Another Shot at Rain

Whoever did an effective rain dance, many thanks! We have finally changed from a dry, unseasonably hot pattern to one where we see daily showers and thunderstorms. Tropical moisture has snuck into the region as it interacts with a weak cold front to give us a break from the worst of the heat. Not everyone has seen their fair share of rain yet. Even though this tropical regime means abundant moisture, it also means slow movement with the storms. When they cover less ground (only moving around 10-15 mph), less of us see the rain.

The map above shows who has seen a good soaking over the past 3 days. The winners appear to be McAlester, far eastern Oklahoma, and the Panhandle – all locations experiencing some form of drought. If you haven't seen the rain in your backyard, today will be your next best opportunity. Numerous showers and thunderstorms should fire up during the afternoon hours, producing locally heavy rainfall and the potential for gusty winds and hail. There were two reports Sunday in Oklahoma of severe winds that accompanied the collapse of storms near Lost City and Miami.

The focus for showers and thunderstorms shifts further south in the coming days. While southern Oklahoma will hang onto the rain chances, much of northern Oklahoma will dry out with light northeasterly winds. For once, temperatures won't soar above normal levels. The ridge of high pressure has shifted over the desert southwest where they'll have a turn at some extreme heat. The rest of the country is finally cooling after a historic heat wave that spanned the country from the Rockies to the East Coast. Many locations in the Midwest tied or even broke their all-time record high temperatures. I am glad we didn't approach that range… I don't know anyone who wants to revisit the 110-somethings again.

No triple-digit heat is forecasted through the weekend, but moisture return will occur late in the week, which could mean for some muggy weather. Hopefully, that will keep our rain chances non-zero as we continue to deal with drought in Green Country.

Have a great week and be sure to follow me on Twitter: @GroganontheGO and "like" me on Facebook!