Pleasant Saturday, But Expect A Cold Easter Sunday

If you have Easter weekend outdoor plans, today’s the day! We’re in for a pleasant Saturday before an abrupt taste of winter arrives for Easter Sunday.

A strong south wind will usher in comfortable temperatures today, despite steadily increasing clouds. Afternoon highs look to reach the lower 70s in most spots today with south winds gusting to 25 miles per hour through early afternoon. Those south winds will become northerly late in the day as a cold front arrives.

Any Easter egg hunts or other Saturday outdoor activities should be in pretty good shape today, but it’s not a bad idea to keep an umbrella handy. A few isolated showers are possible during the morning primarily across far northeast Oklahoma, but a better chance of scattered showers and isolated storms arrives during the late afternoon and evening hours, especially from Tulsa to the south, as that cold front surges through. Lightning and some locally heavy downpours could occur with storms this evening, so be aware.

The cold air will surge in overnight, and unfortunately the weather will not be very pleasant by sunrise Easter Sunday. We’ll be dipping into the upper 30s to low 40s for Easter morning with wind chills in the 30s, so grab a big coat if you’re headed to any Easter sunrise services. The one exception will be for areas south of I-40 in far southeastern Oklahoma, where temperatures will not be quite as frigid.

Temperatures will only get colder during the day on Easter! We’ll drop into the low to mid 30s by Sunday afternoon, with wind chills in the 20s as gusty north winds continue. Expect it to turn damp as well with areas of drizzle and light rain expected during the day Easter. And believe it or not, there will also be a window for some freezing drizzle Sunday afternoon into Sunday evening for areas north of Tulsa! Travel impacts are expected to be minimal as road temperatures are quite warm, but still be aware!

We’ll continue a topsy-turvy ride heading into next week. Warm air will try to briefly surge back into Green Country late in the day Monday. After highs in the 50s Monday afternoon, we’ll likely climb into the 60s Monday night into Tuesday morning. But that warm-up will be short-lived as yet another strong cold front arrives Tuesday, likely sending our temperatures falling again into the 40s and 50s Tuesday afternoon.

The potential for an early April freeze continues to increase by Wednesday morning, so be thinking ahead if you’ve already got the tender plants in the garden! Temperatures will likely hold near or below normal into late next week as another cold front looms by the end of next week.

Make sure to follow me on Twitter @StephenNehrenz as well as my Facebook page Meteorologist Stephen Nehrenz to stay up to date with the very latest!