One Day, Two Seasons

As I write this, temperatures are soaring into the lower 60s downtown. It seems like one of these abnormally mild winter days that have become quite common this season. However, our first real taste of Arctic air is finally upon us as a strong cold front is pushing through the state this afternoon. This will be the kind of front that will slap us across the face with bitterly cold air whether we're ready for it or not!

Along and south of I-44 today, temperatures will briefly hit a comfortable number before northerly winds kick in and clouds roll in. The really frigid air arrives tonight. Now, temperatures may only fall into the 20s tonight, but winds will be gusting to nearly 40 mph. So the important number to watch will be the wind chill value, which could be brought into the single digits by Thursday morning. Yikes! Break out your (probably lightly-used) heavy coat. With the continued north wind Thursday, our cold air will be reinforced. Our high temperatures will be a good 25 degrees colder than today with some places northeast of Tulsa struggling to climb above the freezing mark.

On top of the frigid feel to the air, there is a chance of snow. It's a bit hard to believe when my thermometer still reads 62 degrees. However, this IS Oklahoma and this is a battleground for different air masses. Fortunately, this is a dry (albeit cold) air mass that will struggle to squeeze snowflakes out of the atmosphere. A small ribbon of moisture in the mid-levels in the atmosphere should bring at least a short period of flurries or light snow during the evening and overnight hours. The best chance of seeing the snow would be across far northeastern Oklahoma. From Tulsa to the northeast, we can't even rule out a dusting of snow on grassy surfaces.

Speaking of snow, there has been a serious lack of it across the country. The map above shows less than 16% of the country has some sort of snow on the ground. While that may not be too unusual for us in Oklahoma, portions of the Upper Midwest and Northeast, normally buried in snow, have none to speak of. On this date last year, nearly 70% of the country had some sort of snow on the ground. What a difference a year makes!

And what a difference a day will make! Get ready for the cold air. It won't be around for too long, but the mild air that we've enjoyed thus far in 2012 will be erased until the weekend. Stay warm, my friends!

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