Record warm Spring and May 2012

Record Warm May and Spring 2012 and very dry May 2012

MAY 2012
Tulsa, OK: 4th driest, 2nd warmest May on record
Fort Smith, AR: 3rd driest, tied for warmest May on record
Fayetteville, AR: driest May on record

SPRING 2012
Tulsa, OK: warmest Spring on record
Fort Smith, AR: warmest Spring on record
Fayetteville, AR: 3rd driest Spring on record

May 2012 was very dry across eastern Oklahoma and northwest Arkansas. Tulsa was in the running to have its driest May on record until a thunderstorm complex brought additional rain during the early morning hours of the 31st. May 2012 ended up as the 4th driest on record in Tulsa. Ft. Smith ended this May as the 3rd driest May on record. Fayetteville had its driest May on record. For May 2012, Ft. Smith tied as the warmest May on record, while Tulsa had its 2nd warmest May. The lack of rain is primarily due to fewer storm systems moving across the Southern Plains than typically occurs during May. May is normally the wettest month of the year across eastern Oklahoma and northwest Arkansas.

Warmer than normal temperatures have persisted through the entire Spring this year (March, April, May), and both Tulsa and Fort Smith recorded the warmest Spring on record. In fact, Spring 2012 smashed the previous record by several degrees! Due to high rainfall totals in March 2012, Spring 2012 ended near to a little below normal at Tulsa and Ft. Smith. Despite the low precipitation totals in May, Spring 2012 will not fall into the top 10 driest Springs on record at either Tulsa or Fort Smith. However, Fayetteville has only received a little over half of the normal Spring rainfall and ended up as the 3rd driest Springs on record. So, does having the warmest Spring on record mean the summer will be really hot too? Scroll to the bottom of the page for more information!

Impacts: Extended periods of warm and windy conditions cause an increase in evapotranspiration, which can then lead to drought conditions if storm systems do not bring replenishing rains. Hopefully the weather pattern will change and bring additional precipitation to the region before the summer heat sets in.

Jump to:	Rainfall Statistics	Temperature Statistics

Other Links of Interest
Tulsa 7-day Forecast	Local Drought Information	Local Climate Information
Fort Smith 7-day Forecast	Decision Support	Daily Data for a Month
Past Months Climate Summaries	Tulsa Weather Record Book	Fort Smith Weather Record Book

Rainfall Statistics for May and Spring

Tulsa rainfall total May 2012: 1.18"
Normal Tulsa May Rainfall: 5.87"
Top 10 Driest Mays (records began in 1888)
1	1897	0.80"
2	1924	1.06"
3	1988	1.17"
4	2012	1.18"
5	1945	1.33"
6	2005	1.61"
7	1906	1.62"
8	1997	1.66"
9	1932	1.68"
10	1962, 1921	1.69"

Ft. Smith rainfall total through May 2012: 1.15"
Normal Ft. Smith May Rainfall: 5.47"
Top 10 Driest Mays (records began in 1883)
1	1886	0.38"
2	1970	0.79"
3	2012	1.15"
4	1921	1.18"
5	1988	1.26"
6	1962	1.37"
7	1925	1.44"
8	1911	1.56"
9	1951	1.58"
10	1997	1.62"

Fayetteville rainfall total through May 2012: 1.05"
Normal Fayetteville May Rainfall: 5.91"
Top 10 Driest Mays (records began in 1950)
1	2012	1.05"
2	1977	1.24"
3	1988	1.65"
4	2004	2.25"
5	1951	2.28"
6	1962	2.31"
7	1970	2.55"
8	1969	2.78"
9	2008	3.24"
10	2005	3.33"

Official rainfall is measured at Tulsa International Airport

Official rainfall is measured at Ft. Smith Regional Airport

Official rainfall is measured at Fayetteville Drake Field Airport

Tulsa Spring (Mar-Apr-May) 2012 rainfall total: 11.04"
Normal Tulsa Spring Rainfall: 12.95"
Top 10 Driest Springs (records began in 1888)
1	1932	4.29"
2	1911	5.31"
3	1934	5.53"
4	1996	5.61"
5	1936	5.61"
6	2005	5.63"
7	1951	6.08"
8	1969	6.79"
9	1904	6.92"
10	1901	7.22"

Ft. Smith Spring (Mar-Apr-May) 2012 rainfall total: 12.20"
Normal Ft. Smith Spring Rainfall: 13.62"
Top 10 Driest Springs (records began in 1883)
1	1936	3.44"
2	1951	6.11"
3	1972	6.23"
4	1962	6.29"
5	1917	6.69"
6	1932	7.07"
7	1925	7.30"
8	1941	7.33"
9	1926	7.52"
10	1969	7.66"

Fayetteville Spring (Mar-Apr-May) 2012 rainfall total: 7.90"
Normal Fayetteville Spring Rainfall: 14.53"
Top 10 Driest Springs (records began in 1950)
1	1963	7.59"
2	1951	7.80"
3	2012	7.90"
4	2007	8.27"
5	2005	8.88"
6	1977	9.05"
7	1962	9.29"
8	2001	9.40"
9	1971	10.11"
10	1965	11.11"


May Rainfall Total	May Rainall Percent of Normal

Temperature Statistics for May and Spring

Tulsa average temperature May 2012: 74.3°
Normal Tulsa May Temperature: 69.3°F
Top 10 Warmest Mays (records began in 1905)
1	1962	75.3°
2	2012	74.3°
3	1987	74.1°
4	1991	73.7°
5	1936	73.1°
6	1998	72.9°
7	1996	72.9°
8	1982	72.9°
9	1956	72.9°
10	1977, 1965	72.6°

Ft. Smith average temperature May 2012: 75.8°
Normal Ft. Smith May Temperature: 69.9°F
Top 10 Warmest Mays (records began in 1883)
1	2012	75.8°
1	1962	75.8°
3	1987	74.1°
4	1896	74.0°
5	1956	73.8°
6	1902	73.7°
7	1899	73.7°
8	1998	73.5°
9	1941	73.5°
10	1991	73.4°

Official temperature is measured at Tulsa International Airport

Official temperature is measured at Ft. Smith Regional Airport

Tulsa Spring (Mar-Apr-May) 2012 Average Temperature: 67.2°
Normal Tulsa Spring Temperature: 60.4°F
Top 10 Warmest Springs (records began in 1905)
1	2012	67.2°
2	1936	64.9°
3	1925	64.6°
4	2006	64.2°
5	1991	64.2°
6	1977	64.0°
7	1963	63.7°
8	1938	63.2°
9	1921	63.2°
10	2007	63.1°

Ft. Smith Spring (Mar-Apr-May) 2012 Average Temperature: 69.0°
Normal Ft. Smith Spring Temperature: 61.4°F
Top 10 Warmest Springs (records began in 1883)
1	2012	69.0°
2	2006	64.7°
3	1938	64.6°
4	1921	64.2°
5	1925	64.1°
6	2004	63.9°
7	1991	63.9°
8	1936	63.9°
9	1967	63.8°
10	1908	63.8°

Normals reference the 1981-2010 normal period.

Does a really hot Spring mean Summer will be hot too?

Tulsa, Oklahoma (107 years)
10 Warmest Springs	Following Summer Rank Days 100°F+
1) 1936	3rd Hottest 65
2) 1925	6th Hottest 47
3) 2006	17th Hottest 23
4) 1991	22nd Hottest 11
5) 1977	24th Hottest 8
6) 1963	14th Hottest 20
7) 1938	37th Coolest 0
8) 1921	45th Hottest 15
9) 2007	50th Hottest 6
10) 1974	22nd Coolest 6

Fort Smith, AR (130 years)
10 Warmest Springs	Following Summer Rank Days 100°F+
1) 2006	20th Hottest 23
2) 1938	17th Hottest 7
3) 1921	42nd Hottest 3
4) 1925	19th Hottest 14
5) 1936	3rd Hottest 46
6) 1991	65th Hottest 3
7) 2004	9th Coolest 0
8) 1967	14th Coolest 0
9) 1908	24th Coolest 0
10) 1918	10th Hottest 18

Updated: June 1, 2012