Warmer, Then Turning Colder Again Tuesday.

As the map on the right shows, courtesy of the OK Mesonet, it has been another very chilly start to our day. At least the mid-high level cloud cover that moved in overnight kept temperatures from dropping below freezing with only one or two exceptions. A more SE wind today and Sunday will help to start warming things back up, but we can only expect partly sunny skies at best. As a result, temperatures will only make to around the 70 degree mark for daytime highs which is still a bit below the normal daytime high of 73 for this time of year. At least our nights will be warmer with morning lows in the upper 40s to lower 50s through Monday morning.

After that, another strong cold front will be arriving Monday night followed by another significant cool-down on Tuesday. In fact, temperatures Tuesday will likely stay in the 40s all day and with gusty NW winds and periods of rain, it looks to be a raw, wet day. That will be followed by morning lows in the 30s again by Wednesday morning and perhaps Thursday morning, so frost will also be a possibility during that time frame. Our daytime highs will only be near 60 Wednesday, well into the 60s Thursday, and near 70 by Friday. As mentioned above, our normal daytime highs at this time of year should be in the low-mid 70s, so the cooler than normal conditions we have had for much of this month will still be the general rule.

Although a brisk SE wind for today and Sunday and a gusty S wind for much of the day Monday will try to bring some moisture back this way, it looks to be rather anemic at this time. The Gulf of Mexico is pretty well cut-off and the quality moisture probably will not make it back up here before the cold front arrives. Even so, a weak system aloft could produce a few isolated showers on Sunday and there will be at least a slight chance of showers/storms on Monday. The way it looks right now, most of the rain will be on the backside of the cold front making Monday night and Tuesday the most likely time for rain and some thunder. And, with the much colder temperatures on Tuesday, that will make for a very raw day. This is April, so cannot rule out the possibility of a few severe storms Monday night as well.

Another cool front may be moving our way along about Saturday of next week, but it does not appear to be nearly as strong as the last several have been. That will likely be our next chance for shower/storms though after Tuesday.

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

Dick Faurot