Pleasant Weekend.

As you can see from the map on the right, temperatures early this afternoon were around 20 degrees below the same time yesterday. This is just one of the many useful data sources provided by the OK Mesonet. At any rate, the cooler, dry air brought in by today's gusty NW winds will make for a pretty nice weekend.

As the winds settle down tonight, look for temperatures to drop quickly and we should bottom out in the low-mid 30s by early Saturday morning. Many of the cooler valley locations will likely see temperatures even into the upper 20s. Except for a few high clouds, we expect to see lots of sunshine through the weekend but a brisk NW wind should keep daytime temperatures in the 50s for Saturday. Also, those winds will be back up around 15-20 mph with some gusts to around 25 which together with relative humidity levels dropping into the 20-30% range will create an enhanced fire danger.

Sunday will also start off with temperatures near the freezing mark, but a more westerly wind component and the sunshine should push daytime temperatures back into the 60s. The humidity levels will be low enough and with the winds still around 10-20 mph; that will result in another enhanced fire danger situation.

Early next week will see a return to gusty southerly winds and warmer temperatures. That also translates to fire danger problems although the humidity levels will be gradually rising. Eventually, we will have enough moisture for a chance of showers and storms. Right now, it looks like a slight chance on Wednesday and a better chance on Thursday. However, there is not a lot of agreement from the longer range guidance for later next week, so that is subject to change.

One thing that we are not seeing coming our way anytime soon is any really cold air. With the mild winter we just had and the vegetation responding accordingly with early blooms, there is a concern of freeze damage. We fully expect to see additional freezing temperatures after this weekend, but at least for now there are no indications of a hard freeze heading this way.

So, stay tuned and check back for updates.

Dick Faurot