In New England, the saying goes, “If you don’t like the weather, wait a few minutes; it’ll change.” In Missouri, it is a more specific “five minutes.” In Oklahoma, we give it ten. While in reality not that vacillating, Oklahoma City does offer a typical, seasonally varied climate throughout the year. Summers are sunny and warm, winters are bright and cold, autumn is crisp (and perfect for football!) and springs are often wet. You may or may not have heard a lot about tornadoes, but in reality, damaging storms are simply not that common. According to the National Severe Storms Laboratory, the chance of being struck by a tornado at any given point in Oklahoma is once in about 1400 years - and you would have to wait 4,000 years for a chance at being struck by a significant (F2+) tornado (the chance of a Category 1 (75+ mph) hurricane to strike a given point along the gulf or Atlantic coasts is once every 10 years). And since 1980, national damage estimates from hurricanes have totaled 8 times that of severe storms. The truth is, Oklahoma City boasts a great balance of weather. It may not actually change every ten minutes, but one thing is certain: you won’t get bored.
Oklahoma City enjoys favorable and mild seasons throughout the year. The average annual temperature is 60 degrees Fahrenheit / 16 degrees Celsius with an average rainfall of 33.6 inches / 85.3 centimeters and average snowfall of 9.7 inches / 24.6 centimeters per year. Because the normal storm paths that track across most of the U.S. bypass the Oklahoma City area, prolonged periods of bad weather are almost unheard of.
During the average year, skies are clear or partly sunny 65 percent of the time. And the air is clean. In fact, Oklahoma City is the largest geographic urban area in the U.S. that is in attainment with air quality standards set by the Environment Protection Agency.
Flying conditions are generally very good with flight by visual flight rules possible on 350 days of the year – the same number of days you’ll see sun shining in Oklahoma City. Measurable precipitation averages between 1 and about 5 inches a month, with heaviest rainfall in May, June and September. Snowfall averages less than 10 inches per year and seldom remains on the ground very long. Heavy fogs are infrequent and prevailing winds are southerly, except in January and February, when northerly breezes predominate.
Elevation: 1,291 feet above sea level
Average Temperatures: January, 45.9° F; July, 80.7° F; annual average, 60.1° F.
Average Annual Precipitation: 32.03 inches of rain; 9.0 inches of snow
NOAA temperature / rain / snow / freeze data
