Another Cold Day Across Eastern Oklahoma

Frigid weather is underway again this morning across northeastern Oklahoma as a strong surface ridge of high pressure is positioned across our region. This has allowed winds to diminish and temps to plummet this morning to the lower single digits for most locations.  Snow-covered regions of far northeast Oklahoma and southeast Kansas will have sub-zero surface temps this morning.  Wind speeds will remain very light, but even a 5 mph breeze with these low readings will create wind chills near -5 to -10 at times.  Again, the good news:  very light wind for most of the morning.  

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High temps today will make a big jump into the lower 30s north and mid 30s south with another day of sunshine.  The shallow arctic air will begin to moderate quickly over the next 36 hours and will be replaced with more of a continental air mass helping to bring temps above the seasonal average Thursday through Saturday.  The overall upper air pattern will go through a fairly significant pattern change with ridging more prominent across the eastern third of the nation and troughing across the west.   The result will be a warmer south wind developing and a stout upper level system nearing the state for the 2nd half of the weekend bringing a chance for showers and storms.   The timing of some important features will remain uncertain from my standpoint this morning, but the trend appears good through the weekend.   Surface pressure will fall quickly Thursday through Saturday with increasing south winds.   Low level moisture will advect northward into the state Saturday evening into Sunday morning before the cold front swings across the state with a chance for the rain and storms.  

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The timing of the data has been flipping the past few days and this will eventually have a role in the exact temperature time line for Sunday. But most, if not all data will keep any potential wrap around wintry precip to our north across Kansas with a pacific type air mass moving across eastern Oklahoma Sunday night into Monday morning.  Before all of this unfolds Sunday, we’re looking at daytime highs Thursday in the 40s, Friday the 50s and Saturday into the 60s.  The only pull-back on these temps will be the off-set from the strong south winds. 

In summary, the cold weather reigns today.  But help is on the way.