Investigating the Local Forcing Effect of Soil Moisture on Precipitation and Temperature in Oklahoma

Soil moisture is a critical component of the Earth system, and it plays a role in influencing climate. This study analyzes the interactions between soil moisture, temperature, and precipitation using Oklahoma Mesonet data. Specifically, the focus is on identifying the relationship between soil moisture, precipitation and temperature during the summer. Ward's Clustering method was used to create X regions within Oklahoma. Weekly soil moisture values were correlated with precipitation and temperature during June, July and August. The results demonstrate that soil moisture has a strong negative influence on temperature from 0-3 week lead times, and a fluctuating positive correlation with precipitation throughout all lead times.We also found notable patterns in the relationships with temperature and precipitation. This research provides an observationally-driven investigation of land-atmosphere interactions. The goal is to improve understanding of how soil moisture influences summer climate in the south-central United States.