Near Normal August Weather After a Cool Start.

Have to admit, sure enjoyed the record cool weather of last week, particularly since I was at Day Camp for several of those days with more than 200 1-2 graders at Camp Tulakogee. 

Back to the real world now with respect to work and the weather. It may not have seemed much like it , but today was another day that was cooler than normal. Keep in mind, this is normally the hottest time of the year for us with a normal temperature range of 94/73 and today has so far ‘only’ been 92/70. In fact, notice the max/min temperature map on the right, courtesy of the Ok Mesonet and you will see that temperatures were once again below normal across the state. In fact, every day so far for the month of August has been below normal for Tulsa and E OK.

As mentioned above, back to the real world though as temperatures will be several degrees warmer for the next few days with afternoon highs right around the normal 94 degree mark and our nights will also be more into the lower 70s as opposed to the 60s we have been used to lately. Another factor is the dew point temperature which is a measure of the moisture in the air or the temperature of saturation. It has generally been in the low-mid 60s but should be rising into the upper 60s as the week wears on. That will be partially due to southerly breezes which will be light again Tuesday at only 5-10 mph but a little stronger on Wednesday. That, in turn, will make the combination of heat and humidity a little more uncomfortable with heat index values likely reaching the mid to possibly the upper 90s by the middle of the week. At least we are not expecting any triple digit temperatures anytime soon.

In fact, another weak frontal boundary should be dropping into the area over the course of the weekend bringing a little more cloud cover, at least a slight chance of showers/storms, and a more Easterly wind component. Those factors should combine to keep our temperatures in check with somewhat below normal values expected right on through the coming weekend. There will also be a slight chance of showers/storms starting Wed night. At this time, no major system is anticipated, but at least there will be a chance of rain each of those days.

Looking further ahead to the following week, notice the 8-14 day outlook maps on the right. There is a consistent signal suggesting temperatures will be below normal during that time frame and also that our rain chances will be above normal. Notice that says nothing about how much below normal temperatures will be nor how much rain may fall, just that the trends suggest we should average at least somewhat below normal with respect to temperature and above normal with respect to rainfall. Since our normal daytime high is 94 at that time of year, then lower 90s would still verify that outlook. In other words, there is no current suggestion we can expect a repeat of what happened several times in July when cool temperature records were set. At least this does suggest that our chances of triple digit heat during that time frame are very unlikely so we will take what we can get.

So, stay tuned and check back for updates.

Dick Faurot