Rain Is In The Forecast!

The daytime high for Saturday was only 40 degrees here in Tulsa, but as it turned out we were actually warmer by midnight as those south winds were kicking in and the low cloud deck moved in during the overnight hours. As a result, most of us are warmer this morning than we were at any time during the day Saturday.

And, that warming trend will continue through the day today with highs well into the 60s due to strong and gusty S to SW winds which will also create a high fire danger. A very strong storm system is moving out of the mountains and across the plains today and will be pushing a cool front through our side of the state late this afternoon and early tonight. That is the reason for those S to SW winds of 20-30 mph with gusts quite likely near 40 this afternoon. After the front passes, our winds will shift to the NW and will also be strong and gusty for several hours before subsiding later tonight and for the early morning hours of Monday.

In spite of the layers of clouds we will have at times today, the more SW wind component this afternoon at the surface and aloft will shunt most of the moisture well to our east. Thus, the chances of rain are less than 20% and primarily for the extreme eastern counties and possibly along the OK/KS border early tonight on the backside of the system.

Monday looks pleasant with light westerly winds in the morning and light S to SE winds by days end. Lots of sunshine should also warm us well into the 50s after starting the day off near freezing.

Tuesday will start off with some sunshine, but clouds will be on the increase as the day wears on. Those clouds should be thickening that night and as mentioned yesterday, rain looks to be a good bet along and south of I-40 for Tuesday night and much of the day Wednesday. The latest data is also suggesting the system responsible for the rain will take a more northerly track now which should bring a decent shot at some useful rain up to the OK/KS state line as well. Thus, have increased the rain chances through the day Wednesday and also kept a slight chance into Thursday morning as there may be some lingering light showers. Rainfall totals could be an inch or more, particularly for the more southern counties.

After that, partly cloudy skies and mild conditions are expected for Friday followed by a decent cold front on Saturday that will have gusty northerly winds and another cool-down. That system now looks to be dry though.

So, Monday looks to be a pretty nice day and our best chance of some badly needed moisture still looks to be Tuesday night through Wednesday. Temperatures as a general rule will be milder than normal this week, particularly today. All in all, not a bad week ahead.

So,stay tuned and check back for updates. After all, this is Oklahoma and it is still January so there are bound to be some changes take place as newer data comes in.

Dick Faurot