Ticker for October 17, 2011

                
MESONET TICKER ... MESONET TICKER ... MESONET TICKER ... MESONET TICKER ...
October 17, 2011   October 17, 2011   October 17, 2011   October 17, 2011


Mid-October climate update: warm, wet ... and dry?

The cold front that promises us to October our October (hmmm, a bit shaky but I'm
sticking with that) is very evident in the Oklahoma Mesonet data.

Air temp: 

Winds:    


It doesn't promise to November our October, but it is going to cool us down from
the warm weather we've been enjoying for nearly the entire month. In fact, the
statewide average temperature for October thus far (through the 16th) is 67.2
degrees (highs + lows averaged together). That's 2.7 degrees warmer than normal.
The highs averaged out at 81 degrees (3.3 degrees above normal) and the lows
came in at 53.5 degrees (2.1 degrees above normal).

So we've gone from the hottest summer on record for the state to the 32nd coolest
September and we're now in a much warmer than normal October. If October ended
today, it would be the third warmest on record behind 1963's 69.9 degrees and
1947's 68.4 degrees. With the natural progression of October's temperatures,
including the current cold front moving through the state, we won't overtake
those top two. Number four on the list is 1938's 66.7 degrees. The rest of the
month looks somewhat warm and very dry.

6-10 day outlooks (Oct 23-27)



8-14 day outlooks (Oct 25-31)



I know we were walking tall after that rain a about 10 days ago, but the
statewide average for the month is still just 1.68", which is just a tad below
normal for the month's first 17 days. If it continues, however, it will be
another below normal month. The normal rainfall during October across the state
is 3.38".

October 1-17 total rainfall


Normal October rainfall


That last rainfall possibly staved off disaster for the current wheat crop.
More is now needed to keep that miracle going.

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