I had forgotten just how strange 2023 started off until reading through the 2023 Oklahoma Climatology Report. (It was well worth recording here for posterity): The following is a quote from their website,
climate.ok.gov/summaries/monthly/2023/MCS_February_2023.pdfOn Jan. 2, 2023, severe storms developed across northeastern
Oklahoma and quickly became tornadic, producing
five confirmed tornadoes according to the National
Weather Service. Not only were the twisters the earliest
on record, but the total was also the highest for any
January since 1950, besting the four touchdowns
recorded in 1957, 1967, 2008, and 2021. The five
twisters were generally weak, but still produced
damage to homes, outbuildings, and trees. An EF-0
tornado that touched down near Pryor moved over the
Oklahoma Mesonet site there, producing a wind gust of
81 mph.
Highs in the 60s and 70s during January’s first three
weeks were replaced with snow, sleet, and freezing rain
over the month’s final 10 days. The first winter storm
on Jan. 23-24 brought the type of picturesque snowfall
rarely seen in Oklahoma. Temperatures hovered near
freezing in the state, which helped produce snowflakes
to the size of half-dollars that fell into a near-windless
environment, an oddity on most days in Oklahoma.
West central Oklahoma saw 6-8 inches of snow with
Erick leading the state at 8.9 inches. Locations in
central and eastern Oklahoma reported 4-6 inches, and
nearly everybody saw at least some snow, albeit briefly.
The second winter storm struck just a few days later,
but this version was accompanied by frigid arctic air
with highs in the teens and 20s and wind chills in the
single digits to below zero. There were two separate
waves of frozen precipitation over the month’s final
two days.
On February 26, 2023, A potent storm system—labeled by forecasters as
“historic” and “unprecedented” for February—struck
Oklahoma with all the fury and power of a
mature springtime severe weather outbreak. At least
nine tornadoes were confirmed during the event, with
that total almost guaranteed to creep higher with
further investigations by National Weather Service
personnel. The total of nine alone shatters the
previous February record of six set in both 1975 and
2009. The storm—which previously brought record
snows to Southern California seemed to pinpoint
populated areas across Oklahoma with a combination
of tornadoes and damaging straight-line winds.
State officials reported at least 55 weather-related injuries
on that day. One fatality was reported when an EF2
rated tornado struck the small community of Cheyenne
in Roger Mills County and destroyed several homes.
There were at least two other “strong” EF2 twisters
quickly confirmed by NWS investigations. The first was
on the ground for 26 miles from Goldsby through the
east side of Norman. Emergency Management officials
estimate 69 homes damaged in Norman, with 40 of
those being destroyed. Apartment complexes housing
University of Oklahoma students were also damaged
on the southeast side of Norman.
The second EF2 touched down just north of Shawnee and remained
on the ground for 6 miles. That tornado, along with an
EF1 that touched down just to its west near McCloud,
damaged 47 homes in the McCloud and Shawnee
areas.
Other confirmed tornadoes struck near Hollis, Lone
Grove, Amorita, Tuttle, and western Oklahoma City.
There were scattered reports of straight-line winds
exceeding 80 mph. The Oklahoma Mesonet site at
Fittstown recorded a wind gust of 86 mph at 10:25
p.m. that evening, and a media chase vehicle measured
a wind gust of over 111 mph near Hobart.
Yep, 2023 was a weird year ...