Ticker for June 1, 2018

                
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June 1, 2018       June 1, 2018       June 1, 2018       June 1, 2018


May Breaks All-Time Temperature Record




Yes sir, a brand spanking new May heat record, courtesy of the fickleness of
Mother Nature! Was it hot enough for ya? Well, it will probably get a lot worse
before it gets a lot better (think "October"). Check out the June temperature
outlook down below in the May summary. I would post it up here but I don't want
to lose you to disgust too quickly (also glance at the June rainfall and drought
outlooks while you're there...take your Tums first!).

There's not more much to say on a Friday. Last month was somewhat brutal. A new
month brings hope of less brutality. We had a heat index of 113 degrees in
Grandfield yesterday. Now what do you think is going to happen to all that rain
that fell (in spots) during May?

Read on, and lotsa luck.
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May Breaks All-Time Temperature Record

In defiance of spring, Mother Nature slipped right into summer during May, and
broke a major record along the way. Based on preliminary data from the Oklahoma
Mesonet, the month finished as the warmest on record with a statewide average of
74.6 degrees, 6.4 degrees above normal.





The previous record of 74 degrees was set back in 1962. This abrupt transition
was especially jarring coming directly after the second coolest April on record.
The heat was unkind to those battling severe drought conditions, but sporadic
heavy rains did lend improvements to some. The statewide average precipitation
total of 3.99 inches fell 0.83 inches below normal to rank as the 48th driest
May on record.

As Mays go in Oklahoma, this year?s chapter was relatively quiet, but severe
weather did make itself known at times. Oklahoma?s longest streak without a
tornado to begin a year ended on May 2 with at least 15 tornado touchdowns.
The Hollis Mesonet site recorded a wind gust of 81 mph on the 14th, damaging
trees and outbuildings. Baseball size hail propelled by winds up to 79 mph
produced significant damage around Erick in Beckham County on the 29th.

May?s high temperatures rarely reached the extreme category with only a few
triple-digit readings during the month?s final week. Temperatures consistently
rose into the 90s, however, and heat index values thrived in the high-moisture
environment common during May, topping out at 113 degrees at Grandfield on the
31st.



That site recorded the month?s highest temperature of 104 degrees that same
day.



The lowest temperature of 37 degrees was reported by the Eva Mesonet site on
May 5. May also marks the end of climatological spring. Combined with a warm
March and chilly April, the record-setting May propelled the season to the 30th
warmest spring on record with a statewide average of 60.5 degrees, 1.2 degrees
above normal.





The first five months of the year came in 0.3 degrees above normal to rank as
the 41st warmest January-May on record.





Rain totals were highly variable across the state, befitting the convective
nature of spring rains in Oklahoma. Parts of southeastern Oklahoma fell close
to 5 inches below normal, while isolated areas in northwestern Oklahoma were
more than 5 inches above. The Mesonet site at Alva in Woods County recorded
9.2 inches for the month while the Fairview site 40 miles away received 1.5
inches. Those tight gradients were evident throughout Oklahoma. The 9.2 inches
at Alva led the state, while Kenton brought up the rear with 0.9 inches.
Drought was threatening to develop once again across eastern Oklahoma in those
areas with significant deficits.







Climatological spring ended as the 22nd driest on record with a statewide
average of 8 inches, 3.12 inches below normal.







The January-May period was the 49th driest with a statewide average deficit of
1.9 inches.








Drought decreased across the state by a mere 2 percent during May according to
the U.S. Drought Monitor, but ?Exceptional? drought ? the Monitor?s highest
intensity level ? dropped from 24 percent to 10 percent. A little over 45
percent of the state remained in some level of drought by the end of the month.





The Climate Prediction Center (CPC) had little good to say in their June
outlooks. Their temperature outlook had greatly increased odds of above normal
temperatures across the entire state, but especially the western half. The
precipitation outlook indicated increased odds of below normal precipitation
for Oklahoma, with higher odds across the western two-thirds.





Those outlooks led to a CPC June drought outlook that called for drought to
persist across the northwestern half of the state with development likely
across the southeastern half.



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