A Day in the Life: Weather in Oklahoma

A Day in the Life:  Weather in Oklahoma

Authors have long used the “day in the life” timeline to contrast how outlooks and perspectives can change multiple times.  Examples of this are the Beatles odd song “A Day in the Life”, as well as movies: “12 Angry Men” and “American Graffiti”.  Our recent Oklahoma weather, as we’re transitioning from spring into summer is a little like that, with sharp contrasts, and rapid changes in outlook and perspective. 

The recent rash of tornadoes in Moore, and around Oklahoma City, are real life tragedies that occurred with little notice.  I want to recap the few days leading up to the recent Moore Oklahoma tornadoes (of May 20^th) that claimed the lives of some 24 victims in that town, just south of Oklahoma City.  Although, I’ll quickly recap the three days, you’ll get a sense of the rapidly changing weather that led up to the tornadoes of May 20, 2013.  It’s scary how quickly things can change as these storms move through.

So again, here is the rough chronology of what the weather and outlook was like for the 3 days of Saturday, Sunday, and Monday (May 18-20) for us.

Saturday:

·         Much like any other weekend, we worked the yard, mowing and gardening.  The weather was great, in the low 80s, and partially cloudy skies.  Typical late spring day in Oklahoma.  Imagine the smalls of fresh cut grass, and the mulch that Susan spread over her recently planted flowers.

·         We had to go to a Gymnastic Hall of Fame dinner in downtown OKC that night, so we got cleaned-up for this black-tie optional dinner, on the top floor of the Petroleum Club, with 360 degree views of OKC.  As the dinner progressed, you could see lightening approaching, and then lots of big drops of rain hitting the windows.  It was so windy outside, that Susan and I could see the windows shaking and the chandeliers swaying from the ceiling.  After the dinner ended, we drove home through rain, but it wasn’t too bad.

Sunday:

·         After breakfast, church, and lunch, we worked out in the yard some more.  Like yesterday, it was sunny and mild.  The weathermen predicted additional rain storms in late afternoon, and they were right.

·         By late afternoon, heavy clouds and rain arrived along with very high winds.  By about 4 PM, the storm sirens went off; announcing that nearby tornadoes could emerge.  I had the garage storm cellar open and ready (stocked with water, candles, flashlights, and a radio). We went back-and-forth from the cellar to the TV, until the front passed by about 5 PM.

 

·         There were one or two tornadoes that touched down in Edmond, doing damage both west and east of us, but (thankfully) skipping over our neighborhood.

·         Unbelievably, by about 7 PM, I was grilling steaks on the patio.  The rain was gone and water drying up.  The wind had died down, and the sun even broke through!  It was a beautiful evening.

Monday:

·         Got up and went to work on a typical clear, sunny, day.  Although the weatherman warned of potential storms later in the day, it all started well.

·         By lunch time, however, clouds came through, and weather warnings came again.  Shortly after lunch, the storm alarms went off, and we were told to gather, immediately, in the core of the building, away from the many glass windows.

·        A number of deadly tornadoes touched down in Moore, some 20 miles south of OKC.  This massive storm resulted in 24 deaths and who knows how many injuries and loss of property.  The May 20^th Moore tornadoes were category EF4 and EF5, meaning winds over 200 mph!

* I rode the storms out in the 50 story Devon office building, which is rated to be safe in winds of over 200 mph.  I was surrounded, in a safe part of the building, by my staff; all of us watching storm updates on our mobile phones.

 *  By 5 PM, we all headed for home, including my co-workers who live in Moore.

 

Although this is more than a “day in the life” (it’s really 3 days), but it shows how volatile and quickly changing these storm systems can be.  As I started this note, on May 31rst, another round of storms has moved through the OKC area, resulting in a number of new tornadoes, and winds over 100 mph, and sadly another 9 deaths.  These deaths are the ultimate tragedy, but they come with homes and cars lost, the destruction of businesses and property, and an incredible disruption in the lives of so many good people.  To think, we’ve only just begun our storm season.

Only yesterday, we drove, with our great friends the Broussards, out an hour’s drive SW of OKC to have lunch at a winery, out near Anadarko.  The weather was perfect, mild temperatures, hardly a cloud in the blue sky, and green layered across the beautiful rolling hills of Oklahoma.  I love my home of Oklahoma so much.  I love the seasons and wide variety of weather.  It can get awfully hot and dry, in summer, as well as prolonged periods of drought.  We can have snow, ice, rain, hail, and incredibly high winds, all within the same day 

A great question to ponder is:  Would you rather deal with hurricanes down around the Gulf Coast or tornados here in the Midwest?  The Hurricanes give you days or even a week of warning, and a long aftermath.  Tornadoes can come, do tremendous damage, and then go away with little warning.  Which would you rather worry about?

Something to ponder on another day in the life……….

One last contrast:  Today (Sunday, June 2) was absolutely beautiful, here in central Oklahoma.  The high temperature was about 75, few clouds, low humidity, and no wind!  That’s the good news.  That bad news is that they have raised the death toll for Fridays (EF5) storms, from 9 to 18 deaths.