These Warm Days Are Numbered

Sunday, October 26th 2014, 7:18 pm

By: News On 6

Many say age is “just a number.” This weekend, we've been saying our calendar date is also just a number. When it comes to our temperatures, it feels like Labor Day, not the week of Halloween. Our highs Sunday ran nearly 20° above normal in some places. This unusually strong ridge of high pressure is breaking down as a storm system approaches from the Pacific Northwest. The associated cold front will move in Monday evening and put an end to the unseasonable warmth for a while.

                Those who enjoy the warmth (and the wind) will have through Monday afternoon to soak in the September-like readings. The cold front will be lined up just to the northwest of Tulsa by sunset. Showers and storms will likely hold off until about this time in eastern Oklahoma. Storms that do form could produce some hail, although widespread severe weather is not expected due to a lack of moisture and overall instability. Rain chances are highest between 6pm and midnight for Tulsa with the last of the rain to clear southeastern Oklahoma by sunrise Tuesday.

                This cold front ushers in much cooler air by Tuesday. As refreshing as it may feel, this front only brings our temperatures down to normal levels for this time of year. That's just how warm it's been lately! A quiet few days will follow this storm system with cool nights (40s) and mild days with highs around 70°. The progressive pattern will quickly send another cold front through the area on Thursday. The forcing won't be all that strong, but the atmosphere could squeeze out a few showers that day as well.

                Our month will end with a brief cool spell. That means Halloween is looking chilly but dry. You may want an extra layer under those costumes by the evening hours. This cool-down is still just a glancing blow. The bulk of the cold air will be funneled through the Great Lakes into the Northeast. Had it been a more southerly push of cold air, we could be talking about our first widespread frost or freeze. At this point, however, it looks like our growing season will go on a bit longer. Our average first freeze in Tulsa is November 2nd.

                Peeking into the extended period, we can see another warm-up heading our way. The first full week in November will feature above-normal temperatures but also the chance for wetter weather as another storm system or two waits in the wings. The two maps show that trend 8 to 14 days out from now. Overall though, the very warm days for this season are numbered and weekends like this one won't likely come around until our calendar says 2015. Be sure to follow me on Twitter: @GroganontheGO and on my Facebook page!