Drought in Oklahoma, September 1 to 30, 2018

Name: Drought in Oklahoma, September 1 to 30, 2018
Start: 2018-09-01T00:00
End: 2018-09-30T23:59
Location: Oklahoma

September 1 to 30, 2018 · NWS OUN · 20 events in 20 counties and zones

Extreme drought was eliminated and severe drought was greatly reduced through the month of September. By the end of the month, severe drought was confined to southwest Oklahoma.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 20 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 20

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS OUN wrote it up.

Extreme drought was eliminated and severe drought was greatly reduced through the month of September. By the end of the month, severe drought was confined to southwest Oklahoma.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Norman, OK wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Aug 31, 9:48 PM CST, 2 hours 12 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 31, 9:48 PM CST, 2 hours 12 minutes before

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Norman OK
1048 PM CDT Fri Aug 31 2018

.DISCUSSION...

&&

.AVIATION...

VFR conditions and south winds are expected until 010600.

&&

.PREV DISCUSSION... /issued 701 PM CDT Fri Aug 31 2018/

DISCUSSION...
Somewhat breezy south winds will continue through this afternoon
as a surface low traverses northern KS and southern NE. Winds will
remain southerly overnight but decrease as the boundary layer
decouples. Lighter winds are expected tomorrow with slightly
cooler afternoon highs as the ridge shifts eastward and a trough
enters the four corners region. Rain chances will initially
increase late Sat through early Sun across extreme northwestern OK
with this feature, but most will remain dry.

The cool and moist trend will continue into early next week with a
trough remaining in place over the SW CONUS. In addition, rainfall
chances will increase Mon-Tue as a mid level shortwave trough
within SSW flow impacts our western zones, and a subtropical wave
impacts our central and eastern zones. There are some disagreements
on how far west the latter will make it, but given the amount of
moisture expected PoPs have been increased along and east of I35
to high chances. Some localized heavy rainfall may be possible
considering how high PWATs will be.

High chance PoPs will continue throughout most of Tue, especially
along and west of I35 on the western fringe of the mid to upper
ridge. There are some disagreements in NWP output for the extended
periods, but it does appear like the remnants of a tropical
cyclone could impact the Southern Plains by Thur. It's unclear how
far north this feature will make it though since the ridge is
expected to expand over much of the central CONUS by this time.

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
Oklahoma City OK  73  94  73  90 /   0   0   0  20
Hobart OK         74  96  75  93 /   0   0   0  30
Wichita Falls TX  75  96  75  95 /   0   0   0  20
Gage OK           72  95  71  90 /  10  10  40  30
Ponca City OK     75  95  73  90 /   0   0   0  20
Durant OK         72  93  73  90 /   0  10  10  30

&&

.OUN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
OK...None.
TX...None.
&&

12/09/09

Hazardous weather outlook, Aug 31, 5:45 PM CST, 6 hours 15 minutes before

Hazardous Weather Outlook...UPDATED
National Weather Service Norman OK
645 PM CDT Fri Aug 31 2018

OKZ004>048-050>052-TXZ083>090-012345-
Harper-Woods-Alfalfa-Grant-Kay-Ellis-Woodward-Major-Garfield-
Noble-Roger Mills-Dewey-Custer-Blaine-Kingfisher-Logan-Payne-
Beckham-Washita-Caddo-Canadian-Oklahoma-Lincoln-Grady-McClain-
Cleveland-Pottawatomie-Seminole-Hughes-Harmon-Greer-Kiowa-Jackson-
Tillman-Comanche-Stephens-Garvin-Murray-Pontotoc-Coal-Cotton-
Jefferson-Carter-Johnston-Atoka-Love-Marshall-Bryan-Hardeman-
Foard-Wilbarger-Wichita-Knox-Baylor-Archer-Clay-
645 PM CDT Fri Aug 31 2018

This hazardous weather outlook is for portions of northern...
western...central...and southern Oklahoma...and western north
Texas.

.DAY ONE...Tonight...

No hazardous weather is expected.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Saturday through Thursday...

.Thunderstorms...
There will be slight chances of storms across parts of northwest
into far western Oklahoma Saturday night. Rain and thunderstorm
chances will spread across all of Oklahoma and western north Texas
by Sunday, with chances continuing through Thursday. The
potential for severe storms will remain low.

.Heat...
Maximum heat index values of 95 to 100 are expected again Saturday
afternoon.

Get graphics and more details at weather.gov/norman...and follow
our weather forecast office on Twitter and Facebook.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

20 drought. Local standard time, as filed.

Drought, Roger Mills

When: September 1, 12:00 AM CST to September 30, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Roger Mills forecast zone
Reported by: Drought Monitor
Coordinates: 35.688, -99.696 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Beckham

When: September 1, 12:00 AM CST to September 30, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Beckham forecast zone
Reported by: Drought Monitor
Coordinates: 35.269, -99.682 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Greer

When: September 1, 12:00 AM CST to September 30, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Greer forecast zone
Reported by: Drought Monitor
Coordinates: 34.936, -99.561 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Harmon

When: September 1, 12:00 AM CST to September 30, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Harmon forecast zone
Reported by: Drought Monitor
Coordinates: 34.744, -99.846 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Jackson

When: September 1, 12:00 AM CST to September 30, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Jackson forecast zone
Reported by: Drought Monitor
Coordinates: 34.588, -99.415 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Custer

When: September 1, 12:00 AM CST to September 30, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Custer forecast zone
Reported by: Drought Monitor
Coordinates: 35.639, -99.001 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Washita

When: September 1, 12:00 AM CST to September 30, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Washita forecast zone
Reported by: Drought Monitor
Coordinates: 35.290, -98.992 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Kiowa

When: September 1, 12:00 AM CST to September 30, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Kiowa forecast zone
Reported by: Drought Monitor
Coordinates: 34.916, -98.981 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Tillman

When: September 1, 12:00 AM CST to September 30, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Tillman forecast zone
Reported by: Drought Monitor
Coordinates: 34.373, -98.924 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Blaine

When: September 1, 12:00 AM CST to September 30, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Blaine forecast zone
Reported by: Drought Monitor
Coordinates: 35.875, -98.433 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Caddo

When: September 1, 12:00 AM CST to September 30, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Caddo forecast zone
Reported by: Drought Monitor
Coordinates: 35.174, -98.375 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Comanche

When: September 1, 12:00 AM CST to September 30, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Comanche forecast zone
Reported by: Drought Monitor
Coordinates: 34.662, -98.472 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Cotton

When: September 1, 12:00 AM CST to September 30, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Cotton forecast zone
Reported by: Drought Monitor
Coordinates: 34.290, -98.372 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Stephens

When: September 1, 12:00 AM CST to September 30, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Stephens forecast zone
Reported by: Drought Monitor
Coordinates: 34.486, -97.851 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Jefferson

When: September 1, 12:00 AM CST to September 30, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Jefferson forecast zone
Reported by: Drought Monitor
Coordinates: 34.111, -97.836 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Carter

When: September 1, 12:00 AM CST to September 30, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Carter forecast zone
Reported by: Drought Monitor
Coordinates: 34.251, -97.286 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Love

When: September 1, 12:00 AM CST to September 30, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Love forecast zone
Reported by: Drought Monitor
Coordinates: 33.950, -97.244 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Kay

When: September 1, 12:00 AM CST to September 30, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Kay forecast zone
Reported by: Drought Monitor
Coordinates: 36.818, -97.144 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Noble

When: September 1, 12:00 AM CST to September 30, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Noble forecast zone
Reported by: Drought Monitor
Coordinates: 36.389, -97.230 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Oklahoma

When: September 1, 12:00 AM CST to September 30, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Oklahoma forecast zone
Reported by: Drought Monitor
Coordinates: 35.552, -97.407 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Drought: A drought reaching severe (D2) or worse on the US Drought Monitor, or with notable impacts.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Oklahoma in 2018 Every state in 2018 This day in weather history Warnings in Oklahoma, September 2018

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 786623, 786624, 786625, 786626, 786627, 786628, 786629, 786630, 786631, 786632, 786633, 786634, 786635, 786636, 786637, 786638, 786639, 786640, 786641, 786642.