Record-breaking heat in Oklahoma today; how it compares historically

OKLAHOMA CITY (KOKH) — It has been a tough go of it so far in the month of July for Oklahomans. Every single day this month has seen above normal temperatures, and we've already tallied ten 100 degree days in Oklahoma City...and we're only half way through the month!

To make things worse, 5 out of the last 6 days have seen triple digit temperatures, with a new daily record set for July 19th, hitting 110 degrees! Not only is it a new daily record, but it also ties the all-time hottest temperature ever seen in Oklahoma City during the month of July.

It wasn't just Oklahoma City with a new record. Lawton tied their daily record high at 114 degrees, set the whole way back in the middle of the Dust Bowl in 1936. Chickasha also set a new daily record, warming to 110 degrees, surpassing their 1980 tally.

If you think OKC has seen hotter temperatures than 110 degrees, then you're right...they just happened during the month of August. The hottest temperature Oklahoma City has ever experienced was back on August 3rd, 2012 when the temperature rose to 113 degrees! Seeing such hot & dry conditions at this point in the summer is never a good sign when we're heading toward what is typically the hottest time of the year in August.

And unfortunately for you, your pets, and your air conditioning units, we have more triple digits on the way, likely continuing through the weekend and into the start of next week. It's not a guarantee, but this stretch of triple digit temperatures could extend to nearly 10-12 consecutive days in a row, being one of the most intense heat waves we've seen in the state in nearly a decade!

Not only is it the intense heat, but also a major lack of rainfall, especially during a month that typically sees our 5th-most amount of rain during the year. Besides some very heavy localized rainfall about 10 days ago, many locations have barely seen a single drop over the last month or so. Will Rogers World Airport, where Oklahoma City's weather data is collected at, has not seen any measurable rainfall in nearly 40 days...making it the 3rd driest stretch in the past two decades!

With such a hot and dry pattern locked into place across Oklahoma, the benefits from the rain that we saw at the start of June have now disappeared as flash drought continues to tighten its grip on the state. Nearly 63% of the state currently sits in a stage of Moderate Drought or worse right now. It is tough all around, but especially on farmers and ranchers as a lack of water for crops and livestock during this time of year makes it even harder on those who are looking to begin harvesting their crops in just two months!

So...is there relief in sight? Well, relief may begin to look slightly different than what we're used to. With how things have been going, "relief" may just be high temperatures only being in the mid to upper 90s instead of the triple digits. Currently, long range models show a hint of a cool down into the 90s and possibly some widespread rainfall by the end of July and the start of August. But until then, we're forced to endure this historic heatwave together.

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