04.07.11 pictureDrought Takes Center Stage


Warm and dry weather grabbed the headlines as the
record-setting extremes of February gave way to a downright dull March. Data
from the Oklahoma Mesonet ranked the month as the eighth driest and 31st
warmest March since records began in 1895. Severe weather was scarce, although
a few reports of large hail and high winds accompanied the few thunderstorms
that did occur. Elevated fire risk was common during the month, a result of the
dry and windy conditions. The Governor's office declared a state of emergency
on March 11 for all 77 Oklahoma counties with the report of 30 wildfires
burning simultaneously across the state.


Very little rain fell during the month, allowing severe
drought conditions already in place to spread and intensify. The statewide
average rainfall total was a paltry 0.7 inches, 2.41 inches below normal. It
was the driest March on record for southeastern and south central Oklahoma, and
the second driest in the southwest. The only significant rains fell in northeastern
Oklahoma where several Mesonet stations totaled more than 3 inches. Miami led
the state with 3.36 inches. The rest of Oklahoma went largely without rain,
however. Of the 120 Mesonet sites, 32 had totals of less than a tenth of an
inch. Fort Cobb went without a drop of rain for the entire month. The first
three months of the year were the fourth driest on record with a statewide
average rainfall total of 2.3 inches, more than 4 inches below normal.


The lack of rainfall also meant plenty of sunshine and warm
weather. The statewide average temperature was nearly 2 degrees above normal at
52.1 degrees. The average high temperature across the state was 64.6 degrees
and the average low was 39.8 degrees. Altus and Hollis won the prize for
highest temperature with their 95-degree readings on the 17th. The
weather still got significantly cold at times, however, evidenced by the 15
degrees recorded at Kenton on the 14th. Waurika was the warmest
location in the state with an average temperature of 57.4 degrees while Boise
City brought up the rear at 45.5 degrees. March's warmth could not overcome the
cool weather of January and February. The statewide average temperature for the
first three months of the year was 42.3 degrees, about half of a degree below
normal.
 

The outlooks for April from the National Weather Service's
Climate Prediction Center show an increased chance for above normal
temperatures in Oklahoma as well as an increased chance for below normal
precipitation in the western two-thirds of the state.


Gary McManus
Associate State Climatologist
Oklahoma Climatological Survey