Much Warmer Than Normal Through Memorial Day.

Notice the max/min temperature map of the state on the right, courtesy of the OK Mesonet. The continuation of what has been a record setting start to the year is obvious with temperatures both at night and during the day running 10 degrees or more above normal. Speaking of record setting, turns out that here in Tulsa we set a record for the warmest low temperature ever on this date, shattering the previous record set back in 1916.

Look for Sunday and Memorial Day to be about the same as temperatures will be running about 10 degrees above normal both days. Gusty southerly winds will also be a nuisance on Sunday with wind speeds on the order of 15-25 mph and locally stronger. At least the winds do diminish somewhat at night, but they will not be calming down as is often the case after dark which has the effect of keeping our nights from cooling as much as they would otherwise. Lots of sunshine is also expected for Sunday with just some of those high level cirrus type clouds.

Monday should see a little more cloud cover and it still appears there will be at least a slight chance of showers or storms late that evening and into the night. A cool front will be moving across the state late in the day and will be stalling out that night or on Tuesday. In advance of this boundary, our southerly winds should not be quite as strong with winds on the order of 10-20 mph. As the front stalls, the wind flow aloft will be shifting to a more NW component as we go into the Tue-Thu time frame. That usually is a more unsettled pattern for us and that should be the case this time around as well. There are still some timing and intensity questions, but right now it looks like this coming week will have the best chance for some widespread, soaking rains in quite some time.

As for how much rain we may receive, read the blog posted earlier this morning. As mentioned then, I just hope we get the needed rainfall without trying to make up our deficit all at once.

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

Dick Faurot