Bitter Cold Temperatures, Snow Descend On Eastern Oklahoma

Regarding eastern and northeastern OK: Our snow event is unfolding this morning with a narrow band (mesoscale band) of snow roughly along and north of  the I-40 corridor region.  The main band is slightly more north compared to model data from yesterday and the totals have been adjusted updated slightly and expanded more eastward compared to yesterday.   

WARN Interactive Radar

This region, will have the best chance of accumulating snows from 1 to 2 inches.   Because of the banding nature of the event, it’s probable that a few higher amounts near 3 inches will be possible in a few spots, but we’ll not know these exact locations unfortunately until it happens.   A winter weather advisory will remain in effect for these locations for the next few hours before the forcing weakens and exits the state around 8am to 10am.   Another band is expected to swing out of western Ok and into southern OK around midday.  This band may impact the southern sections, south of I-40, into the Texoma Valley early this afternoon before weakening.

Weather Alerts

The other big issue remains the extremely shallow cold arctic air mass.   This will keep the daytime highs in the mid to upper 20s again today with readings dropping into the single digits and lower teens for Saturday morning lows.  Wind chill values will remain around the single digits this morning and into the teens or lower 20s later today.   We’ll not be above freezing until midday or early afternoon Saturday as winds veer from the northwest to southwest around 10 mph and the air mass begins to modify.   Temperatures Sunday morning will drop into the teens but daytime highs are expected to move back into the lower or mid-40s along with sunshine and south winds at 10 to 20 mph.

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Early next week the next mid-level wave will be influencing the southern plains with a surface area low pressure center deepening in the Lee of the Rockies.   Our wind speeds will increase Monday with some 20 to 30 mph speeds as the pressure gradient begins to tighten.  The lower level of the atmosphere will remain relatively dry, and combined with the dormant vegetation, the fire danger will be elevated to near high levels.  

Thursday into Thursday a front may attempt to inter northeastern OK and slide southward bringing a chance for a few isolate storms across extreme eastern OK and a modest cool-down either Wednesday or Thursday.   The data has waffled a bit on the main frontal passage but the air mass is not expected to be exceptionally cold and it will not be from the arctic.   In fact, some model numbers suggest some upper 60s and lower 70s Tuesday into Wednesday.  

Thanks for reading the Friday morning weather discussion and blog.

Have a super great day!

Alan Crone