Only Minor Relief From the Heat & Humidity

Not as brutal; at least as compared to yesterday’s numbers, the temperature and heat index values today were not as extreme, but still running well above normal.  Keep in mind, 88/68 is the normal value for the max/min at this time of year and Tulsa recorded 97/77 today.  Notice the max/min numbers across the state, courtesy of the OK Mesonet, and then compare those numbers with the max heat index for today. 

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Anything above 105 is into dangerous territory and for that reason the excessive heat warning issued by the good folks at the NWS office has been extended through Friday.  The reason for some relief, however minor, for today was some passing clouds and somewhat lower dew point temperatures.

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Friday will see more of the same with generally fair to partly cloudy overnight skies tonight followed by fair to partly cloudy skies during the day. Temperatures will be in the mid-upper 70s to start the day and the mid-upper 90s to end it.  We will keep a rather light southerly breeze for the overnight hours and a light S/SE wind of only 5-10 mph with a few higher gusts during the afternoon hours.  That will not provide much ventilation so it will be rather oppressive. 

Keep in mind that the air temperature is measured in the shade; a thermometer is not exposed to direct sunlight as that would just measure how much the sun is heating the thermometer and not the air temperature.  Said all that to say that when you are in direct sunlight, that will add another 15 degrees or so to what it feels like to you.  This would be in addition to the increased discomfort from the high humidity we are currently experiencing.  Another reason to seek the shade, drink plenty of water, and take frequent breaks while outside.

There is some minor relief expected over the coming weekend as a weak back door front will arrive Friday night.  By that I mean a front moving in from the NE instead of the N or NW which is more typical.  At any rate, that will give us a more E to SE wind component for Sat/Sun which should be enough to knock our daytime temperatures down at least a few degrees.  There is also a very slight chance of a few showers/storms, mainly for the more eastern counties late Friday and during the day Saturday.  Don’t expect much relief from those though as any that do form will be very isolated.

According to the calendar, summer officially arrives on Monday and the above normal temperatures will continue well into next week as you can see on our forecast page.  Also, the chances of rain continue to be minimal throughout the forecast cycle.  With this kind of heat and humidity, there is always the possibility of one or two very isolated showers/storms developing, mainly late in the afternoon or evening, and mainly in the terrain favored areas, but the chances are pretty much less than 10% on most days.

Some of the longer range guidance suggests another weak front arriving along about Wednesday of next week which may provide a little better chance of showers and a brief break in the heat/humidity.  However, the consensus is not very supportive of that solution so will keep us hot & humid with little or no mention of rain through this forecast cycle.  Also, the guidance during the 8-14 day time frame continues to suggest above normal temperatures and below normal precipitation for that last week of June.

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So, stay tuned and check back for updates.

Dick Faurot