Records Set Today but Colder Air is on the Way.

After a record breaking start to our day, we may have another record by the end of the day. The record high for today is only 79 and since we started the day with a record warm morning low of 66, we just don't have to warm up all that much to set another record. Actually, for this calendar date, the morning low of 66 will not make it into the record books as we will be much cooler than that before midnight tonight.

The reason for that is a cool front that is dropping down out of Kansas and will be moving through the I-44 corridor around sunset or shortly thereafter. Brisk northerly winds behind this cool front will quickly drop temperatures into the 50s this evening and perhaps as far as the upper 30s by Tue morning. There will also be a slight chance of showers and possibly even some thunder ahead of the front, but partly cloudy skies should be the rule by Tue morning.

There will be a pretty stout N-S temperature gradient on Tuesday making temperatures very tricky. The air behind this cool front is quite chilly as you do not have to go very far into Kansas to find temperatures in the 30s this afternoon as shown on the map to the right. But, it is also very shallow and may mix out rather quickly, particularly if we have plenty of sunshine. For now, will go with a cooler solution for Tue afternoon keeping temperatures in the 50s although cannot rule out making it back into the 60s if we have more sun or if the cool air mixes out more quickly than anticipated.

Wednesday will see a return to southerly winds in advance of the next big storm system so the cool, shallow air on Tuesday will be mixed out by the end of the day Wednesday allowing for a pretty good rebound. But, not for long as the main cold front that we have been talking about for days now should arrive that night. It will be preceded by a good chance of showers/storms late Wednesday and Wednesday night.

The timing on this system appears to be somewhat slower than earlier projections so that some lingering showers/storms may persist into Thanksgiving morning for the more eastern and SE counties of the state. Much colder air is still on tap for Thanksgiving Day and the brisk northerly winds will make it feel even colder. The cold will be rather short lived though as temperatures will be rebounding nicely by the coming weekend.

If you have travel plans for the next couple of days, stay tuned or check back for updates as there will likely be some significant travel problems for other parts of the country. For Oklahoma, it just looks like wet roads on Wednesday and perhaps into Thursday morning.

Dick Faurot