Nice Rains for Some, More to Come

The forecast for cooler, wetter weather has come to fruition and we remain in just the kind of pattern we need for continued relief from the drought. While this unusual upper level system has given many of us a nice mid-summer soaker, other spots in Green Country have missed out thus far. The first attached map shows the storm total rainfall throughout the state. The big winners are clearly in central Oklahoma where 3"+ amounts of rain have fallen. We've had over an inch of rain in a few spots here in eastern Oklahoma, but those totals have been more localized. The northeastern corner has missed most of the rain so far, as they now lie furthest away from the best upper level energy. The Tulsa area has seen anywhere between a third of an inch to an inch of rain. We'll take it!

If you've been following the recession and procession of the drought in our state, you might remember that the hardest hit areas remain in far western Oklahoma and also along the Oklahoma/Kansas line. Just about everyone will benefit from this multi-day rain event, but it would certainly be nice to have higher rain totals over those locations. At the very least, this rain will halt the drought's progression for a little while.

As this upper level low continues its way westward (an uncommon direction for a non-tropical low pressure at our latitude), it will begin to lose its influence on our region. We're still caught under the bubble of clouds and cooler temperatures for another day or two with periodic showers and storms in the area. Moisture will continue to be drawn up from the Gulf of Mexico on the back-side of this low pressure, giving us those rain chances through Wednesday even as the main energy slides away. So, if you haven't seen much so far, you still might luck out with another shower or storm before we get back to our old ways of hot, dry, monotonous weather.

The second map shows expected rainfall through the next 3 days. The projected totals aren't that high over eastern Oklahoma, but consider that map a general estimate for rainfall. Some spots that get caught underneath a heavy downpour could pick up a quick half-inch to inch of rain.

All of this rain is likely to leave a "rain footprint," which is essentially the enhanced area of evaporation over areas with lots of ground moisture. That acts to keep temperatures a little cooler, but make it more humid. Thus, in areas that have seen a decent amount of rain, temperatures won't spike too quickly later this week, but it will still be on the sultry side. Nonetheless, our temperatures go from the 80s early this week to the 90s by Wednesday and into the weekend. A weak frontal boundary may bring a few storms to northern Oklahoma this weekend, but that's the only weather feature of interest to us in the week ahead.

Enjoy the rain and cooler temperatures while we have them! It sure is a real treat. Be sure to follow me on Twitter and like my page on Facebook!