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Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Hottest Month On Record For Oklahoma


Hottest Month On Record For Oklahoma. Here's a story from the Oklahoma Mesonet: "According to data from the Oklahoma Mesonet, the statewide average temperature during July came in at 89.1 degrees, more than 7 degrees above normal. High temperatures alone were nearly 9 degrees above normal at 102.9 degrees. The National Climatic Data Center's statewide average for July stands at 88.9 degrees with data still being collected. Both values shattered the country’s previous record of 88.1 degrees held by another legendary hot month in Oklahoma, July 1954." More details from the Oklahoma Mesonet:
  • According to data from the Oklahoma Mesonet, the statewide average temperature
    during July came in at 89.1 degrees, more than 7 degrees above normal. The
    National Climatic Data Center's statewide average for July stands at 88.9
    degrees with data still being collected. Both values shattered the country’s
    previous record of 88.1 degrees held by another legendary hot month in
    Oklahoma, July 1954.
  • High temperatures alone were nearly 9 degrees above normal at 102.9 degrees.
  • The extreme heat is being fueled by one of the worst short-term droughts in
    state history. The statewide average precipitation total of 16.73 inches since October 1,
    2010, is the driest on record at nearly 14 inches below normal. Parts of
    southwestern Oklahoma have seen less than 6 inches of rain over that 10-month
    period.
  • The loss of soil moisture and green vegetation has combined with the summer sun
    to bake the state unmercifully.
  • Unfortunately, widespread relief has yet to appear on the horizon. The latest
    seasonal drought outlook from the National Weather Service’s Climate Prediction
    Center (CPC) calls for drought to persist or intensify in Oklahoma through the
    end of October. Farther out, the news is just as troubling. While the La Niña
    event faded in late spring, the CPC issued a La Niña watch last week for
    possible development once again this winter. The possibility of extending the
    current drought further would be very bad news for a state already hit hard by
    the heat and lack of rainfall.

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