Cooler, Drier.

The first map on the right, courtesy of the OK Mesonet, shows the rainfall totals so far today. The cool front that pushed through the state this morning brought another round of generous showers/storms but the heavier totals were pretty much in the same places as received most of the rainfall yesterday. The rainfall over the last two days is the second map on the right, also courtesy of the OK Mesonet. We have certainly received a good soaking on this side of the state, but our more western neighbors pretty much missed out which is unfortunate as they need it very badly.

Brisk NW winds behind the cool front will keep temperatures from warming much today plus the fact the clouds are expected to be rather slow to clear. However, the skies are expected to be clearing tonight and with lighter northerly winds, temperatures will be quite cool to start the day on Wednesday with morning lows generally in the 40s. Some of the cooler valleys could even drop into the upper 30s for a brief time.

Wednesday will then start off sunny and cool with northerly winds but clouds will be on the increase late in the day. Temperatures will generally be in the lower 60s for the afternoon hours. A secondary piece of energy aloft will be trailing behind the main system and will be moving overhead Wednesday night producing mostly cloudy skies and possibly a few sprinkles. This is not expected to amount to much though and skies are expected to be clearing again on Thursday.

Thursday morning should start off in the low-mid 40s and with our winds returning to a more SW direction along with lots of sunshine, look for afternoon highs to be in the upper 60s. That is still a bit cooler than normal for this time of year though. That should set the stage for a fine evening of football for the high school games which will be played Thursday night due to fall break. Fair skies, light southerly winds, and temperatures falling into the 50s are currently expected.

Yet another system will then move across the state on Friday, but does not look like it will have a lot of moisture to work with. Nonetheless, there will be at least a chance of a few showers during the day Friday as a weak cool front pushes through the state shifting our winds back to northerly.

That should set the stage for a pleasant weekend with lots of sunshine, cool nights, and relatively mild days. In fact, a return to southerly winds by Sunday should push our daytime highs back to near 70. Another cool down should follow by early next week so that the general trend over the next two weeks is for temperatures to be cooler than normal. Keep in mind, we are getting into the time of year in which a frost/freeze becomes increasingly likely, so you gardeners will want to keep a close eye on the forecast.

In the meantime, stay tuned and check back for updates.

Dick Faurot