Devastating Wildfires Steal March Headlines

Most months, nearly breaking an all-time tornado record would dominate Oklahoma’s weather headlines. However, March 2025 will be remembered for a different kind of disaster—one of the worst wildfire outbreaks in state history, overshadowing all else.

Dangerous fire weather conditions permeated the month—typical for Oklahoma’s primary wildfire season in the late winter and early spring—fueled by dormant vegetation and frequent wind-driven storm systems. March 14 saw the worst of those extreme conditions, with single-digit humidity and wind gusts exceeding 75 mph. The result was predictably devastating: fires burned out of control for days, scorching more than 170,000 acres and destroying at least 530 homes and businesses. The Oklahoma State Department of Health reported at least 200 wildfire-related injuries, including burns, cuts, falls, and transportation-related incidents. Tragically, four fatalities were confirmed in Lincoln, Garfield, Haskell, and Pawnee counties on what many are calling the worst wildfire day in state history.

The March 14 firestorm was driven by historic non-thunderstorm winds, including an 83-mph gust recorded at Frederick Airport just after 3 p.m. The Oklahoma Mesonet recorded the most sites in its 31-year history measuring severe wind gusts (58+ mph) in a single day—63 locations—shattering the previous record of 49 sites set on May 27, 2001. Mesonet wind data date back to Jan. 1, 1994. Those unrelenting winds across the region created a dust storm reminiscent of the Dust Bowl era, reducing visibility to near zero in some locations. The blinding conditions led to multiple chain-reaction accidents on state highways, adding to the day's devastation.

Oklahoma also saw at least 15 tornadoes during March, falling just short of the record 17 set in 1991. Fourteen tornadoes touched down on March 4—the highest single-day March total since records began in 1950—with one additional tornado on March 15. All were rated EF0 or EF1 (“weak”) by National Weather Service investigators. 

By the end of March, portions of northwestern Oklahoma had endured 133 consecutive days without receiving at least a quarter-inch of rain in a single day, dating back to mid-November. The persistent dry and warm conditions fueled a resurgence of drought across western and northern Oklahoma. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, drought coverage expanded from 18% of the state at the end of February to 48% by the end of March, with severe drought surging from just 0.33% to more than 14% during that period.

March by the Numbers

• Statewide average temperature: 56°F (4.8°F above normal), the seventh-warmest March since records began in 1895.
• Temperature extremes: High of 91°F at several locations (March 18 and 25); low of 18°F at several locations (March 5 and 16).
• High temperatures above 80°F: 819 instances recorded at the 119 Oklahoma Mesonet sites, including seven readings above 90°F.
• Low temperatures below 32°F: 545 instances, including five readings below 20°F.
• Statewide average precipitation: 2.00 inches (0.78 inches below normal), ranking as the 50th-driest March on record.
• Rainfall extremes: High of 5.54 inches at Durant; low of 0.27 inches at Woodward.
• Precipitation deficits: Ranged from 0.5 to 1.5 inches across much of the state, with localized deficits of 1.5 to 2.5 inches in north-central and east-central Oklahoma.

January–March by the Numbers

• Statewide average temperature: 43.2°F (0.8°F below normal), the 54th-warmest such period on record.
• Temperature extremes: Low of -17°F at Eva (Jan. 20); high of 91°F (March 18 and 25).
• Statewide average precipitation: 3.89 inches (2.15 inches below normal), the 32nd-driest such period on record.
• Rainfall extremes: High of 13.36 inches at Broken Bow; low of 0.69 inches at Goodwell.

Looking Ahead

Drought surged across The Climate Prediction Center’s outlooks for April indicate increased odds of above-normal temperatures across the southwestern two-thirds of the state, with the highest likelihood in the far southwest. There is also a  greater chance of above-normal precipitation in the southeastern half. As for drought, the April outlook suggests it may persist in most areas where it currently exists but improve along the eastern edges, where removal is favored.