Even Hotter Temps Headed This Way

The map on the right, courtesy of the OK Mesonet, shows the high temperatures across the state on Friday. It was the hottest day of the year so far for NE OK as the triple digits that have been so common across the more western counties continue to creep eastward. Many locations will be at or near 100 both today and again on Sunday with potentially the hottest day yet to come on Monday. The reason is that strong, gusty southerly winds of 15-30 mph today and nearly that strong on Sunday should have a more SW component on Monday. That is expected to bring those very hot temperatures that have been so common in the more western counties more into our part of the state during the day Monday.

Also, a weak frontal boundary has been consistently forecast to move into NW OK later in the day Monday and should arrive in NE OK by early Tue morning. Brisk SW winds ahead of the boundary and mostly sunny skies will provide for a hot day on Monday, but at least this also leads to some hope of at least a brief break in the excessive heat for Tuesday.

Before that, I need to mention there will be a slight chance for showers and storms for the NE counties of the state later this Saturday night and into the morning hours of Sunday. A complex of storms is expected to form further north into KS and then move SE overnight possibly affecting the NE corner of the state.

Otherwise, expect this Saturday and Sunday to have temperatures in the upper 90s to near 100 and heat index values at or above 100 each afternoon. As mentioned, those southerly winds will be strong and gusty during the day and not calming down much at night. Although the winds during the day do provide at least a bit of a cooling breeze, at night those winds prevent temperatures from dropping much. As a result, there is very little overnight relief with morning lows temperatures only dropping into the upper 70s to near 80.

With the front in the area, partly cloudy skies, and at least a slight chance of showers or storms, Tuesday should provide a break in the excessive heat with daytime highs in the 90s. Not for long though as ridging aloft gets re-established later in the week which should push our daytime highs back into triple digit territory. There is some hope for a break in this pattern over the coming weekend, but not going to get too excited about that until we start seeing better consistency in the longer range guidance.

In the meantime, stay cool, stay tuned, and check back for updates.

Dick Faurot