Warming Trend, Chance of Weekend Showers.

This morning pretty much lived up to expectations with temperatures dropping into the teens and 20s across the state as the map on the right shows, courtesy of the OK Mesonet. The second map on the right shows the total number of hours temperatures were at or below freezing over the last 48 hours, so this certainly qualifies as a killing freeze. Also, that has certainly brought the growing season to an end.

Typically, cold air outbreaks this early in the season do not hang around for too long and that will be the case this time as well. After another cool day today with highs around 50 under bright, sunny skies, temperatures will be warming up right on through the weekend. Also, southerly winds of 10-15 mph will drop off to 5-10 mph for the overnight hours, so despite the clear skies and dry air in place, it will not be as cold to start the day Thursday with morning lows generally in the upper 20s to near 30.

Gusty southerly winds for Thursday and Friday will really warm things up with morning lows in the lower 40s Friday morning and the upper 50s Saturday morning. Daytime highs will be well into the 60s both days, but southerly winds gusting to 25 or 30 mph and possibly more will make for very windy conditions. Those southerly winds will eventually bring more moisture up this way at the lower levels, but aloft a series of disturbances will also be moving overhead. That will spread more cloud cover over the state with a mix of clouds and sun expected starting Thursday and extending through the weekend.

A few sprinkles or a light shower is a remote possibility by early Friday morning, but anything that falls is expected to be very light. A better chance of showers is expected on Saturday, particularly for the more eastern counties. It will also be much warmer with morning lows only in the 50s to near 60 to start the day Saturday and much the same for Sunday morning. The mostly cloudy skies and chance of showers should hold daytime temperatures in the 60s for Saturday, but Sunday could be much warmer. A strong, gusty S-SW wind will likely provide more sunshine so daytime highs are expected to rise into the 70s before the next cold front arrives that night. There will also be a chance of showers late Sunday into the night time hours as the front pushes through followed by clearing skies and colder conditions again early next week.

Currently, it does not appear this next system will be as cold as the present one but even so look for morning lows back into the 20s by Tuesday morning and daytime highs in the 40s for Monday and Tuesday. Brisk northerly winds and sunny skies are also expected both days. That will be followed by another rebound before yet another cold front arrives by that following weekend. Certainly is the season for our area to be impacted by cold fronts as temperatures continue their downward trend.

So, stay tuned and check back for updates.

Dick Faurot