Oklahoma set a new record for wind in April.
“There is one aspect of this April’s weather that would unite most Oklahomans — the wind,” said Gary McManus, associate state climatologist, Oklahoma Climatological Survey. “Already Oklahoma’s windiest calendar month climatologically, the seemingly unceasing gales howling day and night became a common point of exasperation.”
Data from the Oklahoma Mesonet shows that both the statewide average wind speed and maximum wind speed for this April were tops since Mesonet data began in 1994 at 12.2 mph and 22.9 mph, respectively.
Previous top marks were held by 1996’s 12 mph and 2011’s 22.5 mph, again respectively.
“Those and other metrics point towards the month as the windiest April statewide in the Mesonet era,” McManus said.
Fourteen of April’s 30 days saw non-thunderstorm wind gusts of at least 50 mph somewhere in the state, and nine days with at least 60 mph. Tipton and Slapout shared the highest wind gusts at 74 mph on April 5 and 22, respectively. The seven confirmed tornadoes brought 2022’s total to 12, still a bit below the long-term average of 16.5 for the first four months of the year.
In April 2022, there were seven confirmed tornadoes that touched down – still below the long-term average of 11.7 for the month.
The statewide average temperature finished at 61 degrees, 1.5 degrees above normal and ranked as the 39th warmest April since records began in 1895. Temperatures soared at times, with 90s being recorded on 11 of April’s 30 days, and Oklahoma’s first triple-digit temperature of 2022 was recorded on the 29th at Altus at exactly 100 degrees.
The Climate Prediction Center’s May temperature and precipitation outlooks call for increased odds of above normal temperatures across the entire state and above normal precipitation in the eastern two-thirds of Oklahoma.