Ticker for February 20, 2026

                
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February 20, 2026  February 20, 2026  February 20, 2026  February 20, 2026


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![A map of cold wind chills across the state of Oklahoma. A photo of Jack
Nicholson in The Shining is superimposed with text that reads, "Here's WINTER!"
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Brrrr. BRRRRR! BRRRRRRRRRR!

Brrr indeed.

Check it out, I have very little time to Tick, but let's Tock about the return to
winter. After several days (weeks??) of above normal temps, we're finally back
to winter again, and in a jarring fashion. I know, because I've jarred a lot!
Check out the statewide average temps so far this year, departure from normal.
Other than our arctic blast (again, I prefer DQ Blizzards) at the end of January,
it's been fairly to profoundly warm this year, both high and low temperatures.

![A chart showing daily statewide average temperatures' departure from normal
since January 1, with extended stretches around 20 degrees Fahrenheit above
normal.
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Take Jan. 5, for instance (but give it back please), at a statewide avg. of 55.9F.
That marks Jan. 5, 2026, as the WARMEST Jan. 5 on record in the state, going back
to the 1880s. And we saw plenty of broken high temperature records just in the
past week at individual sites, including broken high minimum temps as well.

And then today happened. Heck, it's cold out there right now, for crying out
loud!

![Map of Oklahoma Mesonet air temperature observations as of 8:55 AM CST on
February 20, 2026, showing much of the state below freezing.
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![Map of Oklahoma Mesonet wind chill observations as of 8:55 AM CST on February
20, 2026.
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And with some of those fires being barely contained, especially in NW OK, you
have firefighters out there in some case battling blazes with wind chills down
in the lower teens. Yikes!

And speaking of fires, back into fire danger mode for the two western Panhandle
counties with a Red Flag Fire Warning.

![Map of active fire weather advisories as of 9:04 AM CST on February 20, 2026.
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)

As for temperatures, we'll be back to seasonal highs for a few days, a bit cold
(okay, REALLY cold) in the mornings, then back to above normal next week.

And back in fire danger.

![Graphic from National Weather Service office in Norman with the 7-day forecast
for central Oklahoma and western north Texas.
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![Graphic from National Weather Service office in Tulsa with the 6-day forecast
and weather hazards for eastern Oklahoma and northwestern Arkansas.
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![Graphic from National Weather Service office in Amarillo with the 5-day
forecast and fire weather impacts for the Texas and Oklahoma Panhandles.
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Too much brrr, not enough time.

Gary McManus
State Climatologist
Oklahoma Mesonet
Oklahoma Climate Survey
gmcmanus@ou.edu