Big Temperature Swings & Wind for Holiday Week

We’ve weathered lots of ups and downs these past couple weeks from highs ranging from 47° to 83° over a 10-day stretch in Tulsa.  The week ahead will be no different. A progressive weather pattern is allowing for quick turn-over from warm to cold air masses here in the nation’s midsection. It also brings about strong winds in transition as a result. Given the recent dry spell, fire danger has been a growing concern, evident after today’s wildfire in Okmulgee County.

                Gusty winds turn northerly on our Tuesday with yet another cold front on the way. Dry and mild air persist through the day, keeping fire danger on the forefront of our minds by afternoon. This will usher in colder weather for about 36 hours. By Wednesday morning, a hard freeze will occur for much of the area. If your sensitive plants haven’t been killed off yet, this might be the time we bid them farewell unless they are covered or brought inside. Fortunately, winds will be light and you’ll finally catch a day or two to rake leaves without Mother Nature undoing your work!

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                The warming trend begins again on Thanksgiving Day. After a chilly start to the holiday, we’ll warm into the 60s by afternoon. It’ll be absolutely ideal. If you’re out shopping on Black Friday during the day, you won’t even need a jacket as temperatures climb into the 70s! For the overnight and early morning shoppers, I’d still keep the jacket on hand. On the downside, the howling winds up to 30 mph will raise that fire danger once again.

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                Another cold front arrives on Saturday, but it’s a minor glancing blow of cooler air. Overall, we’ll make it through the entire holiday weekend with no precipitation or frigid air. Even on the wider scale as you see above, only a few areas of the country will deal with inclement weather over the holiday. This is a tremendous blessing for the big travel week!

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                Aside from the big temperature swings, it is a quiet weather pattern as we close out November. The final stretch of the month appears to continue our warmer than normal trend. The next chance of rain? I don’t see that showing up until a stronger storm system arrives midweek next week. As we move into December, a more active pattern showing up in our long-range models might finally give us much-needed moisture. The next chance of snow? Still beyond our forecastable timeframe. It doesn’t look like we’re in for a true wintry blast anytime soon.

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                For more weather updates, be sure to follow me on Twitter: @GroganontheGO and on my Facebook Page.