Mild, Chance Storms; Then Turning Colder by Monday.

Notice the daytime highs so far today on the right, courtesy of the OK Mesonet. Don't let these mild temperatures fool you into thinking we are through with any more cold weather this season. Quite the contrary, as a strong cold front is still on tap to arrive Sunday night or early Monday morning which will be followed by sharply colder conditions for early next week. In the meantime, enjoy these mild temperatures which will at least extend through Easter Sunday.

Morning lows in the 50s for tonight and again Saturday night and daytime highs around the 70 degree mark will make for some very mild, spring-like conditions both Saturday and Sunday. There will also be the potential for some spring-like storms tonight, Saturday, and Saturday night with some marginally severe hail the primary severe threat. A weak surface boundary continues to meander around northern OK today and tonight and a weak cool front will be pushing through portions of the state Saturday night into the day Sunday. Also, a relatively weak NW flow pattern aloft interacting with the weak surface features and adequate moisture will provide for chances of showers/storms. These could occur at most any time during the day or night although the best chances should be during the evening/overnight hours.

The weak boundary moving southward early Sunday should push most of the showers/storms into far southern OK for Easter Sunday afternoon. So, most of the state is expected to end up with a pretty nice Easter Sunday afternoon with partly sunny skies, light NE winds in the morning shifting to the SE during the afternoon and southerly that evening. As mentioned, temperatures will be very mild but not for much longer.

The cold front arriving by Monday morning will be followed by cloudy skies and chances of rain and possibly some thunder. More importantly, strong N and NE winds together with the clouds and showers will result in falling temperatures during the day. Look for Monday to start off warmer than it will end with morning temperatures in the 40s but falling into the lower 40s and possibly even the 30s by the end of the day. Together with those gusty winds, it will feel much colder.

In fact, we could see freezing temperatures by Tue or Wed mornings which by the way will only be slightly later than the normal last freeze date which happens to be today. Daytime temperatures will also be quite cool for early next week followed by a warm-up by the end of the week. There could also be some lingering showers through the middle of next week as well.

So, stay tuned and check back for updates.

Dick Faurot