Heat Builds, Rain Chances Dwindle

August, as we usually know it, is back. After some of us saw a brief reprieve from the sun and heat Friday with scattered showers and storms, little relief can be found in the days ahead. As the dominant ridge in the jet stream builds over the central U.S., high pressure will be stuck in place over Oklahoma, keeping a hot, almost stagnant air mass in place. Friday's bout of rain for parts of Green Country is likely to be the last substantial brush with unsettled weather for the rest of the month. Those that saw rain (see the first attached map) can count themselves fortunate. By this time next week, a lot of us will be watering our yards again.

As the ridge in the jet stream builds, expect fewer clouds, light winds, and each day just as hot as or slightly hotter than the next. That pretty much sums up our forecast! The one exception may be Saturday where just enough ingredients may come together for widely scattered showers and thunderstorms, mainly south and east of Tulsa. Sunday may have a rogue shower or storm in the area. By Monday, it's just us, lots of blue skies, and hot temperatures. Afternoon highs will be about 5 degrees hotter than normal much of the week. As we look ahead to Labor Day Weekend and beyond, the ridge is likely to hold and temperatures are likely to remain above-normal. Therefore, this run of 90°-100° heat is not going to end any time soon.

Summer is making a late comeback and we'll be sweating it out for a couple weeks to come. As we know, though, it could be far worse! We've had enough rainfall lately for most of the region to stay out of drought for a little while longer. Be sure to follow me on Twitter: @GroganontheGO and like my page on Facebook!