While we have seen several severe Weather occurrences across the state this year, Rain has really been the story the past few months. There is a chance of severe weather this week, but at the time of writing this, rain again was the leader.
According to State Climatologist Gary McManus, we could see more severe weather this week, “Those have a chance to pulse on and off severe, but it’s the outflow boundary from those storms that’ll be left that could set off discrete supercells later this afternoon that will come with the risk of all severe hazards.”
The Overachieving Severe Season continues in Oklahoma. According to McManus, “The state recorded four more storm-related fatalities in May, bringing the total to eight in 2024, along with hundreds of injuries. At least 43 tornadoes touched down in May, following a record-breaking 55 tornadoes in April, surpassing the previous high of 54 in 2012. With two additional tornadoes in March, the preliminary total for 2024 stands at 100, a number that may rise as National Weather Service personnel continue to assess storm damage. The supercell thunderstorms that generated these tornadoes also brought numerous reports of hail, severe winds, and flash flooding. At times, the hail was larger than softballs, and damaging winds reached speeds of nearly 100 mph. Overall, there was at least one severe storm report collected by Oklahoma’s local NWS offices on 22 out of 31 days in May.”
Rain has been a big factor this spring, with the state-wide average rainfall for May being 5.43″, .5 ” above normal, ranking as the 45th wettest May since records began back in 1895. Idabel led the way with a total of 11.65″, “Fifty of the Mesonet’s 120 sites recorded at least 6 inches of rainfall during May, and another 27 recorded at least 5 inches. Eva had the lowest total at 1.29 inches, joining four other sites with less than 2 inches. Climatological spring, which runs from March 1 through May 31, ended as the 47th wettest in Oklahoma with a statewide average of 11.29 inches, matching the seasonal normal. Deficits of 2-5 inches were noted across the northwestern quarter of the state and from central through northeastern Oklahoma. Meanwhile, widespread surpluses of 2-4 inches spread across much of southern and eastern Oklahoma. As in May, Idabel led all sites with a spring total of 24.1 inches—8.6 inches above normal—while Eva recorded the lowest at 1.7 inches. “
McManus says The first five months of the year finished with 14.93 inches, 0.38 inches above normal, ranking as the 45th wettest January-May on record.
The Rain has been a blessing for producers across the state as the drought monitor has continued to look up as drought has diminished considerably through May, going from around 28% of the state at the end of April to less than 15% at the end of May. McManus said, “While drought had disappeared throughout most of Oklahoma, it continued to spread west through the Panhandle and south into far western areas of the state. The Climate Prediction Center’s June drought outlook calls for most of the drought in the state to improve through the month, except in the western half of the Panhandle. The CPC’s June precipitation and temperature outlooks indicate increased odds of both for the month.”
To read more from State Climatologist Gary McManus on his Mesonet Ticker, click here:
