Feeling More Like Christmas than Thanksgiving

We made it through our first glancing blow of wintry weather, but a return to warmer, more seasonable temperatures won't be immediate. In fact, I would keep that heavy coat handy through the Turkey Day!

Looking back at the past weekend, the dry air won the battle for the most part in eastern Oklahoma. The heavy snow that buried southwestern Oklahoma in nearly a foot of snow all but fully evaporated in the low-level dry air before reaching Tulsa. Southeastern Oklahoma got their fair share of sleet, but did not face the sort of problems the other side of the state had. One final burst of sleet and freezing gave parts of Green Country a hint of white. It also caused some overpasses to become slick, especially just east of Tulsa. That was about the worst of it though, outside of the frigid temperatures.

Looking ahead at this holiday week, temperatures are going to be slow to recover from these winter-like readings. A reinforcing shot of Arctic air arrives late on Tuesday, setting us back further in a much-anticipated warm-up. Some of us could remain below freezing all day Wednesday, in fact! I really don't enjoy forecasting those kind of days until at least a month from now!

Slowly, but surely, after a couple of bitterly cold mornings with lows in the teens to near 20°, we'll see the mercury rise. Thanksgiving Day will feature our first substantial warm-up. We may not break 50, but 40s will be a good start with sunny skies. In fact, much of the country will be cool and dry by Thursday, in the wake of a strong coastal storm that may snarl travel Tuesday and Wednesday with significant rain, ice, and snow totals. (See both attached maps).

Seasonable temperatures are finally back on Friday into the weekend. "Seasonable" by the beginning of December means highs in the mid-50s and lows near freezing. That's chilly compared to the last time we visited "seasonable," but it sure beats the mid-winter-like conditions we've got now. It looks like these milder temperatures will last into early next week before a more substantial storm system attempts to drop those readings once again.

Have a great Thanksgiving week! Be sure to follow me on Twitter: @GroganontheGO, and like my page on Facebook!