Dick Faurot's Weather Blog: Warm, Humid, More Like Summer

It's starting to feel like summer with the partly cloudy skies, heat and humidity that is building up. Of course, all the recent moisture, wet soils, and lush vegetation will ensure that we will be dealing with uncomfortable humidity levels in the days ahead.

As you can see on the first map showing the max/min temperatures for today, courtesy of the OK Mesonet, temperatures have started climbing both at night as well as during the day. A more important number is the dew point temperature, which is basically the temperature of saturation. As long as it is in the 50s or low 60s, conditions are fairly comfortable, but as it climbs into the upper 60s and even the 70s, that is when the comfort level really starts to be a factor.

Notice the second map, which shows the dew points as of late this afternoon, and it is apparent that the comfort level will certainly be more of a factor for the rest of the week. Also, the dew point is often a reasonable first guess for overnight lows, and those mid-upper 60s suggest our nights will also be getting warmer.

Bottom line, welcome to summer as warm, humid conditions will result in uncomfortable outdoor conditions.

To put things into perspective, the warmest we have been so far this year has been 87 back on Apr 7. The last time we had a temperature at or above 90 was back on Oct 7 of last year. As you can see on our forecast page, our first 90 degree days are in the forecast, and since May turned out to be much cooler than normal, many will not be prepared for the heat and humidity. So, take it easy with the outdoor activities and drink lots of water.

As for our rain chances, cannot rule out an isolated shower or even a rumble of thunder in the coming days, but they will remain on an isolated basis. In fact, our chances are basically less than 10 percent until the coming weekend, and even then only about a 20 percent chance that any one location would receive measurable rainfall. That means most of us will finally be drying out in the days ahead.

Looking further down the road, notice the 8-14 day outlook graphics which have us close to normal with respect to both temperature and precipitation. In other words, no major storm systems are currently anticipated during that time frame, and when considered with the next 7 days would suggest a reasonably stable weather pattern over the next two weeks. Again, there will be some spotty showers/storms, but certainly do not see a repeat of what we endured in May.

So, stay tuned and check back for updates.

Dick Faurot