Tulsa World: State's spring weather makes history, twice

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State's spring weather makes history, twice
Oklahoma was walloped by rain and a blizzard.

By BRYAN PAINTER NewsOK.com
Published: 6/20/2009 2:23 AM
Last Modified: 6/20/2009 4:40 AM

NORMAN — Spring 2009's legacy will be a record-breaking blizzard and record-breaking rain, according to the Oklahoma Climatological Survey.

Sunday marks the start of summer, and the triple-digit temperatures already recorded several times might indicate an extremely hot season ahead. But one only need look at spring to realize that Oklahoma seasons are usually unscripted.

A snowstorm March 27-28 dumped more than 2 feet of snow on northwest Oklahoma, said Gary McManus, the Oklahoma Climatological Survey's associate state climatologist.

The storm broke a state record for 24-hour snowfall. The previous mark of 23 inches at Buffalo on Feb. 21, 1971, was bested by 25 inches six miles north of Fort Supply.

Alva, Freedom and Laverne had reports of 24 inches.

That's not only a lot of snow for 24 hours, but it's a lot, period. Any of those totals would make it the second-heaviest snowstorm in Oklahoma since 1951, bested only by the 36 inches reported at Buffalo in the February 1971 blizzard.

Although the blizzard wasn't statewide, temperatures dropped into the 20s and 30s in the early days of spring, which began March 20.

That was followed by the 50th-coolest April on record and the 19th-coolest May.

"So even the sweltering heat that we've experienced as summer draws near has little effect on the statistics," McManus said.

As of June 18, the statewide average temperature for the spring was 63.3 degrees, 1.5 degrees below normal.

The

other record mentioned was for rainfall. The Oklahoma Mesonet site at Burneyville in southern Oklahoma recorded 12.42 inches of rain April 29-30, breaking the Mesonet's previous daily rainfall record.

Primarily because of that, Burneyville's 25.67 inches so far this year exceeds its total rainfall last year of 22.84 inches.

One thing that has been similar to the past is a variance of rainfall totals by area. Between March 20 and Wednesday, the Mesonet station at Kenton in the far western Oklahoma Panhandle had received 2.03 inches.

The station at Broken Bow in far southeastern Oklahoma had received 26.83 inches.

McManus said Mesonet information shows that the southeastern region of the state had its eighth-wettest spring, with an average of 22.21 inches, while the south-central region had its seventh-wettest spring with 19.25 inches.

However, the Panhandle received an average of only 5.03 inches, the 20th-driest for that region, and the west-central region recorded an average of 8.88 inches, the 31st-driest for that region.

This spring's temperatures also varied widely. The temperature at the Boise City Mesonet station dipped to 11 degrees March 28.

The temperature at the Alva, Beaver and Buffalo station Wednesday was 104 degrees.

Three disaster declarations so far this year

So far this year, oklahoma has received three presidential disaster declarations, said Michelann ooten, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Emergency Management.

Oklahoma received federal individual assistance Friday for residents and businesses in nine counties where wildfires raged april 9-12.

The counties are Carter, Cleveland, Grady, lincoln, McClain, Murray, oklahoma, Payne and Stephens.

Oklahoma still is waiting to hear about a request for public assistance for local governments in 11 counties where damage from heavy snows occurred March 27-28.

The counties are alfalfa, Beaver, Cimarron, Dewey, Ellis, Grant, Harper, Kay, texas, Woods and Woodward.

Federal officials denied a request for assistance for local governments in 17 counties because of damage caused by severe storms, tornadoes and flooding april 25-May 16.

those counties are alfalfa, Cherokee, Choctaw, Craig, Dewey, Garfield, Garvin, Grant, Jefferson, love, Major, Mayes, nowata, Rogers, tillman, Wagoner and Woods.

The state is appealing, ooten said.

Public assistance helps cities, towns and counties with infrastructure repairs and response costs associated with the storms. Individual assistance helps residents and business owners.

In 2007, oklahoma had ice storms, flooding, tornadoes and more, and the state received nine presidential disaster declarations.

bpainter@opubco.com By BRYAN PAINTER NewsOK.com

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