A Little Cooler, Chance of Rain for Today.

Over the last 24 hours, some portions of our state have received too much rain too fast and the result has been some local flooding problems. The heavy rains and those that have so far missed out are clearly shown on the statewide rainfall map on the right, courtesy of the OK Mesonet. The rains are not over just yet though, so hopefully the rest of us will receive enough to do some good before hot, windy, dry weather returns during the coming week.

A rather weak frontal boundary currently bisects the state from the SW to the NE and basically near the I-44 corridor. This boundary will continue to work its way slowly on southward during the day and showers or storms will continue to form along and near the boundary as the day wears on. As mentioned yesterday, the chances that it will rain are 100%, but it is not going to rain everywhere. The chances of any one location receiving measurable rainfall will remain on the order of 50%; in other words, that is the chance of rain at your house through the day today.

As the boundary sags further southward, there will be some lingering overnight showers for the more southern counties and possibly a few showers or storms for the more southern counties into the day Monday. After that though, we have a dry forecast for the rest of the week and into the Memorial Day Weekend.

The clouds and scattered showers together with light northerly winds will also provide at least a brief break in the early season heat as afternoon temperatures should be in the 70s to near 80 today. Although a few breaks in the clouds will be possible late this afternoon and evening, don't count on being able to view the partial solar eclipse this evening as the clouds will more than likely obscure the setting sun.

Monday into Tuesday morning also will be relatively mild, at least closer to normal for this time of year with temperatures near 60 for Monday morning and in the 50s for Tuesday morning. Lingering clouds and a NE wind should also hold daytime highs in the 70s to near 80 on Monday.

After that, it is back to warm and windy conditions as ridging aloft builds back over the state resulting in lots of sunshine for the rest of the week and into the weekend. Temperatures will be soaring to well above the seasonal norms once again with daytime highs pushing 90 and overnight lows in the 60s to near 70. If we do not get some useful rains today, that also means high evaporation rates, depleted soil moisture, and more stress on the vegetation.

As we have said repeatedly, May is normally our wettest month of the year. If we don't get adequate soil moisture now before the hot, drier summer months kick in, we could have some real problems by the time summer is over.

So, stay tuned and check back for updates.

Dick Faurot