After record year, number of tornadoes decline in Oklahoma

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Following a record-setting year for the number of tornadoes in Oklahoma, the state has seen fewer thus far in 2020, according to state climatologist Gary McManus.

There were 33 twisters during the first five months of this year, including 13 during May, down from 186 during the same period last year that included a record 105 tornadoes last May and a record 149 for the year, according to the National Weather Service.

The month of May has averaged 24.4 tornadoes since 1950, according to the weather service and there have been an average of 41 tornadoes during the months of January to May.

The average temperature statewide was 66.8 degrees, 1.4 degrees below normal, McManus said, despite summer-like temperatures early in the month that included a high of 108 degrees recorded at Frederick in southwestern Oklahoma on May 4.