'An impressive heat wave for the state': Higher-than-normal temps expected for OKC summer

After a period of sustained stormy weather and heavy rainfall, Oklahoma is joining a number of states that will experience "higher-than-normal" temperatures from June through September.

Meteorologists are expecting triple-digit heat indexes to continue throughout June and last into the summer. "Above average" temperatures have been projected across the central United States for the next few months, according to the National Weather Service Climate Prediction Center.

But higher rainfall than expected from April through early June may have kept drought conditions from immediately worsening in Oklahoma.

"The eastern part of the state received 16-20 inches in average rainfall since the start of April," said Senior Meteorologist Paul Pastelok, AccuWeather's head long-range forecaster. "This was much above normal for just that over two-month period. We expected some storms, but the frequency was higher and held on longer into the spring."

Everything you need to know about heat: From the heat index to a heat dome to an excessive heat warning

Heat compounds drought conditions in parts of Oklahoma

Benefits from the rain have been relatively short-lived, however, as drought conditions still persist for western Oklahoma, which has been suffering from a lack of adequate precipitation since last fall.

"Any of this rain that we did get from the previous storm systems recently is evaporating out, and so the ground is getting drier," Pastelok said. "And the drier the ground gets, and the faster it dries out, the more severe the drought becomes, and that's why we're going to see these heat waves this summer focus on the middle part of the country."

Related: Drought, supply shortages and skyrocketing costs are wreaking havoc on Oklahoma farmers

Will the Oklahoma heat index break records this summer?

High temperature indexes across Oklahoma in mid-June have approached records set during the early 1900s, 1930s and 2010s. Meteorologists fear triple-digit summers might become the "new normal" as this decade continues.

"We will probably fall just below historical records, but do not get me wrong, this will be an impressive heat wave for the state," said Pastelok, who expected Oklahoma to miss the after-effects of both southwestern monsoon rainfall and southern tropical storms through August.

More: 9 ways to reduce your Oklahoma electric bills, including several ways to cash in for free

That heat dome, as it is called, will likely impact the local economy, causing crops to wither more quickly and exacerbating distribution issues for the livelihoods of farmers. Experts also expect utility costs to skyrocket as residents use more and more power to cool their homes.

In addition, Pastelok warned recent statistics could spell an extremely elevated fire weather season ― strongest when high temperatures, low humidity, heavy wind and unstable air can cause a fire to spread.

Excessive heat expects to increase wildfire danger

The number of wildfires and amount of burned acreage across the western and central U.S. is already well above normal. By May 3, wildfires had destroyed over 1.1 million acres, more than doubling the total around that same time last year.

Wildfire season unofficially runs from May to October, and AccuWeather forecasters believe recent data points to an even more intense period of fire weather.

Related: A heat wave has brought scorching temps to the Oklahoma City area. Here's how to stay cool

"The fires that are close to communities, the people ― that's what gets our attention, and it's hard to predict where they're going to happen because over 80% of the fires that are started are started by humans," Pastelok said. "I can't predict that a human's going to throw a lit cigarette out of their window and start a fire, or that a campfire's going to get out of control. But we can say that the conditions with the soil moisture, the temperatures, the next 4 to 5 months that we look at the patterns, is conducive for a busy fire season."

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Above-average Oklahoma summer heat to last several months, experts say