Colder Temps, Rain Returning To Eastern Oklahoma

Coats and jackets this morning with rain gear Friday.  The big coats will be needed this weekend before temperatures moderate early next week. 

Clear and cold conditions will remain for the next few hours, but clouds should begin moving into the area by midday to early afternoon in advance of our next storm system that will bring rain into the area Friday.  A few stray showers or sprinkles may occur as this process continues this afternoon and evening before rain becomes steady Friday. 

As the system exits early Saturday morning, most of the wintry weather impacts should remain to the north or east of most of our areas, but we may still have a few spots mixing with some snowflakes. 

The upper air flow, mostly a split flow, will bring two disturbances across the region, including one across the central plains Friday night into Saturday, and one across the southern plains during this same period.  As the upper level systems near the area, pressure will begin to fall with south winds increasing later today into Friday helping to bring low level moisture back across the state.  This fetch of moisture appears sufficient to produce some 1 to 2-inch totals Friday across southern Oklahoma with the metro nearing around 1 inch, and far northern Oklahoma experiencing around 0.50 to 0.75 of precipitation.  Very little instability will be expected with any thunder confined to the southern third of the area, more so along the Red River Valley. 

The positioning of the upper level systems relative to the state is not typically associated with big wintry weather impacts.  Most of the colder air flow will be positioned slightly north or northeast of the area by late Friday night into Saturday morning.  Locations across the Missouri Valley and central Kansas will have a much better chance of accumulating snowfall, while a few spots across far northern Oklahoma, or also along the Oklahoma-Arkansas state line region may experience a brief mixing of precipitation Saturday morning.  No accumulation or travel impacts are anticipated in our immediate area unless this system changes direction relative to today’s model depiction.  The surface temps will remain above freezing Saturday morning and level off in the upper 30s and lower 40s for the weekend.  

Temps will remain chilly Monday but moderate some Tuesday into Wednesday as our next system approaches the area with little impact.  A stronger system may be nearing the state next weekend.  The system next week, from a pattern recognition standpoint, would be more favorable for wintry impacts across the region.