EMSA lifts their heat alert
Cooler temperatures are prompting EMSA officials to lift the 3rd Heat Alert of the summer. After more than two weeks and nearly 40 patients in Central Oklahoma transported to local hospitals since July 13th, EMSA is lifting the longest Heat Alert of summer 2010.
EMSA PIO, Lara O’Leary says, “Temperatures in the low 90’s are proving a welcome break for Central Oklahomans. Monday, EMSA dispatchers reported no heat calls and no calls related to the heat. With the next few days’ forecast predicted to hold around the low 90’s EMSA believes it’s time to lift the Alert.”
Even with slightly cooler temperatures, EMSA medics still advise caution when doing outdoor activity. Citizens need to take frequent water breaks and stay in the shade as much as possible. Children, Pets and the elderly are still at risk and should be checked on during the day.
Since the 3rd Heat Alert of the 2010 summer was issued July 13th, 39 Oklahomans have been transported to local hospitals. The third Heat Alert has lasted 15 days.
EMSA’s first Heat Alert was issued May 29th. Since that time to present, 98 Oklahomans have been taken to local hospitals by EMSA medics for heat related illnesses.
EMSA’s Heat Alert is issued when paramedics receive 5 emergency calls related to the heat in a 24 hour period.
Temperature and humidity levels forecast to rise toward the weekend, National Weather Service, Norman
THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK COVERS NORTHERN…WESTERN…
CENTRAL…AND SOUTHERN OKLAHOMA…AND WESTERN NORTH TEXAS.
.DAY ONE…TODAY AND TONIGHT…
THUNDERSTORM OUTLOOK…
NO ORGANIZED SEVERE STORMS ARE EXPECTED.
DISCUSSION…
A LARGE UPPER-LEVEL DISTURBANCE…LOCATED OVER WEST TEXAS EARLY THIS
MORNING WILL GRADUALLY SHIFT WESTWARD LATE TODAY AND TONIGHT.
HOWEVER… THIS DISTURBANCE… ALONG WITH SUFFICIENT MOISTURE IN
PLACE… WILL AID IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF ISOLATED TO WIDELY SCATTERED
THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS MAINLY SOUTHERN OKLAHOMA AND WESTERN NORTH
TEXAS THROUGH TONIGHT.
ALTHOUGH ORGANIZED SEVERE WEATHER IS NOT EXPECTED…AN ISOLATED AND
MARGINALLY SEVERE STORM CANNOT BE RULED OUT. THE MAIN CONCERN FROM
ANY STORM WILL BE VERY HEAVY RAINFALL…WIND GUSTS AROUND 50
MPH…AND INTENSE CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING.
PROBABILITY TABLE…
VALID THROUGH 700 AM CDT THURSDAY JUL 29.
PROBABILITY OF THUNDERSTORMS OCCURRING IN THE
NWS NORMAN COUNTY WARNING AREA…80 PERCENT.
PROBABILITY OF SEVERE STORMS IF STORMS OCCUR…10 PERCENT.
OTHER HAZARDOUS WEATHER…
NONE.
.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN…THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY…
THUNDERSTORM OUTLOOK…
SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE ON THURSDAY. THE GREATEST
COVERAGE WILL OCCUR IN THE SOUTHERN HALF OF OKLAHOMA AND OVER
WESTERN NORTH TEXAS…ESPECIALLY DURING THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING
HOURS. ORGANIZED SEVERE WEATHER IS NOT EXPECTED.
OTHER HAZARDOUS WEATHER…
TEMPERATURE AND HUMIDITY LEVELS ARE FORECAST TO RISE TOWARD THE
WEEKEND. THIS WILL INCREASE THE CHANCE OF PEOPLE DEVELOPING HEAT
RELATED ILLNESS. PERSONS WHO WORK OR PLAY OUTSIDE DURING THE HEAT OF
THE DAY SHOULD BE PREPARED FOR HOTTER CONDITIONS.
Rain possible this morning, areas of southwest Oklahoma
National Weather Service, Norman
REGIONAL WEATHER DISCUSSION…
WIDELY SCATTERED SHOWERS WERE LOCATED OVER SOUTHERN PARTS OF
THE TEXAS PANHANDLE AROUND 8 AM. THIS ACTIVITY WILL DRIFT SLOWLY
SOUTH AND SOUTHEAST AROUND AN UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE OVER WEST
TEXAS AND SKIRT PORTIONS OF WESTERN NORTH TEXAS AND FAR SOUTHWEST
OKLAHOMA. BETWEEN 8 AND 9 AM… LIGHT TO MODERATE RAIN WILL BE
POSSIBLE WEST OF A LINE FROM ALTUS… TO QUANAH… CROWELL AND
BENJAMIN.
Hazardous weather outlook, National Weather Service, Norman
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK COVERS NORTHERN…WESTERN…
CENTRAL…AND SOUTHERN OKLAHOMA…AND WESTERN NORTH TEXAS.
.DAY ONE…THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT…
THUNDERSTORM OUTLOOK…
NO ORGANIZED SEVERE STORMS ARE EXPECTED.
DISCUSSION…
A LARGE UPPER-LEVEL DISTURBANCE…CENTERED SOUTHWEST OF WICHITA
FALLS…WILL AID IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THUNDERSTORMS THROUGH THIS
EVENING. THE GREATEST COVERAGE OF STORMS IS EXPECTED TO BE OVER
WESTERN NORTH TEXAS AND SOUTHERN OKLAHOMA WHERE THERE IS DEEPER
MOISTURE. ALTHOUGH ORGANIZED SEVERE WEATHER IS NOT EXPECTED…AN
ISOLATED AND MARGINALLY SEVERE STORM CANNOT BE RULED OUT. THE MAIN
CONCERN FROM ANY STORM WILL BE VERY HEAVY RAINFALL…WIND GUSTS
AROUND 50 MPH…AND INTENSE CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING.
PROBABILITY TABLE…
VALID THROUGH 700 AM CDT WEDNESDAY JUL 28.
PROBABILITY OF THUNDERSTORMS OCCURRING IN THE
NWS NORMAN COUNTY WARNING AREA…100 PERCENT.
PROBABILITY OF SEVERE STORMS IF STORMS OCCUR…10 PERCENT.
OTHER HAZARDOUS WEATHER…
NONE.
.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN…WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY…
THUNDERSTORM OUTLOOK…
SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE ON WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY. THE
GREATEST COVERAGE WILL OCCUR IN THE SOUTHERN HALF OF OKLAHOMA AND
OVER WESTERN NORTH TEXAS…ESPECIALLY DURING THE AFTERNOON AND
EVENING HOURS. ORGANIZED SEVERE WEATHER IS NOT EXPECTED. AFTER A
MAINLY DRY STRETCH OF WEATHER…A SLIGHT CHANCE OF STORMS WILL
RETURN TO FAR NORTHERN OKLAHOMA SATURDAY NIGHT AND SUNDAY.
OTHER HAZARDOUS WEATHER…
TEMPERATURE AND HUMIDITY LEVELS ARE FORECAST TO RISE TOWARD THE
WEEKEND. THIS WILL INCREASE THE CHANCE OF PEOPLE DEVELOPING HEAT
RELATED ILLNESS. PERSONS WHO WORK OR PLAY OUTSIDE DURING THE HEAT OF
THE DAY SHOULD BE PREPARED FOR HOTTER CONDITIONS.
David Parsons is new director of the University of Oklahoma School of Meteorology
The University of Oklahoma School of Meteorology has a new director in David Parsons, acclaimed meteorologist and atmospheric science expert.
Parsons has most recently served as both a senior scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research, an organization that conducts collaborative research in atmospheric and earth system science, and chief of the World Weather Research Division within the World Meteorological Organization – the United Nations System’s authoritative voice on weather, climate and water.
Parsons has served as a visiting researcher for the Joint Cooperative Institute for Mesoscale Meteorology at the University of Reading and as a U.S. delegate to the World Meteorological Organization’s Committee on Atmospheric Science. His many awards include a National Research Council post-doctoral fellowship, a NASA Group Achievement award and two nominations for NCAR’s Outstanding Publication award. Most recently, he was the key contributor for the Constellation Observing System for Meteorology Ionosphere and Climate’s GPS Satellite Radio Occultation Constellation team.
Parsons is replacing Fred Carr, who has been the School of Meteorology’s director since 1996.
The heatwave of 1980
By Gary McManus, Oklahoma Climatological Survey
The Heatwave of 1980
This is a chronicle of the summer heat wave of 1980, remembered by contemporary Oklahomans as the deadly summer that would not end.
Heat Abounds
The summer of 1980 was not the state’s hottest
The problem did not lay with the heat itself; Oklahomans are fully accustomed to sweltering in the summer, biding time until those first cool fronts of fall make their way down from the north. The defining characteristic of the summer of 1980 was the relentlessness of the heat. Healdton reached the century mark 83 times from June through September, an astounding 68 percent of the possible days during those months. In comparison, the Dust Bowl year of 1934 saw Jefferson hit 100 degrees only 70 times, while Hollis did the same 80 times in 1936. For Healdton, the temperature readings first went to triple digits on June 18, and stayed that way for a couple of days. After a brief respite, high temperatures skyrocketed into the 100s again on June 23, staying that way for 42 consecutive days until August 3. The heat did not end there, unfortunately. Across the state, high temperatures soared into the 100s as late as September 22. At that point, temperatures slowly drifted to more seasonable environs. Finally, a strong cold front late that month put the final nail in the coffin of the memorable heat wave, the triple-digit temperatures but a memory as Oklahomans basked in autumn-like 50s and 60s for high temperatures.
The sea of asphalt that pervades Oklahoma City intensified the heat. Record-high temperatures for Oklahoma’s capital were tied or broken 18 times during 1980, and the third-highest temperature ever recorded for Oklahoma City was set on August 2 with a reading of 110 degrees (113 remains Oklahoma City’s highest recorded temperature, from July 11, 1936). High temperatures of greater than 90 degrees occurred on 71 consecutive days, from June 23 until September 1 (it should be noted that after this one day respite, temperatures elevated above 90 degrees once again for 14 consecutive days).
Although nearly impossible to measure accurately, deaths due to extreme temperatures were the largest impact of the 1980 heat wave. Estimates of up to 80 lives were considered lost due to heat-related causes. That figure might be conservative, since many brain strokes and heart failures are also due to extreme heat, yet not labeled so. Nationwide, the 1980 heat wave is blamed for 1,250 deaths.
Other impacts
As an agricultural state, the impacts on Oklahoma were obviously far-reaching.
Poultry producers reported massive losses, as millions of birds died, their inability to sweat, along with the added insulation of feathers, signing their death warrants. The impact to the cattle industry was similar. As ponds dried up and feed fields withered, ranchers were forced to sell their cattle. The increased volumes of cattle for sale drove prices down, which further exacerbated the cattle ranchers’ cash flow problems.
Crops also felt the double-whammy of heat and drought. The wheat crop, which relies on the weather from September-May more so than the summer months, was the second-largest on record at that time. It was the row crops, such as peanuts and cotton, which bore the brunt of the devastation. Enough precipitation fell during spring for the peanut crop to be planted, but the lack of rain through summer doomed much of the crop. Many farmers had relied on irrigation in the past to survive drought, but even irrigation supplies dwindled by mid-summer.
Water theft
Excessive water use quickly became problematic for Oklahoma communities. At the height of the summer heat, water shortages struck 273 water systems, which served over 350 communities. Theft of water started to have a severe impact on reserves. A loss of 324,000 gallons to thieves was reported by one community alone. As if the shortages were not bad enough, the water supply infrastructure had begun to deteriorate as the ground dried out and shifted, breaking pipes and mains. Tulsa was forced to implement water rationing for the first time in several decades due to diminishing supplies in source lakes.
Short-term forecast, National Weather Service, Norman
.REGIONAL WEATHER DISCUSSION…
THROUGH 4 PM…SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO
DEVELOP OVER NORTH TEXAS AND MOVE SLOWLY TO THE NORTH AND NORTHWEST
OVER WESTERN NORTH TEXAS AND SOUTHERN OKLAHOMA. FREQUENT CLOUD TO
GROUND LIGHTNING…HEAVY RAIN…AND WIND GUSTS OF 40 TO 50 MPH WILL
BE THE PRIMARY CONCERNS WITH THE STRONGEST STORMS. MOST OF THE RAIN
ACTIVITY WILL EXTEND FROM NEAR MUNDAY AND BENJAMIN…EASTWARD TOWARD
WICHITA FALLS…DUNCAN…AND ELMORE CITY.
THROUGH LATE AFTERNOON…ADDITIONAL STORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP
ACROSS WESTERN NORTH TEXAS AND SOUTHERN OKLAHOMA. NO ORGANIZED
SEVERE WEATHER IS CURRENTLY EXPECTED…BUT IF YOU GET CAUGHT IN A
STORM…YOU CAN EXPECT FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING…VERY LOW
VISIBILITIES IN THE HEAVY RAIN…AND WIND GUSTS TO 50 MPH. SOME
MINOR FLOODING IN LOW-LYING AND POORLY DRAINED AREAS IS ALSO
POSSIBLE.
Far southern Oklahoman, National Weather Service, Norman
THROUGH 2 PM…SCATTERED SHOWERS AND ISOLATED STORMS WILL CONTINUE
TO DEVELOP OVER NORTH TEXAS AND MOVE SLOWLY TO THE NORTH AND
NORTHWEST INTO WESTERN NORTH TEXAS AND FAR SOUTHERN OKLAHOMA.
FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING…HEAVY RAIN…AND WIND GUSTS OF
30 TO 40 MPH WILL BE THE PRIMARY CONCERNS. MOST OF THE RAIN ACTIVITY
WILL BE SEEN SOUTH OF SEYMOUR…ARCHER CITY…BLUEGROVE…AND
MARIETTA.
BY LATE AFTERNOON…ADDITIONAL STORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP FROM
AROUND BENJAMIN…VERNON…FREDERICK…AND WICHITA FALLS…OVER
TOWARD ARDMORE…ADA…AND DURANT. NO ORGANIZED SEVERE WEATHER IS
EXPECTED…BUT IF YOU GET CAUGHT IN A STORM…YOU CAN EXPECT
FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING…TORRENTIAL RAIN…AND WIND
GUSTS TO 50 MPH.
Scattered showers, National Weather Service, Norman
THROUGH 1 PM…SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO
DEVELOP OVER NORTH TEXAS AND MOVE SLOWLY TO THE NORTH AND NORTHWEST
OVER WESTERN NORTH TEXAS AND FAR SOUTHERN OKLAHOMA. FREQUENT CLOUD
TO GROUND LIGHTNING…VERY HEAVY RAIN…AND WIND GUSTS TO OF 30 TO
40 MPH WILL BE THE PRIMARY CONCERNS.
MOST OF THE RAIN ACTIVITY WILL BE SEEN FROM AROUND MEGARGEL AND
SEYMOUR…OVER THROUGH ARCHER CITY…BLUEGROVE…AND MARIETTA. AFTER
1 PM…A LARGER AREA MAY BE AFFECTED BY SCATTERED STRONG STORMS…
INCLUDING BENJAMIN…VERNON…FREDERICK…WICHITA FALLS…
ARDMORE…AND DURANT. NO ORGANIZED SEVERE WEATHER IS EXPECTED…BUT
IF YOU GET CAUGHT IN A STORM…YOU CAN EXPECT TORRENTIAL RAIN AND
WIND GUSTS TO 50 MPH.
80 percent chance of thunderstorms in some areas of Oklahoma today, National Weather Service, Norman
THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK COVERS NORTHERN…WESTERN…
CENTRAL…AND SOUTHERN OKLAHOMA…AND WESTERN NORTH TEXAS.
.DAY ONE…TODAY AND TONIGHT…
THUNDERSTORM OUTLOOK…
NO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED THROUGH TONIGHT.
DISCUSSION…
LOW-LEVEL MOISTURE WILL INCREASE SOMEWHAT OVER EASTERN OKLAHOMA
TODAY. BY AFTERNOON… MODEST INSTABILITY WILL BE IN PLACE… AND
SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE LIKELY TO FORM OVER THE SOUTHEAST HALF
OF OKLAHOMA… AND ADJACENT PARTS OF NORTH TEXAS. THE TERRAIN IN
SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA… ALONG WITH WEAK DISTURBANCES ALOFT… WILL
LIKELY CONTRIBUTE TO THE FORMATION OF STORMS. RELATIVELY WEAK
VERTICAL WIND PROFILES… AND A LACK OF A FOCUSING MECHANISM WILL
PREVENT STORM ORGANIZATION… AND SEVERE STORMS ARE NOT EXPECTED. A
FEW STORMS MAY PRODUCE BRIEF HEAVY RAIN AND GUSTY WINDS.
PROBABILITY TABLE…
VALID THROUGH 700 AM CDT TUESDAY JUL 27.
PROBABILITY OF THUNDERSTORMS OCCURRING IN THE
NWS NORMAN COUNTY WARNING AREA…80 PERCENT.
PROBABILITY OF SEVERE STORMS IF STORMS OCCUR…10 PERCENT.
OTHER HAZARDOUS WEATHER…
NONE.
.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN…TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY…
THUNDERSTORM OUTLOOK…
THERE WILL BE A DAILY CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS FROM TUESDAY THROUGH
THURSDAY. THE GREATEST CHANCES WILL BE OVER SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA…
MAINLY IN THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING.
