Hot, Humid Through Next Week

Notice the precipitation totals over the course of the last 4 days across the state, courtesy of the OK Mesonet.  Once again, too much too fast and flooding problems have been an issue for some locations.  But, the pattern is changing with ridging aloft building back over the state which will produce a return to more typical July weather not only through the weekend but well beyond that time frame. 

As you can see on the max/min temperature map for today, also courtesy of the OK Mesonet, temperatures managed to stay below normal once again on this side of the state, but that will not be the case much longer.  We are approaching the normally hottest time of the year anyway and our normal max/min temperatures are around the 93/73 degree mark.  As you can see on our forecast page, we will be at or above those levels each day through the weekend and into next week. 

The recent rains have left an extensive rain footprint across the entire state which will have the effect of moderating the heat to a certain extent.  I mention that because the ridge of high pressure aloft that will be building over the Southern Plains would ordinarily result in triple digit temperatures for us.  But, all the moisture in the ground and the lush vegetation will combine to mitigate the heat to a certain extent.  The flip side of that however, is that the combination of heat and humidity will make it feel like it is well into triple digit territory.  In fact, those heat index values could be at or above 105 at times in the days ahead and that is into the dangerous category.  That will be the hottest we have been so far this summer so take it easy with the outdoor activities.

Looking further down the road, it appears that our chances of additional rains will be in the slim to none category.  Notice the 8-14 day outlooks and you can see the signal clearly suggests temperatures will be running above normal and our rain chances below normal during that time frame.  So, look for the ground to dry out rather quickly after our recent rains and the heat to be building going into the latter part of July.

On a personal note, I am looking at next week with mixed emotions.  This is an annual event for my wife and I as we will be at Camp Tulakogee with hundreds of 3-6 graders and their sponsors for Kids Camp.  I usually get to teach fishing for the kids on the shores of beautiful Ft Gibson Lake, but it appears that the lake will be too high this year.  So, I guess my wife will find something else for me to do; something she is pretty good at anyway! 

So, stay tuned and check back for updates.

Dick Faurot