Oklahoma Braces For Intense Heatwave After A Mild July

Well, it had to happen sometime.

After what’s been one of the more tolerable Julys in recent memory, Oklahoma is finally about to remember what month it is.

The triple digits are coming, and they’re coming fast.

This lingering stretch of 80s and 90s? That was the warm-up act. The main show starts next week, and it’s bringing the kind of heat that makes seatbelts a weapon and air conditioning a lifeline.

It’s been a strange summer. Lawns are still green in some places. People have been spotted outside in the middle of the day doing things that don’t involve running to their car or hiding under a shade tree. You could almost forget what it’s normally like this time of year around here. Almost.

If you’ve been in Oklahoma for a few summers, you already knew it wasn’t going to last. There's always a point where the atmosphere finally wakes up, remembers it lives above the Southern Plains, and turns the thermostat to “broil.”

When we get mild July's, it's August and September that really become a furnace, but in 2025, the time is now.

So consider this your friendly reminder to prep. Check your vehicle fluids, keep water handy, and maybe don’t decide to reroof your house this week. Drink more water than you think you need, and if you’re one of those folks who insists it’s not hot because it's a “dry heat,” I’d like to introduce you to the inside of a closed car at 3 p.m.

Also, try to be cool. The heat tends to make everyone cranky. Simple arguments become big arguments when tempers flare. Our patience runs out earlier when we're being cremated just walking across parking lots. Even the drive-thru line will start to feel like you're in a hostage situation.

This next stretch won’t last forever. Eventually the dog days fade, the cicadas quiet down, and we get to pretend fall is coming. But for now? It’s about to get real.

You’ve been warned. Stay cool, Oklahoma.