By WEATHER WORLD on Aug 11, 2011, at 7:41 AM Updated on 8/11 at 9:17 AM
WEATHER WORLD
At the cookout I went to Sunday evening, it was tank top, cutoff jean shorts and flip flops. My friend said to me, “you look ...
This blog was inspired by some of our early morning commenters on the weather forecast story .
Yes, as one of you pointed ...
The deluge earlier this month was exciting. For a second, I though that maybe the near-record parched May was just a fluke ...
Vehicles travel slowly in the rainy conditions along Pine Street near Norfolk Avenue, on Wednesday. CORY YOUNG/Tulsa World
A bolt of lightning streaks across the night sky in Talala, Okla., Wednesday morning about 2:15 a.m. as storms passed through the Tulsa area. The storms dropped more than 3 inches of rain in Tulsa overnight. TIM CHAMBERLIN/Tulsa World
A tree blocks the street Wednesday near the corner of Zunis Avenue and E. 27th Street. ADAM WISNESKI/Tulsa World
Well, I’m not talking about massive flooding or an
ancient mariner. I am talking about the massive amount of rain that fell on northeast Oklahoma Wednesday as storms
blew through the area, causing extensive damage and even producing a somewhat-rare August tornado that left one woman dead.
The official total for Tulsa Wednesday was 3.44 inches. That brings the August total to 4.59 inches (not including rain that fell Thursday morning. That is currently at 0.06 inches).
That’s a lot of rain! Especially since we haven’t seen this much rain since April. And especially when it falls so fast. According to storm reports, 2.8 inches fell in an hour in Tulsa. A National Weather Service employee reported 3.17 inches of rain fell in 45 minutes 2 miles west of Broken Arrow.
Now for some more context about this event. Please excuse me while I nerd out and provide you with way too much context:
- Normal August rainfall: 2.9
- Wettest month: 11.8 in 1927
- Driest month: none in 1896
Rain totals from the past year, in inches:
July 2011: 0.36
June 2011: 1.47
May 2011: 3.58
April 2011: 5.41 (above normal)
March 2011: 1
Feb. 2011: 2.57 (above)
Jan. 2011: 0.57
Dec. 2010: 0.55
Nov. 2010: 1.96
Oct. 2010: 1.23
Sept. 2010: 2.85
Aug. 2010: 1.19
July 2010: 4.67 (above)
The last time Tulsa had more than 3.34 inches in a day, you ask? Sept. 21, 2009. 4.42 inches fell that day. Most rainfall in a day was 9.27 inches between May 26 and 27, 1984
Not only was the rainfall an epic and rare event, so was the
tornado. Preliminary data rates the twister at an EF-2. Since 1950, there have been 86 August tornadoes. While that is certainly more than the total for January (16), it is far less than the 1,297 total tornadoes in May.
Let's now look at rainfall totals from across the state, via the NWS and the
Oklahoma Mesonet:
- The Wednesday total from Jones Riverside Airport is 2.43 inches.
- Bixby: 2.5
- Claremore: 2.17
- Inola: 3.99
- Oilton: 2.49
- Skiatook: 2.37
Want some better news?
More rain!There is a 40 percent chance Thursday, a 50 percent chance tonight and a 60 percent chance Friday night.
Those of you who were hoping to avoid mowing for a while? Haha.
--Jerry Wofford
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