Today marks the 29th consecutive day over 90. That is a record.
Today is forecast to be the 10th day above 100 in June. That is a record.
Today marks the 34th consecutive day above normal.
June 2011 set or tied single-day record high temperatures on the 17th, 18th, 19th, and 27th. Those record temperatures were 103, 104, 101, and 103 degrees, respectively.
Oklahoma City is continuing to set records with the heat wave that has lasted much of June.
Oklahoma City averages 11 days in the month of June with a temperature above 90 degrees. Oklahoma City averages 1 day in the month of June with a temperature above 100 degrees. The average high temperature in June is 87 degrees. Our average high temperature in June 2011 has been 97 degrees so far.
Any way you slice it, it has been hot. With the heat, there has been a lack of rain. Actually, there has even been a lack of clouds. Only one day this month has been an officially cloudy day. With no precipitation, drought conditions have steadily worsened over the western one-third of Oklahoma, which is currently in an "exceptional drought." This has also lead to many western Oklahoma counties to issue burn bans for their area.
It seems the only hope of rain would be for a hurricane to hit the Texas coast and travel northward to Oklahoma. That path is a fairly common one. Fortunately, the scientists at Colorado State University have predicted a 50% probability that the Texas coast will be hit by a hurricane this year. This morning, Tropical Storm Arlene formed south of the Texas coast. Unfortunately, the storm is headed west into Mexico. After the storm dies on land, its remnants are forecast to continue westward into the Pacific Ocean.
As hot as it has been in Oklahoma City, the hottest areas of the state have primarily been west Oklahoma. Particulary, the southwest portion of the state has been hot. But the county that has set the pace for warmth has been Kingfisher county. The average temperature so far in June has been 89.5 degrees in Kingfisher County. That is not the average high temperature, of course, but is the average temperature from all times of the day for the month of June. That average temperature is 12.9 degrees above normal.
The current forecast does not have any signs of relief. The National Weather Service is forecasting another week of temperatures above 100 degrees. The coolest day in the current forecast is July 4 at 98 degrees. Happy Independence Day!
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