Much-Welcomed Cool-Down

After a weekend fit for July, a nice cool-down has finally brought us back to temperatures that resemble May.

Monday, May 7th 2012, 2:33 pm

By: News On 6


After a weekend fit for July, a nice cool-down has finally brought us back to temperatures that resemble May. The weekend weather was comparable to a sauna with temperatures in the upper-80s and 90s and dewpoints in the 70s. Our average high temperature for this time of year is right around 77º, just for perspective. All of that heat and humidity nearly led to massive thunderstorm formation Sunday afternoon, but there were a couple things keeping all of that pent-up energy from being released.

Instability levels thanks to the amount of moisture and surface heating was maxing out in a range that keeps every meteorologist on edge. Instability of that nature is often a main contributor to some of our worst severe weather outbreaks. However, the "cap" (see previous post), reinforced by some mid-level cloud cover, kept storms from forming in our state till late at night. That warm-layer aloft, keeping air parcels from rising freely to form storms, was our saving grace as the cold front finally swept through our region. A few locations saw some hefty thunderstorms, mainly near the Oklahoma-Kansas border, but most of Green Country was spared.

A shower or storm may form in the wake of the front, but the ingredients for severe weather are no longer with us. Instead of severe weather this week, we will be talking about an unusually quiet, but seasonable pattern! The cold front will sag south and any upper-level waves that would trigger storms will remain well to our south or north. Caught in between, our state will see tranquil, rather mild days with cool nights. It will be perfect weather to open windows at night and enjoy time outdoors during the day without sweating profusely.

Rain is out of the forecast until next weekend when a weak cold front will sag southward in our region. We can never rule out severe weather this time of year, but it doesn't appear to be a big deal with weak parameters for instability and upper-level energy. Beyond the weekend, much of mid-May will likely be rather quiet and even cooler than normal as the Climate Prediction Center's Outlook map shows above. Severe weather season is far from over so this stretch of quiet weather shouldn't be interpreted as the winding down of the season.

In the meantime, enjoy this refreshing weather! Be sure to follow me on Twitter: @GroganontheGO and "like" me on Facebook!

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