Still Chances of Showers/Storms, Also Hot & Humid.

Some locations picked up some decent rainfall from last night and again this afternoon, but it was rather spotty as the map on the right, courtesy of the OK Mesonet shows. Some received an inch or more in a short time, but most have so far missed out. We still have a shot at additional showers/storms into the night tonight, but after that the chances taper off. Thursday and Friday will also have a slight chance, but that will most likely occur over the far E or SE counties. After that, the chances diminish even further as we head into the weekend and early next week as ridging aloft becomes established.

That is not to say the chances are zero, but the chances will be greatly diminished with only a few isolated, mainly late afternoon or evening showers/storms developing, and mainly terrain induced which implies far E or SE OK. However, we have received enough rainfall in recent weeks for adequate surface soil moisture to be in place as the second map on the right, also courtesy of the OK Mesonet, shows. The available soil moisture will enable the vegetation to stay green and healthy, at least for awhile, which tends to absorb much of the sun's heat that would otherwise go into heating the air. Bottom line, these recent rains are a blessing going into the month of July as the available moisture and transpiration from the green plants will act to keep the heat from getting too extreme too fast.

Temperatures in the 80s to near 90 are expected for Thu/Fri for daytime highs with overnight lows near 70. After that, fewer cooling showers and clouds means more sunshine and gradually increasing temperatures with daytime highs in the lower 90s for the weekend and into next week.

Brisk southerly winds will also be developing as we head into the weekend and next week which means our nights will also be getting warmer with morning lows in the low-mid 70s. At least those winds will provide some decent ventilation since the combination of heat and humidity will make conditions more uncomfortable, particularly by early next week. Heat index values will likely be near 100 each afternoon as we head into the month of July.

Actual air temperatures of triple digits are not foreseen anytime soon though which again is attributable to the recent rains and the verdant vegetation. By the way, that means we will make it through this June without any triple digit temperatures. In case you are wondering, the last time that happened was June of 2010 for here in Tulsa.

So, stay tuned, stay cool, and check back for updates.

Dick Faurot