Ticker for August 21, 2011

                
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Inexorable

Synonyms: unbending; severe, relentless, unrelenting, implacable, merciless,
cruel, pitiless.

Sometime around noon today, the Oklahoma Mesonet site at Grandfield measured a
temperature of 100 degrees, marking the 86th day this year that site has reached
triple-digits. That ties the state's all-time record of 86 days set by Hollis
in the drought-fueled summer of 1956. And Grandfield is not the only site to
bust into the top spots this year. Altus and Hollis are both making waves with
Altus now solely in third place at 84 days.

Historical 100-degree days in a year
HOLLIS               - 86 days in 1956
GRANDFIELD           - 86 days in 2011
ALTUS                - 84 days in 2011
HEALDTON             - 83 days in 1980
WALTERS              - 83 days in 1998
CHATTANOOGA          - 82 days in 1998
WOODWARD             - 81 days in 1896
HOLLIS               - 81 days in 1952
HOLLIS               - 81 days in 1939
FREDERICK            - 81 days in 1954
HOLLIS               - 81 days in 2011

Grandfield will most assuredly break the all-time Oklahoma record tomorrow with
Altus soon to follow.

Why stop at 100 degrees? Grandfield has been at or above 105 degrees 60 times
this year through today. That tops the previous statewide record of 51 days set
in 1934 and 1936 at Cloud Chief (Washita County) and 1936 again at Jefferson
(Grant County). Altus has reached 105 degrees 57 times counting today, also
besting the previous state record (and their previous record of 42 days from
1936).

However, it's not all bad. Grandfield has reached at least 110 degrees a mere
14 times this year. That's not even good for the top-10 in state history. Alva
and Cloud Chief lead the way with 23 days from 1936. So while the heat has been
unbending, severe, relentless, unrelenting, implacable, merciless, cruel and
pitiless this year, the extreme side of 110 degrees upwards has been lacking.

Historical 110-degree days in a year
ALVA                 - 23 days in 1936
CLOUD CHIEF          - 23 days in 1936
MEEKER               - 22 days in 1913
JEFFERSON            - 21 days in 1934
JEFFERSON            - 18 days in 1936
VINITA               - 17 days in 1934
ALVA                 - 17 days in 1943
CHEROKEE             - 17 days in 1936
ALVA                 - 16 days in 1947
CARNEGIE             - 16 days in 1936

Notice all of those northwestern Oklahoma stations on that 110-degree list. That
is a by-product of wheat country when the fields are bare in that part of the
world. The sun just bakes and bakes the plowed/bare ground up there and the
temperature can reach extreme levels. Especially during the 1930s when those
fields were bare for long periods of time. Known is some circles as the
"Oklahoma Hotbox" phenomenon, we see that yearly as a by-product of wheat
harvest. The effect works in the opposite when the wheat is still green in
April and May. Temperatures in the wheat belt can be cooler than their
surrounding.

By the way, if you have reached 105 degrees 51 times in two different years AND
110 degrees 23 times in one year ... maybe "Cloud Chief" doesn't really fit
all that well. How about "Second Assistant to Cloud Chief"?

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