A March Heat Wave

After a rain-filled Sunday, drier and much warmer air is returning to Green Country. This might be the time to dig out the shorts and flip flops with the warmest air of the year thus far settling in! These readings may be just below record-high territory, but I would classify the pattern loosely as a heat wave. A strong ridge in the jet stream is forming and will be the dominant feature for our region for most of the week.

High temperatures ranging from 80 º to 85º are expected the next several days with southerly winds. The warmth will expand beyond Oklahoma into much of the Midwest and even East Coast with time. The map above shows the extremely high probability of above-normal temperatures up to two weeks out! That means a Spring Break snowstorm appears highly unlikely!

This kind of warmth is unusual, but certainly not unheard of for this time of year. Record highs for mid-March range from the mid-80s to the mid-90s for Tulsa. Just keep in mind our normal high temperature is in the lower 60s.

Along with the increase in temperature comes an increase in moisture. We'll start to see evidence of that with more clouds in the picture Tuesday. By Wednesday, we might see a few showers breaking out. On Thursday, a complex of showers and thunderstorms may even push through our part of the state. The overall pattern does not support much severe weather with weak wind shear and wind speeds aloft. That could change as we head into early next week as a very deep trough digs in to the Desert Southwest. As that energy moves into the Plains, it will likely meet up with our warmth and moisture and create some heavy-duty thunderstorms for a day or two.

In the meantime, enjoy the warmth! It might actually cause some of us to turn on the A/C! We'll have updates on the active pattern to come throughout the week. Be sure to follow me on Twitter: @GroganontheGO and "like" me on Facebook!