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May 2015 Wettest Month on Record, Washes Away 1941 Record

Mon, 01 Jun 2015 16:50:17 CDT

May 2015 Wettest Month on Record, Washes Away 1941 Record















May will go down in history as a defining moment for the state of Oklahoma. That state had been battling ongoing drought for about five years when the monsoon rains arrived the first week of May. By the end of the month, the state broke a 74 year-old record as the wettest month since 1941.   The Oklahoma Mesonet measured a statewide average of 14.40 inches. That eclipses October 1941's tally of 10.75 inches. The storms that brought that relief came with a cost with more than 60 confirmed tornadoes, flooding and 11 fatalities. The heaviest rainfall fell in the southern half of the state averaging 15 to 25 inches. The Oklahoma Mesonet reported 22 sites received at least 20 inches of rain and 54 recorded at least 15 inches.


Radio Oklahoma Network's Michael Dean caught up with State Climatologist Gary McManus about the record breaking month. Click or tap to listen to the interview below.


McManus attributed the wetter than normal cycle to several factors including a series of slow moving storms that moved from west to east across the state, possibly enhanced by the growing El Nino in the equatorial Pacific waters, along with a lot of moisture return from the Gulf of Mexico and funnel systems that generated multiple rounds of showers over the same area.


"That's the recipe for a wet month, but I don't think anybody could have imagined the wettest month in the history in the state of Oklahoma, but that's exactly what occurred," McManus said.


The first five months of the year were the third wettest on record averaging 24 inches. That's about nine and half inches above normal. That's a lot different from a year ago when Oklahoma received 7.39 inches of precipitation and was the fourth driest on record.


In looking at the weather outlook, McManus said the first week of June will dry out a bit, but the wet cycle will continue. He said this is still the rainiest part of the year until mid June and it could extend into July. The National Weather Service's Climate Prediction Center shows increased odds for above normal precipitation across far western and southern Oklahoma for June and across the entire state during the June - August period. The CPC's temperature outlooks for both periods indicate increased odds of below normal temperatures.

   

   

Michael Dean interviews State Climatologist Gary McManus
right-click to download mp3

 

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