2022 for Tulsa was warmer and drier than average

TULSA, Okla. — Last year brought a full range of weather to the Tulsa area and Oklahoma as a whole. Our temperatures ranged from 108 degrees on July 19 to 0 degrees on Dec. 22. Averaged altogether, 2022 was warmer than average by 0.7 degrees. The 27 days at or above the century mark this summer certainly contributed to that trend.

It was not only a warmer than average year, 2022 was also much drier than average. Drought took hold about halfway through the year contributing to a 7.3 inches rainfall deficit for the year in Tulsa. This came after another very wet month of May when nearly 10 inches of rain fell.

Even though we ended up with 33.6 inches of total precipitation, the calendar year brought above average snowfall with 13.5 inches recorded. February was our snowiest month with our yearly average snowfall (8.7 inches) occurring in just that month alone.

For the state of Oklahoma, the year brought even more extremes. The hottest temperature was recorded in Mangum at a blister 115 degrees on July 19. The hottest heat index occurred in our part of the state. Webbers Falls hit 120 degrees for the feel-like temperature on June 12.

The coldest temperature was measured in Kenton at -12 degrees on Tulsa’s coldest day in December. The coldest wind chill was also measured in the Oklahoma Panhandle. Hooker dropped to a dangerously low feel-like reading of -33 degrees. That puts the feel-like temperature range at over 150 degrees for the year in Oklahoma!

While 2022 had some wild extremes state-wide, our tornado count was perfectly average with 57 twisters reported for the year. However, in an unusual weather event, two EF-4 tornadoes occurred in early November in far southeastern Oklahoma. Those were the strongest tornadoes to strike the state this year and since 2016.

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