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The seemingly impenetrable heat wave and dry spell that had punished Oklahoma since early June continued through nearly all of July, giving Oklahoma the type of scorching hot weather unseen in the state since the brutal summers of 2011 and 2012. A strong cold front snuck through the heat dome’s defenses near the end of the month to bring some relief, but the damage was done. The combination of hot weather, a lack of significant moisture, and relentless sunshine combined to plunge Oklahoma into flash drought that had covered the entire state by the end of July. Farm ponds evaporated, soils dried out and baked, and vegetation of all types either went dormant or died, turning the state’s landscapes a sickly shade of yellow. Drought covered 31 percent of the state at the end of June according to the U.S. Drought Monitor, but coverage skyrocketed to 100 percent by the end of July. Wildfires increasingly became a problem as the arid weather persisted. One large fire northeast of Mooreland consumed more than 21,000 acres. Significant severe weather was largely absent during the month, although an EF-1 tornado managed to touch down near Broken Arrow that damaged homes and trees. That report brought the number of tornadoes during 2022 up to 41 according to preliminary data from the National Weather Service. The 1950-2021 average through July is 49.5, and the annual average is 57.2.
