Colder, Wetter Weather on the Way

Here we go again. The warm temperatures arrived just in time for the weekend. They’ll stick around for Monday. Then, oh yes, another cold front sweeps across the state Monday night through Tuesday, bringing us much colder temperatures, rain, and even some winter weather to northwest Oklahoma and the panhandle. Fortunately, we do not expect this next "cold blast" to last for too long; warmer weather should return by mid-week.

Monday
For Monday, watch out for a slight threat of severe weather if you live in northern Oklahoma. We are certainly not expecting a major outbreak like last week, but make sure you are prepared for storms that could produce damaging winds and large hail. These storms will fire up beginning in the afternoon and last through the evening. The severe threat will diminish overnight, but showers and thunderstorms will still be likely in this region through Tuesday. For the remainder of the state on Monday, you can expect the chance for thunderstorms, mainly in the afternoon hours, for all of Oklahoma except the southeast and western part of the panhandle. Skies will be partly to mostly cloudy otherwise. We’ll have seasonable highs, with temperatures mainly in the 70s across the core of the state, with some 60s invading the northeast. In the panhandle and far southwest Oklahoma, highs may reach the low-80s. Winds will be southerly, blowing at 10 to 20 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph.

Monday Night
On Monday night, the cold front begins its track across the state. Behind the front, you can expect the chance for a wintry mix of precipitation in northwest Oklahoma, including the panhandle, to last from about midnight Tuesday through Tuesday morning. The mix will contain rain, snow, and sleet. However, although no major impacts are expected, we do caution you to watch your travel Tuesday morning, as temperatures will be at or below freezing. For central, northeast, and parts of southwest Oklahoma, showers and thunderstorms are likely Monday night, continuing through Tuesday, but beginning to taper off by Tuesday afternoon. For southeast Oklahoma and far southwest, you can still expect the chance for showers and thunderstorms Monday night into Tuesday, but the chances are lower here.

Monday night’s “lows” will provide an interesting story. Perhaps instead of referring to them as “lows,” we should just call them “Monday night/Tuesday morning temperatures.” By about midnight, you will certainly start to feel the cold air invading if you live in the panhandle. This cold air will work its way southeastward across the state until all of Oklahoma is covered by unseasonably cold air Tuesday evening. Therefore, many of us will feel the warmest air on Tuesday at midnight or in the morning, contrary to when we normally see the high temperatures of the day, which is in the afternoon. But here is a brief synopsis. Temperatures as cold as the mid-30s will start to invade the panhandle by Tuesday midnight, only getting colder by early Tuesday morning, in which they will drop to the mid-to-upper-20s. These bitter temperatures will be confined to the panhandle only. At midnight, the 40s will stretch across northwest Oklahoma, before dropping to the low-to-mid-30s by early Tuesday morning. As mentioned earlier, the cold air will take most of the day Tuesday to sweep across the state. At midnight, you can expect temperatures still sitting comfortably around the 50s and 60s for the rest of the state, but by early Tuesday morning, the chill makes its way to central Oklahoma, with the 40s invading.

Tuesday

On Tuesday, the chance for a wintry mix of precipitation, including rain, snow, and sleet, across northwest Oklahoma and the panhandle remains, but only in the morning. After that, a shower or two may occur in the early afternoon, but skies will remain mostly cloudy after that. The greatest chance for rain on Tuesday is in northeast Oklahoma. The rest of the state may still see some lingering showers, but chances are not that great. Areas not seeing rain will see cloudy skies for the remainder of the day.

As we talked about in the second paragraph for Monday night above, Tuesday’s temperatures provide quite the story. Again, we really should not call the afternoon temperatures “highs” for most of you. In the panhandle, the afternoon temperatures should be highs, as 20s in the morning will become the low-40s by the afternoon. In western Oklahoma, temperatures should also rise during the afternoon to about the mid-to-upper-40s. However, in central and eastern Oklahoma, expect the low-to-mid-40s to stick around for the afternoon. In northeast Oklahoma, you may still have to deal with the upper-30s. Note that strong northerly winds will occur behind the front, so wind chill values will be low, and the air will feel colder than it actually is.

As we talked about in the second paragraph for Monday night above, Tuesday’s temperatures provide quite the story. Again, we really should not call the afternoon temperatures “highs” for most of you. In the panhandle, the afternoon temperatures should be highs, as 20s in the morning will become the low-40s by the afternoon. In western Oklahoma, temperatures should also rise during the afternoon to about the mid-to-upper-40s. However, in central and eastern Oklahoma, expect the low-to-mid-40s to stick around for the afternoon. In northeast Oklahoma, you may still have to deal with the upper-30s. Note that strong northerly winds will occur behind the front, so wind chill values will be low, and the air will feel colder than it actually is.

Wednesday Through Friday
This next system is projected to dump another healthy amount of rainfall across parts of the state, with 1 inch or more occurring in north central Oklahoma, a half an inch to an inch in central Oklahoma, and a quarter of an inch to a half an inch in northwest and southern Oklahoma. This data is according to the latest graphic published by the National Weather Service office in Norman, OK, which can be found by clicking HERE. Note that the projected rainfall amounts could change at any time, so we will keep you updated.

For the remainder of the week, temperatures will rebound quickly, beginning on Wednesday afternoon. Low temperatures will still be bitter Wednesday morning. Expect lows in the mid-to-upper-20s across the north, with the low-to-mid-30s elsewhere. For Wednesday afternoon, we will already see the return of the low-to-mid-60s for highs across most of the state, with the upper-50s sticking around in the northeast. Wednesday night into Thursday morning brings us lows in the mid-30s to mid-40s across Oklahoma. Thursday afternoon highs will be in the mid-to-upper-60s across the state. Friday will follow suit, with highs reaching the upper-60s and 70s for the state.

Skies will clear starting beginning Tuesday night, mainly after midnight. Then we will enjoy mostly sunny skies on Wednesday and Thursday. Friday brings the return of showers and thunderstorms. However, we do not expect the return of cold temperatures with this rain at the moment.

Sources: NWS, SPC, HOOT