Sunny, Warm Friday; Windy Warm Saturday; Storm Chances Sunday.

Rainfall over the last 24 hours has been rather spotty as some lucky folks wound up with some decent amounts but most are still in need of a good soaking.  Notice the map on the right for the last 24 hours, courtesy of the OK Mesonet.  Glad to get any moisture at all, but keep in mind this is the wettest time of year for us and we are still running more than 5" below normal so far this calendar year. 

We will have some additional chances of showers/storms over the course of the weekend, but that will be fairly localized.  Notice the 7 day QPF map on the right which once again has the more widespread, heavier precipitation totals just east of us.  The showers/storms this weekend will also pose a threat of severe weather, primarily for the more western counties of the state on Saturday and primarily for the eastern half of the state on Sunday.  Lots can change between now and then, so it is far too early to get too excited about the specifics regarding whether or not we will experience an outbreak of severe weather.  However, would certainly suggest keeping a close eye on the sky this weekend.

The cool front that went through today and brought some showers/storms has been followed by clearing skies and brisk northerly winds this evening.  Those winds will be calming down tonight and with fair skies and drier air in place, it will be rather cool with morning lows in the 40s to start the day on Friday.  Bright, sunny skies and a return to southerly winds during the day will also result in a big warm-up with afternoon highs likely reaching the lower 80s.

Saturday will see strong southerly winds during the day up to 30 mph or more, partly cloudy skies and very warm temperatures.  We will likely start off in the lower 60s and then make it into the mid-upper 80s that afternoon.  As mentioned above, there is also a chance of showers/storms but the main action should be for the more western counties that afternoon/evening with possibly some storms reaching the eastern half of the state overnight.  Sunday still looks to be the main day for E OK, but there are also lots of question marks.  Right now, it appears we will have some widespread morning showers/storms which if they move out quickly enough would allow the atmosphere time to recover and set the stage for another round of more severe storms that afternoon/evening.  Right now, that is a very big IF though and conditions currently would support the more significant threat of severe weather to be further east into Arkansas.  Again, this is all very tentative right now and certainly subject to change so advise keeping up-to-date on the latest forecast if you have any outdoor plans this weekend.

That will be followed by a stronger cool front arriving by early Monday morning and much cooler conditions through the middle to latter part of next week.  The more amplified flow pattern aloft that will be developing over the coming week also poses a lot of unanswered questions regarding just how cool we will be and how much if any lingering shower activity we will have.  For now, daytime highs back into the 60s look to be a good bet with morning lows in the 40s and at least a slight chance of a few light showers.  That will make for a rather cool ending to the month of April and a rather cool start to the month of May.

As always, stay tuned and check back for updates.

Dick Faurot