Differences between Dallas and OKC WEATHER (Oklahoma City, Norman: apartment, college, tornado)

[Chelito23]

What are the differences between winter and summer weather in Dallas and OKC? How pronounced are the differences? Is one place stormier than the other?

Is the local vegetation different? Any trees or plants that can grow in OKC but not in Dallas or vice versa?

Btw, is OKC a "midwestern" city, southwestern, souther...???

Thanks.

[irishlover]

Originally Posted by Chelito23

What are the differences between winter and summer weather in Dallas and OKC? How pronounced are the differences? Is one place stormier than the other?

Is the local vegetation different? Any trees or plants that can grow in OKC but not in Dallas or vice versa?

Btw, is OKC a "midwestern" city, southwestern, souther...???

Thanks.

i'll keep this short (kind of) and sweet.

Summer = dallas can be more humid and receive more rainfall. Highs of 100+ can be expected EVERY summer in DFW whereas OKC may only have a day or two (sometimes MANY more sometimes none at all) DFW is subject to a dramatic urban heat island effect sometimes where temps may not drop below 80F for several days or weeks in the inner core. OKC rarely has nights warmer than 77F for a low temperature, even in the dead of summer.

Winter = OKC can be much colder and is generally much windier than DFW. For example, I left Dallas in February where it was 80 degrees and when I made it to OKC 3 hours later it was 25 degrees and sleeting. Now, the cold front did make it through Dallas later that night but you get my point.

As the crow flies Dallas is only a little over 100 miles southeast from OKC...OKC is about 500 feet higher in elevation and, at the end of the mostly treeless plain, there is less "blocking" OKC from much stronger winds and associated weather systems moving through from the Northern States.

In summary, Dallas and OKC have similar climates but discernable differneces can be noted in the average duration of cold snaps in the winter (OKC = longer/colder) and heat waves in the summer (DFW longer, more humid, less comfortable)

For a discussion (debate) on whether OKC is midwestern, southern or western I will refer you to other threads. I was a geography major and there have been many long articles written on the subject. Some say all of the above, some say one, some say none.

[Gossimer]

Originally Posted by irishlover

i'll keep this short (kind of) and sweet.

Summer = dallas can be more humid and receive more rainfall. Highs of 100+ can be expected EVERY summer in DFW whereas OKC may only have a day or two (sometimes MANY more sometimes none at all) DFW is subject to a dramatic urban heat island effect sometimes where temps may not drop below 80F for several days or weeks in the inner core. OKC rarely has nights warmer than 77F for a low temperature, even in the dead of summer.

Winter = OKC can be much colder and is generally much windier than DFW. For example, I left Dallas in February where it was 80 degrees and when I made it to OKC 3 hours later it was 25 degrees and sleeting. Now, the cold front did make it through Dallas later that night but you get my point.

As the crow flies Dallas is only a little over 100 miles southeast from OKC...OKC is about 500 feet higher in elevation and, at the end of the mostly treeless plain, there is less "blocking" OKC from much stronger winds and associated weather systems moving through from the Northern States.

In summary, Dallas and OKC have similar climates but discernable differneces can be noted in the average duration of cold snaps in the winter (OKC = longer/colder) and heat waves in the summer (DFW longer, more humid, less comfortable)

For a discussion (debate) on whether OKC is midwestern, southern or western I will refer you to other threads. I was a geography major and there have been many long articles written on the subject. Some say all of the above, some say one, some say none.

Dallas is 200 miles directly South of OkC not 100 miles and Southeast as you stated. It's a little more Easterly than OkC by about 40 miles but definitely not Southeast. Other than that, I agree with your post entirely.

[Bass&Catfish2008]

Originally Posted by Chelito23

What are the differences between winter and summer weather in Dallas and OKC? How pronounced are the differences? Is one place stormier than the other?

Is the local vegetation different? Any trees or plants that can grow in OKC but not in Dallas or vice versa?

Btw, is OKC a "midwestern" city, southwestern, souther...???

Thanks.

The weather is virtually the same.....with OK City being pretty much identical in the summer (temps over 100), while in the winter OK City could be anywhere from 5-10 degrees cooler.

As for your other question, OK City (and the vast majority of Oklahoma for that matter) is undeniably culturally Southern. It's really a mixture of Southern/Southwestern cultures....basically a rowdier version of the South....maybe call it the "Cowboy-South" LOL. It also lies below the Mason-Dixon....no way it could truly be considered geographically/culturally Midwestern. Basically like Texas and much of Arkansas culturally....South-Central or a "Westernized" version of the South. The Census groups Oklahoma with Louisiana, Arkansas, and Texas in a subregion of the South known as the West South Central: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Census_Regions_and_Divisions.PNG.

Hope this helps. Blessings.

[Nameless]

I agree too except downtown Dallas is around 400ft above sea level while downtown OKC is near 1,200ft. So about 800ft higher. But, I'm just being specific

[#1soonerfan]

Dallas is at that elevation in the downtown area largely because of the Trinity River Valley. The burbs are probably closer to 600-700 feet, and it gets higher as you go towards Fort Worth.

I will say that when I first moved to this area from Dallas (I moved to Norman from Plano to go to OU five years ago), I noticed a pretty significant climatic change between the two, or at least more than I thought. It turns out that Dallas is on the border of a humid subtropical & continental climate. OKC is on the line between humid continental and steppe climate.

The most noticeable differences are in the winter. My first winter here I thought it was so cold! The temperature was only about 10 degrees cooler, but the blasting cold, dry wind made it feel much colder than that. I thought moving up here would mean seeing more snow. It hasn't. OKC is too far south for snow but too far north for winter greenery. Notice how live oaks rarely grow north of Ardmore. This place has no shortage ICE though. We had one in December 2007 that was an absolute doozy. Imagine trying to study for a final college exam with a fallen tree in your apartment and with no power for 4 days. No fun! And even though that was abnormal, we can still count on at least 2 sleet/freezing rain events, and they are considerably more intense than anything in Dallas. A meteorology student at OU told me the I-44 corridor b/w OKC and St. Louis, then stretching along I-64 in IN and KY is more prone to ice storms than any other place in the country. I don't know how true it is, but it sounds plausible.

Another thing to consider. Storms here are often in supercell form, because the dryline gets kicking usually just west of OKC. So you get lots of hail and tornado warnings here. By the time storms reach DFW they are in a squall, so your more likely to get blasted by straight line winds and flooding. So I guess you pick your poison.

I do love the fact that OKC in general is a little drier and sunnier. We get about 10-12 inches less in rain and the humidity is less here, although you really can't tell the difference in the summer. There's much more of a fall season here, where in DFW its hot one week, and cold the next and thats basically autumn. As long as my car isn't being smashed by hail, I actually find the storms quite beautiful. And the sunsets here are marvelous!

[Bass&Catfish2008]

Originally Posted by #1soonerfan

Dallas is at that elevation in the downtown area largely because of the Trinity River Valley. The burbs are probably closer to 600-700 feet, and it gets higher as you go towards Fort Worth.

I will say that when I first moved to this area from Dallas (I moved to Norman from Plano to go to OU five years ago), I noticed a pretty significant climatic change between the two, or at least more than I thought. It turns out that Dallas is on the border of a humid subtropical & continental climate. OKC is on the line between humid continental and steppe climate.

The most noticeable differences are in the winter. My first winter here I thought it was so cold! The temperature was only about 10 degrees cooler, but the blasting cold, dry wind made it feel much colder than that. I thought moving up here would mean seeing more snow. It hasn't. OKC is too far south for snow but too far north for winter greenery. Notice how live oaks rarely grow north of Ardmore. This place has no shortage ICE though. We had one in December 2007 that was an absolute doozy. Imagine trying to study for a final college exam with a fallen tree in your apartment and with no power for 4 days. No fun! And even though that was abnormal, we can still count on at least 2 sleet/freezing rain events, and they are considerably more intense than anything in Dallas. A meteorology student at OU told me the I-44 corridor b/w OKC and St. Louis, then stretching along I-64 in IN and KY is more prone to ice storms than any other place in the country. I don't know how true it is, but it sounds plausible.

Another thing to consider. Storms here are often in supercell form, because the dryline gets kicking usually just west of OKC. So you get lots of hail and tornado warnings here. By the time storms reach DFW they are in a squall, so your more likely to get blasted by straight line winds and flooding. So I guess you pick your poison.

I do love the fact that OKC in general is a little drier and sunnier. We get about 10-12 inches less in rain and the humidity is less here, although you really can't tell the difference in the summer. There's much more of a fall season here, where in DFW its hot one week, and cold the next and thats basically autumn. As long as my car isn't being smashed by hail, I actually find the storms quite beautiful. And the sunsets here are marvelous!

Soonerfan, you did an excellent job of describing the weather in OK/DFW. I live in DFW now and you're pretty much dead-on in your comparison of the OK City area and DFW.

[okcpulse]

Originally Posted by #1soonerfan

OKC is too far south for snow but too far north for winter greenery.

I agree with all except the statement above. Let me correct... OKC is too far south for regular snowfall. I recall snowfall in my lifetime as far back as 1983, 1984, 1986 and 1987. In 1988, Oklahoma City's all-time record snowfall was 12.1 inches, and then another 6 inches in 1989.

Then there was snowfall to the tune of 2-3 inches in 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2001, 2003 and 2006. Heavy snowfall historically has a 20 year cycle in Oklahoma, so it's possible that within the next two or three years you will see snowfall in Oklahoma.

[Chelito23]

What about the OKC being too far north for winter greenery? Is there anything other than pines or pine like shrubs that stay green in winter?

Also, what is a typical winter week like? Highs ranging from 20s to the cold day to 60s on the warm day? What is the lowest low that you might normally see in a winter (not all time records)?

[irishlover]

Originally Posted by Gossimer

Dallas is 200 miles directly South of OkC not 100 miles and Southeast as you stated. It's a little more Easterly than OkC by about 40 miles but definitely not Southeast. Other than that, I agree with your post entirely.

Actually, you are still wrong. From the control tower at Dallas love field (almost in downtown) to the control tower at Will Rogers is 180.75 miles measured in Google Earth!