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.