Oklahoma Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! ===Climate=== {{further|Climate change in Oklahoma}} [[File:Lightning over Tulsa cropped.jpg|thumb|Oklahoma's climate is prime for the generation of [[thunderstorm]]s.]] [[File:OBU Campus oval fountain in 2011 snowstorm..JPG|thumb|Winter at the [[Oklahoma Baptist University]] campus]] Oklahoma is in a humid subtropical region<ref name="Climate of OK" /> that lies in a transition zone between semiarid further to the west, humid continental to the north, and humid subtropical to the east and southeast. Most of the state lies in an area known as [[Tornado Alley]] characterized by frequent interaction between cold, dry air from Canada, warm to hot, dry air from Mexico and the Southwestern U.S., and warm, moist air from the Gulf of Mexico. The interactions between these three contrasting air currents produces [[severe weather]] (severe thunderstorms, damaging thunderstorm winds, large hail and tornadoes) with a frequency virtually unseen anywhere else on planet Earth.<ref name="The Climate of Oklahoma"/> An average 62 [[tornado]]es strike the state per year—one of the highest rates in the world.<ref name="Annual average number of tornadoes">{{cite web |url=http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/climate-information/extreme-events/us-tornado-climatology |title=Tornado Climatology |publisher=NOAA National Climatic Data Center |access-date=October 24, 2006}}</ref> Because of Oklahoma's position between zones of differing prevailing temperature and winds, weather patterns within the state can vary widely over relatively short distances, and they can change drastically in a short time.<ref name="The Climate of Oklahoma" /> On November 11, 1911, the temperature at Oklahoma City reached {{cvt|83|F}} (the record high for that date), then [[Great Blue Norther of November 11, 1911|a cold front of unprecedented intensity]] slammed across the state, causing the temperature to reach {{cvt|17|F}} (the record low for that date) by midnight.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mesonet.org/index.php/news/article/november_11_1911_a_palindrome_to_remember |title=News | November 11, 1911: A Palindrome to Remember |publisher=Mesonet |access-date=February 6, 2013}}</ref> This type of phenomenon is also responsible for many of the tornadoes in the area, such as the [[Tornado outbreak of April 27–29, 1912|1912 Oklahoma tornado outbreak]] when a warm front traveled along a stalled cold front, resulting in an average of about one tornado per hour.<ref name="1912 tornadoes" /> The [[humid subtropical climate]] (Köppen ''Cfa'') of central, southern, and eastern Oklahoma is influenced heavily by southerly winds bringing moisture from the [[Gulf of Mexico]]. Traveling westward, the climate transitions progressively toward a [[semiarid]] zone (Köppen ''BSk'') in the high plains of the Panhandle and other western areas from about [[Lawton, Oklahoma|Lawton]] westward, less frequently touched by southern moisture.<ref name="Climate of OK"/> Precipitation and temperatures decline from east to west accordingly, with areas in the southeast averaging an annual temperature of {{cvt|62|F}} and an annual rainfall of generally over {{cvt|40|in|-1}} and up to {{cvt|56|in|-1}}, while areas of the (higher-elevation) panhandle average {{cvt|58|F}}, with annual rainfall under {{cvt|17|in|-1}}.<ref>[http://www.owrb.ok.gov/ Oklahoma Water Resources Board] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090723021315/http://www.owrb.ok.gov/ |date=July 23, 2009}}</ref> Over almost all of Oklahoma, winter is the driest season. Average monthly precipitation increases dramatically in the spring to a peak in May, the wettest month over most of the state, with its frequent and not uncommonly severe thunderstorm activity. Early June can still be wet, but most years see a marked decrease in rainfall during June and early July. Mid-summer (July and August) represents a secondary dry season over much of Oklahoma, with long stretches of hot weather with only sporadic thunderstorm activity not uncommon many years. Severe drought is common in the hottest summers, such as those of 1934, 1954, 1980 and 2011, all of which featured weeks on end of virtual rainlessness and highs well over {{cvt|100|F}}. Average precipitation rises again from September to mid-October, representing a secondary wetter season, then declines from late October through December.<ref name="The Climate of Oklahoma" /> The entire state frequently experiences temperatures above {{cvt|100|F}} or below {{cvt|0|F}},<ref name="Climate of OK">{{cite web |url=http://climate.mesonet.org/county_climate/Products/oklahoma_climate_overview.pdf |title=Oklahoma's Climate: an Overview |publisher=University of Oklahoma |access-date=August 1, 2007}}</ref> though below-zero temperatures are rare in south-central and southeastern Oklahoma. Snowfall ranges from an average of less than {{cvt|4|in|0}} in the south to just over {{cvt|20|in|0}} on the border of [[Colorado]] in the panhandle.<ref name="The Climate of Oklahoma" /> The state is home to the [[Storm Prediction Center]], the [[National Severe Storms Laboratory]], the [[Warning Decision Training Division]], and the [[Radar Operations Center]], all part of the [[National Weather Service]] and in [[Norman, Oklahoma|Norman]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.spc.noaa.gov/misc/about.html |title=SPC and its Products |last=Novy |first=Chris |publisher=[[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]] |access-date=August 1, 2007}}</ref> {| class="wikitable" style="margin: auto; text-align: center;" |+ Monthly temperatures for Oklahoma's largest cities<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ustravelweather.com/weather-oklahoma |title=Oklahoma Weather And Climate |year=2007 |publisher=UStravelweather.com |access-date=August 2, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927001532/http://www.ustravelweather.com/weather-oklahoma |archive-date=September 27, 2007 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://local.msn.com/weather.aspx?eid=18237&q=Lawton-OK&zip=73505 |title=Weather Averages: Lawton, Oklahoma |publisher=MSN Weather|access-date=August 13, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130618031532/http://local.msn.com/weather.aspx?eid=18237&q=Lawton-OK&zip=73505 |archive-date=June 18, 2013 }}</ref> |- ! scope="col" | City ! ! scope="col" | Jan ! scope="col" | Feb ! scope="col" | March ! scope="col" | April ! scope="col" | May ! scope="col" | June ! scope="col" | July ! scope="col" | Aug ! scope="col" | Sept ! scope="col" | Oct ! scope="col" | Nov ! scope="col" | Dec |- ! rowspan="2" scope="row" | Oklahoma City ! scope="row" | {{abbr|Avg.|Average}} high | {{cvt|50|F|disp=br()}} | {{cvt|55|F|disp=br()}} | {{cvt|63|F|disp=br()}} | {{cvt|73|F|disp=br()}} | {{cvt|80|F|disp=br()}} | {{cvt|88|F|disp=br()}} | {{cvt|94|F|disp=br()}} | {{cvt|93|F|disp=br()}} | {{cvt|85|F|disp=br()}} | {{cvt|73|F|disp=br()}} | {{cvt|62|F|disp=br()}} | {{cvt|51|F|disp=br()}} |- ! scope="row" | Avg. low | {{cvt|29|F|disp=br()}} | {{cvt|33|F|disp=br()}} | {{cvt|41|F|disp=br()}} | {{cvt|50|F|disp=br()}} | {{cvt|60|F|disp=br()}} | {{cvt|68|F|disp=br()}} | {{cvt|72|F|disp=br()}} | {{cvt|71|F|disp=br()}} | {{cvt|63|F|disp=br()}} | {{cvt|52|F|disp=br()}} | {{cvt|40|F|disp=br()}} | {{cvt|31|F|disp=br()}} |- ! rowspan="2" scope="row" | Tulsa ! scope="row" | Avg. high | {{cvt|48|F|disp=br()}} | {{cvt|53|F|disp=br()}} | {{cvt|62|F|disp=br()}} | {{cvt|72|F|disp=br()}} | {{cvt|79|F|disp=br()}} | {{cvt|88|F|disp=br()}} | {{cvt|93|F|disp=br()}} | {{cvt|93|F|disp=br()}} | {{cvt|84|F|disp=br()}} | {{cvt|73|F|disp=br()}} | {{cvt|61|F|disp=br()}} | {{cvt|49|F|disp=br()}} |- ! scope="row" | Avg. low | {{cvt|27|F|disp=br()}} | {{cvt|31|F|disp=br()}} | {{cvt|40|F|disp=br()}} | {{cvt|49|F|disp=br()}} | {{cvt|59|F|disp=br()}} | {{cvt|68|F|disp=br()}} | {{cvt|73|F|disp=br()}} | {{cvt|71|F|disp=br()}} | {{cvt|62|F|disp=br()}} | {{cvt|51|F|disp=br()}} | {{cvt|40|F|disp=br()}} | {{cvt|30|F|disp=br()}} |- ! rowspan="2" scope="row" | Lawton ! scope="row" | Avg. high | {{cvt|50|F|disp=br()}} | {{cvt|56|F|disp=br()}} | {{cvt|65|F|disp=br()}} | {{cvt|73|F|disp=br()}} | {{cvt|82|F|disp=br()}} | {{cvt|90|F|disp=br()}} | {{cvt|96|F|disp=br()}} | {{cvt|95|F|disp=br()}} | {{cvt|86|F|disp=br()}} | {{cvt|76|F|disp=br()}} | {{cvt|62|F|disp=br()}} | {{cvt|52|F|disp=br()}} |- ! scope="row" | Avg. low | {{cvt|26|F|disp=br()}} | {{cvt|31|F|disp=br()}} | {{cvt|40|F|disp=br()}} | {{cvt|49|F|disp=br()}} | {{cvt|59|F|disp=br()}} | {{cvt|68|F|disp=br()}} | {{cvt|73|F|disp=br()}} | {{cvt|71|F|disp=br()}} | {{cvt|63|F|disp=br()}} | {{cvt|51|F|disp=br()}} | {{cvt|39|F|disp=br()}} | {{cvt|30|F|disp=br()}} |} Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. 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