OKLAHOMA—God has definitely proven himself and been involved in the weather at Summer Educational Program!

Not long before SEP started, forecasters were warning of a prolonged heatwave that was slated to set in not long after camp started. The heatwave called for triple-digit temperatures for at least two weeks, with no rain in the forecast. As camp drew closer, high temperature forecasts were lowered and the chance of rain increased. By the start of SEP, the temperature was only in the 80s with occasional showers that cooled afternoon temperatures down into the 70s!

Temperatures were originally forecast to be in the “low triple digits”, ranging from 102°F-107°F all of this week, but that forecast proved to be too high. After the first few days of SEP, the temperature soared to 105 degrees but this high temperature was short-lived. Tropical Storm Bertha formed in the far eastern Gulf around the same time and slowly moved west. This caused a weak cold front to be pulled further south than expected due to the circulation around the tropical low. The weak cold front shoved the thermal high-pressure system to the south and west, giving us some much-needed relief after the one day of triple-digit temps.

The day that it reached 105 degrees on campus was hot, but what that did for us was interesting. It dried out the topsoil more quickly, which lowered the relative humidity substantially. Many said there was a noticeable difference by the next day. The high temperatures also acclimated many at camp so that they could deal with 90-degree temperatures better. The lower humidity was great for campers trying to sleep at night in tents because having a lower humidity allows temperatures to fall at night more quickly and remain cooler until sunrise.

Today, a mid-air disturbance combined with Jetstream energy to produce widespread light rain across a large part of Oklahoma, including the headquarters campus. The rain began around 8 a.m. and was still falling lightly at 2 p.m. The light rain wasn’t intense enough to foil camp activities but was just right for providing a cool, shady environment for everyone. There has been a chance of rain forecasted for several days now, but this very weak weather disturbance most certainly over performed and provides even more evidence of God and how much he cares for His young people!

Temperatures are still expected to rise substantially next week starting on the Sabbath and Sunday.