Still Much Warmer Than Normal, But For How Much Longer?

So far, the month of March has yet to have a day that was cooler than normal and the average temperature for the month is about 9 degrees above normal.  That places this March as the 6th warmest on record, at least up to this point in time.  And, the numbers for today will certainly add to that as the max/min temperatures were once again well above normal.  For perspective, the normal max/min in Tulsa at this time of year is 62/40.

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This has also been a windy day with gusty northwest winds up to 40 mph in some locations across the state. 

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Fortunately, those winds will be calming down tonight and together with fair skies and very dry air in place will result in a quick cool-down with morning lows about 15 degrees cooler than was the case this morning.  That will translate into morning lows in the 30s to near 40, but above freezing.

Lots of sunshine and a light southerly wind on Wednesday should push afternoon temperatures well above normal once again with daytime highs back up around 70.  Thursday will also have light winds, but will be some somewhat cooler during the day with afternoon highs in the 60s to near 70.

After that, a stronger cool front will arrive on Friday and will knock temperatures below normal for the first time this month.  There will also be more cloud cover for Friday into Saturday and gusty northerly winds Friday will bring much cooler air back into the state.  Along with the clouds comes at least a chance of some light rain on Friday although all indications currently suggest it will be very light and should have ended by Friday night.

Northerly winds and clearing skies are expected on Saturday but daytime highs should only make it into the 50s.  However, as you can see on our forecast page, Sunday morning should have fair skies and light winds which together with chilly, dry air in place will allow temperatures to drop into the lower 30s.  Cannot rule out a freeze or at the very least a frost for many of the normally cooler valley locations and that may also need to include the more metropolitan environment as well.  Keep in mind that our normal last freeze date is Mar 29, so a freeze would certainly not qualify as an unusual event except for the fact we have been so warm so far this year and so far this month.

Sunday also marks the calendar start to Spring and ironically it may also be the coolest day of the month the way things are looking right now.   As has been mentioned before, from a climatological perspective, Spring is considered to be the calendar months of Mar-May so with that in mind we have already entered the Spring season.

However, the below normal temperatures this weekend will not be lasting for long as a return to southerly winds during the day Sunday and lots of sunshine going into next week will result in a quick rebound.  Those southerly winds will become quite gusty early next week and should push temperatures well above normal once again.  Looking further down the road, the 8-14 day outlook continues to suggest temperatures averaging warmer than normal and also keeps us on the western fringe of the more active weather which lately has been targeting locations further east of OK.

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So, stay tuned and check back for updates.

Dick Faurot