Oklahoma’s weather was mostly lamb during March, although it did have its lion moments. The state experienced only one true outbreak of severe weather, but that single event on March 14 was significant nonetheless with two confirmed tornadoes in McIntosh and McCurtain counties and hail greater than softball size in Ada.

Remarkably, Oklahoma had gone nearly five months without a confirmed tornado since the previous two back on October 24, 2023, in Garvin and Pottawatomie counties. These October tornadoes were the only ones in the state for the majority of the past nine months, aside from a solitary tornado near Woodward on July 7, 2023.

The five confirmed tornadoes from July through March are notably fewer than the 1951-2022 average of 15 tornadoes for the same nine-month span.

The hailstorm on March 14 caused significant property damage in Ada, with reports of hailstones the size of baseballs and one measuring nearly 6 inches— the largest ever recorded in Pottawatomie County, according to the National Weather Service.

March also brought a late-season snowfall that deposited 3-4 inches of snow in the Oklahoma Panhandle on the 25th, with central Oklahoma receiving a few inches as well. A flash drought emerged in northwestern Oklahoma at the month’s end, following an extended dry spell of up to 107 consecutive days without at least a quarter-inch of rain. Elevated temperatures during this period further exacerbated the drought conditions.