Fall Weather Leaves?

What does this week's weather look like?  Are rain chances going up this weekend? Weak frontal movement is expected to bring with it a chance of showers.


It is becoming a weekly trend for Oklahoma to experience a ridge throughout the work-week followed by a weekend of cold, wet weather. How long will this streak continue as we head into the Autumn season?

As we are already well into October, highs are still in the upper 80's which is unseasonably warm. This year it seems the seasons have shifted noticeably and have begun later than usual. Hopefully in the weeks ahead, we will see a sustained cooling and typical "fall" weather.

Currently, Oklahoma is experiencing warm and sunny conditions throughout most of the state, with highs in upper 70's. Highs in the panhandle are slightly higher, mostly in the low 80's. Winds are light in the eastern part of the state, moderate at 10-15 mph in the west, and strong and sustained in parts of the panhandle, with gusts reaching up to about 30.  All this air movement is coming out of the south. Warm, dry, and windy conditions increase the risk of fire hazards.

Tomorrow expect fair and temperate conditions to continue with a high expected around 80 for most of Oklahoma and a low in the mid-50's.  Winds remain out of the south, with stronger sustained speeds in the western portion of the state.

Thursday we see our first opportunity for precipitation, however slight it may be.  High temperatures stay in the low-80s  and lows around 60.  Winds from the south are expected to increase throughout the day, with higher wind speeds in western part of the state.   Mild winds of 5-10 mph could reach speeds of 15-25 mph as we head into the evening hours.  All this activity is expected under partly cloudy conditions for most of Oklahoma.  Chances for rainfall are less than 20%, but there could be isolated throughout the state in the overnight hours.

Friday evening the expected cold front is slated to move into Oklahoma.  Sky cover will get progressively heavier throughout the day, with mostly cloudy conditions expected headed into the evening hours.  High temperatures Friday are expected to be around 80 for much of the state, with the exception of highs in the mid-70's expected for the panhandle region.  South winds at 10-15 mph will shift to a westerly direction as the day progresses.  The highest chance for rainfall is in the overnight hours, with a probability around 30%.

HL, SS

Information and graphics courtesy of: Mesonet, NWS Norman, and HOOT