Dick Faurot's Weather Blog: Clear And Cooler; Frosty Weekend

Got a little interesting there for a while this afternoon as a line of showers/storms moved through the state. The very strong wind fields aloft allowed for a much better storm organization than the lack of instability would otherwise suggest.

Fortunately, we stayed cloudy ahead of the line of storms which kept temperatures from soaring, and, therefore, kept the amount of instability at relatively low levels - or else those storms would have been much worse. They were efficient rain makers, though, as some decent rains occurred despite their very rapid movement. Notice the rainfall map for today, courtesy of the OK Mesonet.

Now that the system has moved on eastward, we will have a much more stable pattern through the weekend and into the early part of next week. NW winds overnight are bringing in drier air, which will allow temperatures to drop into the 40s by morning under clear skies.

Sunshine will be the general rule each day through Sunday, along with light NE winds on Saturday and a light E/SE wind on Sunday. Despite the sunny skies, temperatures will be below normal with daytime highs in the mid-60s Friday and near 60 for Saturday and Sunday.

As you can see on our forecast page, the overnight low Saturday morning will be in the upper 30s, which could result in patchy frost, particularly for the normally cooler valley locations.

Sunday morning poses a greater threat of frost, though, with temperatures in Tulsa likely the coldest of the season, which should produce a widespread frost and, perhaps, a freeze for the colder outlying areas. It would certainly be a good idea to protect the tender plants this weekend.

Gusty southerly winds return Monday and continue until our next front arrives, which looks to be late on Wednesday. That will warm things up and also bring some clouds back into the area. Wednesday also looks to be our next best chance for any additional moisture, and, right now, most of that should be over the more E or SE counties.

A return to cooler air will follow that front, but we still do not see any real cold air coming this way. In fact, the 8-14-day outlooks continue to suggest temperatures averaging above normal for that time period and precipitation near normal.

In the meantime, stay tuned and check back for updates.

Dick Faurot