Mid-August Update: Oklahoma on Track for Hottest Summer on Record

Images (click to enlarge): Oklahoma August and summer average temperature history for 1895-2010, from Oklahoma Mesonet; U.S. average temperatures and departures from climatology, Aug. 1-15, from Climate Prediction Center/NWS

With 2 weeks left to go in meteorological summer, the Oklahoma Mesonet reports that the state is on track to record its hottest summer in climate history, dating back to 1895:

We're 5/6ths of the way through the climatological summer (June-August) and the 

handwriting is on the proverbial wall ... this will probably end up as the warmest

summer on record in Oklahoma, dating back to 1895. Through August 16, the 

statewide average temperature for August was 87.7 degrees. The warmest August

on record was the 87.2 degrees that occurred in 1936.



So that puts us 0.5 degrees ahead of 1936's August as the warmest on record. That

comes after our second warmest June and warmest July on record, so the race for

the warmest summer is obvious. For June 1- August 16, the statewide average 

temperature as measured by the Mesonet was 86.7 degree. That puts us well ahead of 

the warmest summer on record set by 1934's 85.2 degrees. 



The average high temperature across the state during August has been 101.6 

degrees, ranging from 104.9 degrees in the southwest to 97.9 degrees in the 

Panhandle. For the summer, the average high across the state was 100.3 degrees, 

ranging from 103.7 degrees in the southwest to 98.3 degrees in east central 

Oklahoma.