Yet Another Record Set Today.

We finally did it; made it out of the 60s today for the first time all week as the clouds eroded just enough late this afternoon to allow temperatures to reach the 70 degree mark.  Even so, we have set another record with this cool spell as the past 7 days of May 14-20 is now the coolest on record for those dates as you can see on the chart.  Breaks the previous record set back in 1942.  The average temperature during that time frame was 60.1 which is normally what our overnight lows would be for this time of year to put things in perspective.  Again, the normal max/min here in Tulsa today for example is 80/60.

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And, as you can see on the statewide max/min temperature map, courtesy of the OK Mesonet, the NE counties were the coolest today as the sun did not burn through the low cloud deck there till late this afternoon.  Now, it is back to the real world as the pattern is changing and will bring about more typical late May weather with much warmer temperatures and chances of storms, some of which will likely be severe. 

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For tonight, the breaks in the clouds together with very light winds could produce some locally dense fog as temperatures drop into the 50s to start the day Saturday.  Look for that fog to burn off quickly during the morning hours but our skies will not clear completely.  Mostly cloudy to at times partly cloudy skies will prevail but still enough sunshine to push our daytime highs into the upper 70s to near 80.  A light SE wind to start the day will pick up somewhat by afternoon, and cannot rule out an isolated shower or storm; but the chances remain in the slight category as you can see on our forecast page.

Sunday will be warmer yet with morning lows in the 60s, daytime highs reaching the lower 80s, and stronger southerly winds.  In fact, throughout the coming week we will have gusty southerly winds which will keep abundant moisture over us along with mostly cloudy to at times partly cloudy skies.  Dew point temperatures will likely be near 70 at times which will make those afternoon highs in the low-mid 80s feel much warmer.  That also means our nights will not be cooling much with overnight lows in the 60s to near 70.  In other words, an early taste of summer.

But, this is still May and the wind pattern aloft will be more favorable for daily chances of showers/storms through the coming week.  Far too early at this time frame to specify which days will pose the greatest threat, but the combination of a SW flow aloft and abundant low level moisture in place to provide plenty of low level instability will make for a very interesting week ahead.  Severe storms on any given day will be a potential threat pretty much all week long the way things look now.  Notice the two maps showing the change in the wind pattern aloft from this Saturday evening to Tuesday evening for example.  That upper level troughing to our west looks to be a persistent feature for much, if not all of next week.

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And, as you can see on the 8-14 day outlook, that active pattern looks to persist well into the following week as well.  In other words, it could get interesting over the next week or two and strongly advise keeping a close eye on the weather as there may be some significant day to day variations in storm location/intensity/timing. 

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So, stay tuned and check back for updates.

Dick Faurot