Yeah, it was hot this month, but it was also wet! In this Aug. 11 photo, pedestrians cross Fourth Street in downtown Tulsa. JAMES GIBBARD/ Tulsa World File
It took several months, but August finally brought the rain relief the area desperately needed.
Now, if only more would arrive.
As of Aug. 29, We have had more than 3 inches above normal rainfall this month for Tulsa.
Before I continue, let's discuss what "normal" is based on. Basically, weather information is taken from a 30-year time period (in this case, 1980-2010) and the average during that period determines the normals for the area.
Until this month, 1970-2000 was used instead, because the weather data was still being assembled for the new 30-year period. Thus, unless this system changes, we'll likely be using 1980-2010 data as the "normal" until about 2021.
And now, the temperatures... 5 degrees above normal as of Aug. 29 for this month. This can be attributed to all of the days that reached the 100s. After all, the normal highs for an August day in Tulsa? 91 to 94 degrees.
I just returned from Seattle, where an airport employee was shocked at the 100s we were enduring in Oklahoma, lamenting that they were instead having an abnormally cool summer and just now experiencing warmer temperatures. Shortly after, I stepped outside wearing a jacket in this Seattle "warmth."
Having experienced a week of "warm summer" in Seattle, and months of "abnormally hot" summer in Tulsa, I can assure you that everything in weather is still relative. So, it's hitting the 100s here. It has been for awhile. We're used to it. We'll go in the air conditioning, we'll drink more water.
My garden, on the other hand...
--Althea Peterson
