
6: FREDERICK            - 81 days in 1954

Oh by the way, Las Vegas has hit 100 degrees 52 times this year and Phoenix
has hit it 78 times. Thanks for playing, fellas!

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