Arctic Blast To Hit Oklahoma This Week

Bitter cold arctic air is currently oozing south from Canada into the northern plains. This will arrive in Oklahoma behind a strong cold front Thursday.

Behind the front, temperatures will quickly drop 20 to 30 degrees with a strong north wind 20 to 30 mph causing wind chill to be in the teens Friday morning. This front will combine with an upper level storm system bringing us a chance for winter precipitation across much of Oklahoma.

Wednesday night, ahead of the cold air, there will be a chance for scattered showers and thunderstorms into Thursday morning with best chances in northern Oklahoma.

The arctic cold front will swing into the northern portions of the state just before noon on Thursday arriving in central Oklahoma around 6 p.m. There will be a brief window for t-storms, possibly severe, in SW OK Thursday afternoon ahead of the cold front. Any storms that do develop will be capable of small hail and strong winds. Once the front moves through your region temperatures will quickly drop and north winds will ramp up to 20-30 mph.

Current timing and depth of the cold air mass would mean the panhandle will see a chance of snow, while the rest of the state will have a chance to see a wintry mix of sleet, cold rain, and possibly a few snowflakes Thursday night into Friday.

The area in purple will have the best chance of freezing rain and some sleet thru Friday morning. There may be some accumulation of ice on power lines and trees by Friday morning, as well as a few slick spots on bridges and overpasses for the morning commute. Current timing would allow temperatures to climb just above freezing Friday afternoon (wind chills will remain in the teens and 20s), which would mean a switch over from freezing rain/sleet to a cold rain. Precipitation should come to an end late Friday night.

The frigid air will be hanging around through the weekend.

This is a storm with many moving parts, so timing and intensity will likely change. We are constantly analyzing the latest data, and will bring you constant updates.

Stay with News 9 we'll keep you advised.