Dick Faurot's Weather Blog: Nice Break From The Heat, But Still Dry

As you can see on the max/min temperature map for today, there was a respectable N-S gradient with only some 80s along the OK/KS state line but triple digits once again along the Red River. The good news is that the hotter temperatures down south will also be moderated over the next few days as a N to NE wind will continue to bring drier, somewhat milder air southward.

As has been pointed out on several other occasions, one of the reasons the more southern counties have been so much hotter this summer has been the recent lack of rainfall. That is very evident on the statewide rainfall map over the last 30 days which shows some locations have been bone dry during that time frame. According to the OK Climate Survey, the last 30 days in SE OK are the driest on record since at least 1921 for this time frame.

Unfortunately, the prospects for any moisture are at best in the slim to none category over the course of this forecast cycle. Notice the 7-day QPF map for example and you can see all but extreme W OK is expected to be high and dry over that time period.

That leaves us with primarily a temperature forecast for the next 7 days and as you can see on our forecast page, at least we will be enjoying the somewhat milder temperatures brought in by the northerly winds. A light N to NE wind into the day Thursday will keep our dew point temperatures in the 60s and even when the winds do return to a more southerly direction over the weekend, those dew point temperatures should only rise to near 70. That is a far cry from the upper 70s experienced during the heat wave of last weekend which, at times, resulted in dangerous levels of heat and humidity.

The drier air will result in overnight lows in the 60s going into the weekend and some of the most outlying areas could even reach near 60 at times, which is rather cool for this time of year. Daytime temperatures will top out around 90 on Wednesday and only slowly rising going into the weekend. That means we will be in the 80s for most of the day, but keep in mind that if you are in direct sunlight it will feel like it is another 5-10 degrees hotter. Any way you look at it, though, that is still quite an improvement over the triple digit temperatures and oppressive humidity levels of this past weekend.

As mentioned, our prospects for any moisture are in the slim to none category at best through this forecast cycle; and as we look at the 8-14-day guidance, our prospects are not much better. The outlook for that next week shows only near normal precipitation chances at best, along with temperatures climbing back to at or a bit above normal. At least it does not currently look like we will be seeing a return to triple-digit temperatures any time soon.

So, stay tuned and check back for updates.

Dick Faurot