Weather Events

August 2002

As of the end of August, Oklahoma City’s official reporting station (Will Rogers World Airport) had not recorded a triple-digit temperature this year - an uncommon, but by no means rare, event. The last year without a 100-degree-plus temperature reading in Oklahoma City was 1997.


August 2001

Substantial one-day precipitation events recorded at National Weather Service observing sites included: 2.80 inches at Hanna (McIntosh) and 2.69 inches at Anadarko (Caddo) reported on the 12th, 2.50 inches at Atoka (Atoka) on the 16th, 2.50 inches at Lawton (Comanche) on the 18th, 3.45 inches at Lahoma (Garfield/Major) on the 24th, 2.60 inches at Arnett (Ellis) on the 26th, and 4.00 inches at Bokchito (Bryan) on the 27th. Daily rainfall reports from Oklahoma Mesonet sites included: 2.48 inches at Hobart (Kiowa) on the 13th, 2.58 inches at Spencer (Oklahoma) on the 25th, 2.90 inches at Idabel (McCurtain) on the 26th, and 2.52 inches at Cloudy (Pushmataha), also on the 26th.


August 2001

Severe weather, in the form of large hail or damaging winds, was reported somewhere in the state on the 4th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 15th, 17th, 22nd, and from the 23rd through the 25th. Three Mesonet stations recorded peak winds in excess of 60 miles per hour: 64 at Cookson (Cherokee) on the 10th, 83 at Retrop (Kiowa) on the 15th, 70 at Lahoma on the 23rd, and 62 at Woodward on the 25th. The NWS automated station at the Stillwater (Payne) airport recorded a gust to 77 miles per hour on the 15th.


August 1-2, 2007

Slow-moving storms dumped more than 3 inches of rain over Slapout and 3 inches exactly over Pauls Valley.


August 1, 2003

Severe storms produced winds up to 80 miles per hour near Glenpool and rainfall amounts greater than 2 inches in the northeastern one-third of Oklahoma. In Wagoner County, near Coweta, 70 mile per hour winds blew a tree onto a mobile home, nearly destroying it. A man inside the mobile home was cut by debris flying off the headboard of his bed during the impact, but he survived.


August 1, 1995

Moisture from the former tropical storm Dean moved into western Oklahoma. Storm total amounts in excess of 8 inches were reported at Canton Dam, Bessie, Putnam, Clinton, Hollis, Elk City, Cheyenne, Sayre, Fairview, and Thomas.


August 2, 2003

Heavy thunderstorm rains caused flash flooding in central Wagoner County in the early morning hours. Two bridges on secondary roads were washed out between Coweta and Wagoner.


August 3, 2011

 

Strong winds from severe storms caused damage and injuries at the White Water amusement park in Oklahoma City. 


August 3-4, 2006

A cold front went through the state, generating strong straight-line winds that caused damage in Texas, Pottawatomie, Okmulgee, Okfuskee, Comanche, and LeFlore counties. Some of the worst damage was in LeFlore County, where a barn roof was blown off and a grain elevator was blown over.


August 3, 2003

Estimated winds of 70 miles per hour in Coalgate damaged signs and billboards, lifted and moved a storage shed that landed upside down in a driveway, and destroyed a dugout made of concrete blocks, a metal frame, and roof. The metal roof of a chicken pen was ripped off in Lehigh (Coal County) and a rooster was plucked of all feathers.


August 4, 2008

A high temperature of 110 degrees was recorded at the Freedom Mesonet site. Oklahoma City broke a high temperature record with a high of 106 degrees (previous record was 105 degrees, set in 1918).


August 4, 1985

A series of violent storms moved across the State. One swift-moving hail storm damaged Stilwell homes, vehicles, and business buildings. Losses unofficially were estimated at $1 million. In addition, it was reported that 3,000 to 4,000 bushels of apples were knocked off of the trees in a local orchard by wind and hail.


August 5, 1992

Beggs reported 5.22 inches of rain, and reports from Dewar, Dustin, Wetumka, and Checotah noted rainfall in excess of four inches.


August 6, 2002

Four people were injured on the 6th near Vinita (Craig) when microburst winds from a collapsing thunderstorm destroyed a trailer and knocked down several large trees.


August 6, 1990

Thunderstorms produced golfball-sized hail west of Chattanooga and Lawton. On the same day, a hailstorm in the Frederick area caused extensive damage to cotton and other crops.


August 7, 2003

The Mangum Mesonet site recorded a high temperature of 111 degrees.


August 8, 1989

Record-breaking cool air behind a cold front produced minimum temperatures of 52 degrees in Gage, 53 degrees in Ponca City, 57 degrees in Tulsa, and 54 degrees in Oklahoma City. Previous record lows were at least 5 degrees warmer in all of these locations.


August 9-11, 2004

A stalled front produced showers and storms, bringing strong winds, large hail, and flooding rains. Winds between 60 and 80 miles per hour accompanied these storms in northern Oklahoma.


August 9, 2007

Slow-moving storms moved through northern Oklahoma, with winds gusting up to 74 miles per hour, as measured by the Kingfisher Mesonet site.


August 9, 1991

A strong cold front swept through Oklahoma, bringing an abrupt end to a heat wave. Oklahoma City’s maximum temperature of 100 degrees on the 9th was followed by a relatively cool high of 88 degrees the next day.


August 9, 1988

A weak cold front moved through Oklahoma, bringing with it significantly cooler air. An associated 80-mile wide band of thunderstorms extending from the Tulsa area into southwest Oklahoma affected 44 of Oklahoma’s 77 counties. The strongest activity, featuring hail and 80 mile per hour winds, struck Edmond and central Oklahoma. The rain-cooled air lowered Oklahoma City’s temperature 20 degrees in one hour.


August 10, 2011

 

An EF2 tornado that destroyed three mobile homes near Locust Grove killed one person and injured two others. The tornado was a result of severe weather sparked by a strong cold front.  The tornado was on the ground for 5 miles.


August 10, 2006

Lightning struck a house near Vinita, causing a fire.


August 10, 2004

Wind gusts above 70 miles per hour caused structural damage to buildings, demolished a storage building that housed city vehicles, and destroyed one home in Guthrie. Trees up to 30 feet tall were knocked over in Edmond. Hail of up to 2 inches covered the ground in part of Garfield County, causing damage to vehicles, siding, windows, and roofs.


August 10, 1936

Oklahoma’s record high temperature of 120 degrees Fahrenheit was tied today in Poteau. The previous record was set on July 18, 1936 in Alva.


August 11, 2008

Two precipitation records were broken in Oklahoma City on this day: the daily rainfall (4.62 inches on this day, former record was 2.86 inches) and the all-time August daily rainfall (4.62 inches, former record was 3.82 inches). At the end of the month, Oklahoma City also broke its all-time August rainfall total of 8.34 inches (set in 2007) with a total of 9.51 inches.


August 11, 2004

Flooding rainfall was the main threat on this day, especially for central Oklahoma. The Shawnee Mesonet site recorded nearly 5 inches of rain. Flash flooding closed an underpass in Oklahoma City and flood depths were up to 6 feet in some places in the city. Several motorists were stranded in the deep water, including a KOCO-TV news crew.


August 11, 1996

A small tornado touched ground just west of Walters. The tornado was part of a storm system that dropped golfball-sized hail in Greer, Dewey, Custer, and Stephens counties and produced very strong winds in the southwest.


August 12, 1936

Oklahoma’s record high temperature of 120 degrees Fahrenheit was tied today in Altus. The record originally was set on July 18, 1936 in Alva.


August 12, 2007

The high temperature at Hooker was 106 degrees.


August 12, 2005

Gage reported nearly 3 inches of rain after severe storms moved through the state. Wind gusts between 60 and 70 miles per hour were reported in central and northeastern Oklahoma. In The Village in Oklahoma County, lightning struck and severed a power line that then set the roof of a house on fire.


August 12, 2004

A barn was destroyed near Mountain View by thunderstorm winds of 70 miles per hour.


August 13, 2007

The high temperature at Webbers Falls was 106 degrees.


August 13, 2005

Wind gusts of up to 80 miles per hour were reported in central Oklahoma, where homes were damaged. 70 mile per hour winds blew down a 3-foot diameter tree that fell on a pickup truck as it was stopped at a traffic light, causing one fatality.


August 13, 2001

Precipitation events were at times very heavy, but always somewhat limited in area. Dewar (Okmulgee) reported 4.75 inches of rain to complete a two-day total of 6.00 inches and a three-day total of 6.65 inches. Sedan (Kiowa) reported 3.73 inches of rain to complete a two-day total of 4.30 inches.


August 14-16, 2006

Across the state, severe winds caused damage. For example, in Wynnewood (Garvin), a downburst caused damage at the Southern Oklahoma Resource Center campus. Tree limbs were downed, a roof was damaged, and a few windows were broken.


August 15, 2006

Several semi-trucks were rolled over by strong straight-line winds and one semi was destroyed when it rolled into a truck wash in Shawnee.


August 15, 2004

Clinton recorded nearly 4 inches of rain on this day.


August 15, 1986

An unusual August funnel cloud developed about 6.5 miles northeast of Chandler. Although a thunderstorm was nearby, this funnel was unusual because the weather conditions were far from typical for tornadic activity. No damages or injuries were reported.


August 16, 2003

After highs in the mid- to upper-100s, western Oklahoma experienced a bit of relief when the remnants of Tropical Storm Erika brought a cloud shield over the state. The high temperature at Hinton was only 75 degrees with this cloud cover.


August 16, 1987

70 mile per hour winds (associated with thunderstorms) downed trees and power lines in Shawnee, where 1.34 inches of rain fell.


August 16-18, 2001

Kingston (Marshall) reported 1.40 inches of rain on the 16th and 3.50 inches on the 18th for a three-day total of 4.90 inches.


August 17, 1994

Lahoma and Drummond were in the path of a devastating hail storm that featured baseball-sized hail stones and winds measured as high as 113 miles per hour. One football-shaped hail stone captured near Okarche reportedly measured 7 inches long and 4 inches in diameter. The thunderstorm complex moved into the state from Kansas, knocking over 20 power poles near Goltry and virtually destroying mobile homes and the north and east faces of buildings in Lahoma, Drummond, and surrounding areas. The Oklahoma Mesonet site near Lahoma measured gusts to 113 miles per hour and sustained winds of 78 miles per hour until hail destroyed the wind instrument.


August 18-21, 2008

An upper-level low spinning over the Texas and Oklahoma Panhandles dropped nearly 10 inches over Waurika, while other areas in the south received between 5 and 7 inches. On the 18th alone, Walters and Waurika both registered more than 6 inches!


August 18, 2007

Tropical Storm Erin’s remnants entered western Oklahoma, spawning a few brief tornadoes near Hobart and Cordell. Just before midnight, Erin began to intensify over land-a rare occurrence.


August 18, 2000

Because of little precipitation statewide, a burn ban was implemented by the state for 15 counties in the southeast. After a wildfire broke out near Binger, the ban was extended to 71 counties on the 23rd.


August 19, 2007

Tropical Storm Erin developed an eye over southeastern Blaine County around 4 am. Wind gusts in the area exceeded 70 miles per hour, with a gust of 82 miles per hour measured at the Watonga airport. More than 5 inches of rain fell along Erin’s path. The Fort Cobb Mesonet site reported 9.24 inches during the event, while volunteer observers reported 11 inches near Geary and 13 inches near Eakly. Six fatalities occurred due to the flash flooding.


August 19, 2004

Highs in the Panhandle were unseasonably cool (below 70 degrees) after yet another cold front entered the state.


August 19, 1994

Strong thunderstorms moved across northern Oklahoma on the evening of the 19th and early morning of the 20th. Seventy-five mile-per-hour winds raked Alva, and strong winds and hail were reported in Major and Kay counties. The Mesonet site near Foraker reported a wind gust of 73 miles per hour. Many reporting stations in and near Osage county measured precipitation in excess of 3 inches.


August 20-24, 2005

Heavy rain fell over most of the state. The Breckenridge and Watonga Mesonet sites both reported 6 inches of rain during this period.


August 20, 1997

2-inch diameter hailstones and winds estimated at 80 miles per hour caused extensive damage in Burlington.


August 21, 2001

Temperatures in the 100’s were reported somewhere in the state on most reporting dates. Alva (Woods) recorded a 108-degree daily maximum temperature three times during the month, the last reported for the 24 hours ending at 7 AM on the 21st.


August 22, 1997

The Mesonet site near Bessie recorded a peak wind of 84 miles per hour.


August 23, 2007

A wind advisory was issued for much of western Oklahoma with wind gusts up to 40 miles per hour.


August 23, 2006

Thunderstorms dropped heavy rain over Broken Arrow, causing flash flooding over roads and flooding some houses.


August 24, 2007

Up to 4 inches of rain was dumped over northeast Oklahoma by storms overnight, prompting flash flood warnings.


August 25, 2006

Wind gusts as high as 80 miles per hour caused widespread damage across Cherokee. Road signs were blown over, numerous power poles and lines were downed, a hangar at the Cherokee Municipal Airport received heavy damage to the roof and walls, and several plate-glass windows were blown out of the Chevrolet dealership.


August 25, 1990

Buffalo reported 110 degrees on its first of seven consecutive days with temperatures greater than 105 degrees. The high temperatures, coupled with high humidity, forced closings or rescheduling of classes during the first week of school at many nearby locations.


August 26, 2005

80 mile per hour thunderstorm winds in Nowata County destroyed a barn, rolled and destroyed an unoccupied mobile home, and blew down trees.


August 26, 1999

Thunderstorm winds estimated at 80 miles per hour caused extensive damage to a school in Coweta. The Acme Mesonet site near Rush Springs measured a peak wind gust of 81 miles per hour.


August 26, 1987

A strong cold front moved into Oklahoma and the National Weather Service responded by issuing severe thunderstorm warnings for 56 of the State’s 77 counties. 80 mile per hour winds in Tillman County damaged an airport hangar and several house trailers, resulting in an estimated $250,000 in damages in Frederick alone. Winds reported at 100 mph ripped through Rush Springs, causing major damage to two automobile dealerships and several homes and businesses.


August 26-27, 2001

There were several incursions of cooler air during the month. While those incursions provided some relief from the summer heat, such relief was typically short-lived. The lowest temperatures recorded in the state were a pair of 54’s recorded at the Kenton Mesonet site (Cimarron) on the 26th and 27th.


August 27, 1999

Guthrie recorded the state’s highest temperature for August 1999 with a high of 111 degrees.


August 29, 2005

At 6:10 am, Hurricane Katrina made landfall as a Category 3 hurricane east of New Orleans, Louisiana. At least 1,800 people died and more than 1 million Gulf Coast residents were displaced. Though the storm did not directly impact Oklahoma, Oklahomans welcomed Katrina’s refugees and some even traveled to affected states to provide aid.


August 29, 2003

Northeastern Oklahoma received 2 to 4 inches of rain from storms that formed along an outflow boundary. Vinita and Pryor reported 5.06 and 4.06 inches of rain, respectively.


August 29, 1988

A dramatic temperature drop accompanied the arrival of an unseasonably cool arctic air mass in Oklahoma on this date. Record low temperatures were set at Ponca City (49 degrees), Tulsa (52 degrees), Elk City (51 degrees), and Oklahoma City (54 degrees).


August 30, 2004

Close to 4 inches of rain fell near Buffalo and Erick, and flash floods occurred in Camargo.


August 30, 2003

A strong cold front triggered storms throughout the state, dropping nearly 8 inches of rain over Medford and nearly 6 inches over the Alva Mesonet site. The National Weather Service put almost all of the state under a Flash Flood Watch. Flooding was mainly isolated to the northeastern parts and to near Medford. The southeast received additional heavy rainfall from the remnants of Tropical Storm Grace.