OKC Ties Hottest Day of Year Saturday

Yes, we are still in the summer season.  Today marks the beginning of "meteorological fall," although the autumnal equinox does not officially begin for another few weeks on Sunday, September 22.  However, as we mentioned in a previous blog post, the "peak" of summer for Oklahoma City and surrounding cities in Oklahoma is from the last couple of weeks in July to about the first week in August.  This means that the average high temperature is its highest during this three-week time frame.  Therefore, if on track for an average year, the highs should really be getting cooler.  But, as we all know, weather in Oklahoma is usually far from average.  Parallel to this, the state baked towards the end of last week as the result of a short heat wave.  How hot did it get?  Continue reading to find out.

A strong ridge of high pressure dominating the region led to high temperatures well-above normal on Friday and Saturday.  Oklahoma City recorded two more triple-digit days for the year on these days, putting the current year-to-date total of triple-digit temperatures at five.  Saturday was the high point of the heat wave, with a high temperature reaching a searing 103 degrees.  This ties July 10 as the hottest temperature of the year for Oklahoma City.  Now, you may be laughing to yourself, as we are talking about a high 103 like it is that impressive, when last year an all-time record high for Oklahoma City of 113 degrees was tied.  However, this late in the summer season, highs reaching the century mark start to become more rare.  We were only two degrees shy from tying a record yesterday, which was 105 degrees set back only two years ago in 2011.  Our average high in Oklahoma City for yesterday was 91 degrees.  Perhaps this puts things in a better perspective.

Oklahoma City was not the only city in the century club yesterday.  In fact, as you can see from the top Mesonet map, most of the central and all of the western parts of the state recorded highs at or above 100 degrees, with areas in southern Oklahoma reaching well over 100 degrees.  Though eastern Oklahoma's mid-to-upper-90s may look somewhat "refreshing" (for lack of a better term), take a look at the second map.  This shows the maximum heat index from yesterday, and ironically, the map is flipped in this sense.  It actually felt warmer in eastern Oklahoma than in central and western Oklahoma, with heat indices in the mid-to-upper-100s!  The higher heat index values were a result of higher humidity levels in eastern Oklahoma, which is why it is so important to stay hydrated when going outside in hot and humid conditions.

So...with all this talk about the past, what lies ahead?  Well, we currently have a cold front dipping down into the state, bringing cooler temperatures and some rain showers to northern Oklahoma.  A snapshot of the temperatures at 2:30pm CDT shows the temperature contrast.  As northern Oklahoma enjoys the 70s and 80s, southern Oklahoma is still stuck with another day in the 100s.  You can track the current temperatures at the Mesonet, with a map that updates every 5 minutes, here.

Once the front finally passes through by tomorrow, all of the state will enjoy somewhat cooler temperatures, with slight chances for rain, mainly in central and southern Oklahoma from this evening onward.  Therefore, with the exception of early morning storms in the middle of the state, Labor Day will be dry for central and northern Oklahoma but could contain a few isolated showers in southern Oklahoma.  Chances are no greater than 30% at this time.  Highs will be in the upper-80s to low-90s across central and northern Oklahoma and in the low-to-mid-90s across southern Oklahoma.














Past Monday, we are again looking at another warm-up with rain chances disappearing.  Highs will slowly rise to the mid-to-upper-90s for the state by the end of the week and start of the weekend.  Summer is still holding on, and we urge you to continue to plan for it.

Sources: NWS, Mesonet