Frost Advisory for Friday Night; Chance of Rain for Easter

What a difference a day can make; notice the 24 hour temperature change map, courtesy of the OK Mesonet, as of mid-afternoon. Of course, temperatures yesterday were running 10-15 degrees above normal so the 60s this afternoon are really not that much below normal, just a lot cooler than what we had yesterday. The normal temperature range for this time of year is 68/45 for the max/min. The maximum temperature for today will go down in the record book as 75, but that was right after midnight and before the colder air had arrived. Temperatures this afternoon have struggled to get back into the lower 60s due to the strong northerly winds.

Now that colder, drier air is in place the next issue is how cold it will be to start the day Saturday. As you can see by the maximum wind map for today, also courtesy of the OK Mesonet, those northerly winds have been quite strong and gusty. They will be calming down quickly tonight as high pressure settles overhead and will be light NE at less than 5 mph by early morning. The light winds together with the cool, dry air in place will set the stage for frost and perhaps a freeze, particularly in the cooler valleys of NE OK. The only caveat is that there may be some lingering high level cirrus clouds overnight which may be just enough to keep temperatures from totally bottoming out. At any rate, a frost advisory has been posted by the good folks at the local NWS office for Saturday morning.

After that, lots of sunshine and a S to SE wind of 5-15 mph will make for a pleasant Saturday with afternoon temperatures making it well into the 60s. Unfortunately, by Easter Sunday morning the clouds will have returned as a disturbance aloft, now located in the Pacific, will be rapidly moving across the southern portions of the state. That will produce overcast skies by Easter morning and through the day along with a chance of light rain or showers. The more southern counties will have the best chance of getting wet, and some of that will likely be starting by sunrise. We will also have brisk southerly winds for Easter but the clouds and chances of light rain will keep temperatures in the 40s to start the day and the low-mid 60s to end the day.

After that, brisk southerly winds going into the following week will result in a return to warm and humid conditions along with at least a slight chance of a shower or storm on just about any given day. At present, it appears that another cold front will be arriving late in the week as you can see on our forecast page. That will be the next best chance of showers or storms along with the possibility of another round of severe storms. Also, temperatures will be running well above normal next week.

In the meantime, stay tuned and check back for updates.

Dick Faurot