Drought in Oklahoma, August 1 to 30, 2019

Name: Drought in Oklahoma, August 1 to 30, 2019
Start: 2019-08-01T00:00
End: 2019-08-30T23:00
Location: Oklahoma

August 1 to 30, 2019 · NWS OUN · 14 events in 14 counties and zones

Severe drought expanded across southwest into central Oklahoma and intensified into the extreme category in some areas of southwest Oklahoma later in the month.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 14 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: 14

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.

Severe drought expanded across southwest into central Oklahoma and intensified into the extreme category in some areas of southwest Oklahoma later in the month.

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 Jul 31, 5:10 PM CST, 6 hours 50 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 31, 5:10 PM CST, 6 hours 50 minutes before

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Norman OK
610 PM CDT Wed Jul 31 2019

.AVIATION...
01/00z TAFs... VFR conditions are expected through the period.
South to southwest winds will decrease some overnight before
returning to 10-15kts tomorrow at most sites. Occasional high
clouds will also be possible tonight into tomorrow.

Ware

&&

.PREV DISCUSSION... /issued 400 PM CDT Wed Jul 31 2019/

DISCUSSION...

LONG TERM...Thursday through Wednesday

S/SE-ly winds at the surface will continue to advect a hot, moist
air mass over our CWA and subsidence from the ridge aloft will
continue to promote compressional heating over the next few days.
These two heating mechanisms, combined with clear skies
(insolation) are expected to keep daytime heat indices in the 100-
105 degree F range over the next two days.

By Friday, the ridge retrogrades slightly to the west and an
embedded shortwave trough travels southeastward from KS and ahead
of a surface cold front. A slight chance of precipitation returns
on Friday and Saturday, mainly over the eastern half of our CWA.
The frontal boundary is expected to enter NW OK on Friday and
slowly make it's way through our area on Saturday. This front
will temper daytime highs this weekend with highs in the upper
80's (north of I40) on Saturday and near 90F on Sunday.
Temperatures are then expected to rebound on Monday with a gradual
warming trend through next Wednesday.

JT

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
Oklahoma City OK  75  98  76  99 /   0   0  10  10
Hobart OK         75 103  77 103 /   0   0   0   0
Wichita Falls TX  76 101  77 101 /   0   0   0   0
Gage OK           74 102  74  99 /   0   0   0  10
Ponca City OK     77  96  75  94 /   0   0  20  20
Durant OK         75  96  74  97 /   0   0   0   0

&&

.OUN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
OK...Heat Advisory until 8 PM CDT this evening for OKZ006-007-011-012-
     017>019.

TX...None.
&&

08/30/08

Hazardous weather outlook, Jul 31, 7:20 PM CST, 4 hours 40 minutes before

Hazardous Weather Outlook...UPDATED
National Weather Service Norman OK
820 PM CDT Wed Jul 31 2019

OKZ004>048-050>052-TXZ083>090-020130-
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-
820 PM CDT Wed Jul 31 2019

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

.DAY ONE...Through Tonight...

No hazardous weather is expected.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Thursday through Tuesday...

.Excessive Heat...
Heat index is likely to reach up to 105 Thursday afternoon across
north-central and southwest Oklahoma.

.Thunderstorms...
There is a slight chance for thunderstorms Friday into this weekend
across the northern and eastern half of Oklahoma.

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The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

14 drought. Local standard time, as filed.

Drought, McClain

When: August 1, 12:00 AM CST to August 30, 11:00 PM CST
Where: McClain forecast zone
Reported by: Drought Monitor
Coordinates: 35.009, -97.444 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Grady

When: August 1, 12:00 AM CST to August 30, 11:00 PM CST
Where: Grady forecast zone
Reported by: Drought Monitor
Coordinates: 35.017, -97.884 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Caddo

When: August 1, 12:00 AM CST to August 30, 11:00 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, Kiowa

When: August 1, 12:00 AM CST to August 30, 11:00 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, Greer

When: August 1, 12:00 AM CST to August 30, 11:00 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: August 1, 12:00 AM CST to August 30, 11:00 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: August 1, 12:00 AM CST to August 30, 11:00 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, Tillman

When: August 1, 12:00 AM CST to August 30, 11:00 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, Comanche

When: August 1, 12:00 AM CST to August 30, 11:00 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: August 1, 12:00 AM CST to August 30, 11:00 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, Jefferson

When: August 1, 12:00 AM CST to August 30, 11:00 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, Stephens

When: August 1, 12:00 AM CST to August 30, 11:00 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, Garvin

When: August 1, 12:00 AM CST to August 30, 11:00 PM CST
Where: Garvin forecast zone
Reported by: Drought Monitor
Coordinates: 34.705, -97.309 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Washita

When: August 1, 12:00 AM CST to August 30, 11:00 PM CST
Where: Washita forecast zone
Reported by: Drought Monitor
Coordinates: 35.290, -98.992 (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 2019 Every state in 2019 This day in weather history Warnings in Oklahoma, August 2019

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: 854093, 854096, 854098, 854099, 854100, 854101, 854103, 854105, 854106, 854107, 854110, 854111, 854112, 854114.