June 2017 Climate and Hydrology Summary

June 2017

Tulsa: June 2017 was the 52nd warmest (78.1°F; since 1905) and the 38th driest (2.77", tied 1931; since 1888) June on record.

Tulsa: Daily records set or tied this month include a record warm minimum temperature.

Fort Smith: June 2017 was the 64th warmest (78.0°F, tied 1987; since 1882) and the 6th wettest (8.50"; since 1882) June on record.

Fort Smith: Daily records set or tied this month include a record daily rainfall.

Fayetteville: June 2017 was the 22nd coldest (72.7°F, 1999, 1970, 1962, 1959; since 1950) and the 15th wettest (6.44", tied 1956; since 1950) June on record.

Fayetteville: Daily records set or tied this month include a record daily rainfall.

McAlester: Daily records set or tied this month include a record daily rainfall.

Using the radar-derived estimated observed precipitation from the RFCs, rainfall totals for June 2017 ranged from around 1” to around 10”. The highest totals were across east central OK, portions of northwest AR, and Choctaw Co. in southeast OK. This corresponds from around 25% (over Creek Co.) to around 200% (in east central OK) of the normal June rainfall.

Temperatures for June 2017 were near normal across the area. Rainfall was above normal across east central OK and portions of west central AR, with near to below normal rainfall elsewhere.

An MCS over eastern KS/western MO moved south into northeast OK and northwest AR shortly after sunrise on the 17th. These storms continued to move south through the morning and early afternoon hours, bringing damaging winds and hail to far eastern OK and western AR. Thunderstorms redeveloped along a cold front over southern KS during the evening and moved into northeast OK at midnight on the 18th. This activity slowly moved southeast, affecting most of eastern OK and northwest AR through noon. Golf ball size (1.75”) hail was reported near Pawnee. Once the main area of storms cleared the area, additional scattered showers and thunderstorms lingered southeast of I-44 during the afternoon. A nearly stationary boundary set up along the I-40 corridor during the evening. Storms trained over this area for several hours before the line of storms finally started to shift south around midnight. Convection continued through the overnight hours over southeast OK, before moving south of the Red River at sunrise on the 19th. Rainfall totals from the several rounds of storms ranged from around 0.50” to 2” for most of eastern OK and northwest AR. However, east central and southeast OK received 2” to near 6” of rain.

An MCS developed over KS and moved southeast into eastern Kay, western Osage, and western Pawnee Counties a little after midnight on the 30th. The line of storms continued to advance southeast across all of eastern OK and western AR through the morning hours. The convection moved south of the area by noon. Rainfall totals from this round of convection ranged from around 0.3” to 2.25”, except for southern Pushmataha and Choctaw Counties where less than 0.1” of rain fell. A secondary line of elevated convection developed near Highway 412 in east central OK and northwest AR mid-morning and moved east southeast through mid-afternoon. Steep lapse rates over central OK and TX advected into eastern OK and northwest AR during the afternoon, allowing for destabilization despite the morning MCS. Additional convection developed along a line from Okemah, OK to Fayetteville, AR during the early evening hours and swept southeast. Scattered showers and thunderstorms also developed further north over northeast OK during the overnight hours. All of the convection came to an end by sunrise on July 1st. Rainfall totals were 1.5” to around 4” over much of east central OK and west central AR, with lesser amounts of around 0.25” to around 1” elsewhere.

According to the Drought Monitor from June 27, 2017, Moderate Drought (D1) conditions had reemerged across western Choctaw County. D0 (abnormally dry conditions but not in drought) were present across portions of Pushmataha, Choctaw, Pittsburg, Haskell, Okfuskee, Okmulgee, Creek, Tulsa, Pawnee, Osage, eastern Kay, and Washington Counties in eastern OK.

According to the Oklahoma Climatological Survey, June 1-29, 2017 was the 14th driest for northeast Oklahoma, the 32nd driest for east central Oklahoma, and the 49th wettest for southeast Oklahoma. Records go back to 1921. For the Year-to-Date period Jan. 1-June 29, 2017, northeast Oklahoma ranked as the 14th wettest, east central Oklahoma was the 18th wettest, and southeast Oklahoma was the 37th driest period. For the last 365 days (June 30, 2016-Jun 29, 2017), northeast Oklahoma was the 26th wettest, east central Oklahoma was the 45th driest, and southeast Oklahoma was the 21st driest.