More Rain on the Way.

The map on the right courtesy of the OK Mesonet shows that some portions of our state have gone from drought to flood over the last 24 hours. Storms were training over basically the same locations for several hours overnight resulting in the excessive rainfall totals in S Central OK. More rain is expected through the rest of the day today, overnight tonight, and will be ending from W-E Tuesday afternoon and evening.

This system will put a real dent in the ongoing drought situation as most of us should pick up another 1-2" of rain and some locations could receive more. As happened last night, there is also the possibility of locally much higher amounts resulting in drainage problems. There is also a chance of severe storms, particularly W of I-35 this afternoon but a few of those could make it this far east during the early night time hours. A better chance for severe storms for our part of the state will be on Tuesday in advance of the cold front which will be moving eastward during the day. As the cold front moves in from the west, it will be moving through the Hwy 75 area by early afternoon and near the Arkansas border by dark or shortly thereafter. Showers and storms, some severe will be widespread along and ahead of that cold front.

Gusty S to SE winds for the rest of today, through the overnight hours, and ahead of the cold front on Tuesday will keep temperatures pretty much in the 60s. If we should see any breaks in the clouds, then we might briefly make it into the low 70s. As the front moves through, our winds will shift from S to SW to NW ending the rain and bringing much cooler conditions back into the state. Clearing skies can also be expected Tuesday night followed by brisk northerly winds and much cooler conditions for Wednesday.

Thursday morning will likely see freezing or frosty conditions to start the day, but a return to southerly winds will also initiate a warming trend which is expected to last through the coming weekend. The southerly return flow could also bring enough moisture back for a slight chance of showers on Sunday.

So, if you have not had enough rain at your place yet, don't give up. More rain is on the way before it ends by Tuesday evening. In the meantime, stay tuned and check back for updates.

Dick Faurot