Ticker for May 18, 2015

                
MESONET TICKER ... MESONET TICKER ... MESONET TICKER ... MESONET TICKER ...
May 18, 2015       May 18, 2015       May 18, 2015       May 18, 2015


Our state runneth over

You only THOUGHT you were done. Mother Nature decided otherwise. Why hide the lead,
here's the 7-day rainfall forecast.



Our hysterical historical May is about to get more hysterically historical. After
this weekend's rains



the statewide average rainfall total for May stands at 7.15 inches, 4.43 inches
above normal and the WETTEST May 1-18 since at least 1921. That already marks
this May (remember, with another couple weeks to go) as the 15th wettest on
record, dating back to 1895.






1957: 10.54"
1982: 10.38"
1943:  9.66"
1902:  9.14"
1908:  8.09"
1987:  7.93"
1935:  7.82"
1949:  7.60"
1955:  7.59"
1898:  7.54"
1929:  7.50"
1993:  7.42"
2001:  7.38"
1905:  7.35"
2015:  7.15"

May 2015 is also the wettest month the state has seen since June of 2007, which
had a statewide average of 9.51". Many in the ag community will remember that
month as the wheat killer, with rain almost everyday keeping the combines out
of the fields. May 2007 was also wet at 7.05".

So basically we'll see small chances of storms today and also on Thursday, and
then we'll be back loading animals two-by-two Tuesday-Wednesday and also Friday-
Sunday. As per usual, it's May and some of those storms could go severe (as we
saw this weekend).



Why stop there? Why not add to our rainfall totals and try and bust the 10-inch
barrier by the end of the month? Well, CPC sees increased odds of above normal
moisture for the May 25-31 period.



Should we shoot for the wettest month in state history, 10.75" from October
1941?

I vote no!

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