No, the September heat was not normal.
Oklahoma's average temperature in September was nearly 83 degrees. That's almost 3 degrees higher than the previous record, set near the beginning of the Dust Bowl, according to the Oklahoma Mesonet.
For sports fans, scientists at the Mesonet put it like this on social media:
"It'd be like if somebody suddenly ran the 100 meters in 8.2 seconds, or batted 0.500 in the Majors," according to a social media post.
Grandfield – a small town in far Southwest Oklahoma – recorded the month's hottest temperature of 109 degrees, while Clayton – tucked in the state's southeast corner – saw the highest heat index of 116 degrees. The panhandle community Eva saw the month's lowest temperature of 52 degrees later in September.
Preliminary data from state Mesonet stations show 216 daily temperature records set or tied in September, about 101 record highs and 115 record-warm lows, Oklahoma State Climatologist Gary McManus wrote in the Mesonet Ticker.
The now-historic hot month has extended a period of heat.
The average temperature from January to September was nearly 69 degrees, almost 5 degrees above normal.
While the hot temperatures held on throughout the month, drought did, too. The harshest drought levels expanded to areas of the state not seen since 2023 and heightened wildfire danger led to burn bans in most of Oklahoma.
People across the state felt the impacts of extreme combined drought and heat, especially in the state's agriculture industry.
Earlier this year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture declared drought-related natural disaster areas across the state. Because of the drought, the Oklahoma Emergency Drought Committee voted to open $2 million in drought mitigation funding a couple of weeks ago.
Maps from the National Weather Service show a chance of more favorable weather conditions in October.
"The monthly drought outlook calls for widespread improvement across Oklahoma, although drought is expected to remain across much of the state at month's end," McManus wrote.
This report was produced by the Oklahoma Public Media Exchange, a collaboration of public media organizations. Help support collaborative journalism by donating at the link at the top of this webpage.
