Strong Winds Today

A strong cold front will arrive today bringing gusty northwest winds from 15 to 30 mph.  The cooler air will lag behind the initial frontal intrusion by a few hours, and afternoon highs will reach the lower or mid-60s before temperatures fall into the upper 50s by 5pm.  A Red flag warning remains in effect for most of eastern OK today meaning the fire danger is very high.  Please exercise caution. 

The front will rapidly move southeast across the state this morning and should clear the Tulsa area around 10am to 11am.  Winds will shift from the southwest to the northwest and speeds will increase as the boundary moves southeast today.  Temperatures will move into the mid-60s from noon to 2pm before starting to fall into the upper 50s by 5pm this afternoon. Locations across southeastern OK may hit the lower 70s early this afternoon before temps drop into the mid-60s by 5pm this evening.

 The readings at 10pm tonight near the Tulsa metro will be in the mid or upper 40s and Friday morning lows will start near 30 for northern OK.  Friday afternoon temperatures will move into the lower or mid-50s, but temps at 5000ft would suggest slightly cooler air.  We have continued to undercut the MOS numbers for Friday's highs, but would still offer highs in the lower 50s.   

The weekend  looks good with morning lows in the upper 30s or lower 40s with highs in the lower 60s.  The pressure gradient will crank up again this weekend in response to another strong system approaching the central plains.  This system will push a cold front into northern OK Sunday but the boundary will stall and move back northward Monday.  We've basically chosen the EURO for most guidance in this period of the forecast cycle. This means we'll keep a slight chance of showers for Monday, with a better chance of thunderstorms Tuesday night into Wednesday morning before the system rapidly moves away from the state Wednesday mid-morning. 

Temperatures Monday may stay in the mid-50s with the boundary nearby and mostly cloudy conditions, but increasing south winds Tuesday lead us to keep a high in the lower 60s before cooling the numbers back down into the lower 50s for Wednesday.