Following unseasonably warm temperatures in the 60s and 70s over the past few days, another cold front will sweep across the state later today into tomorrow, bringing much colder temperatures and the chance for wintry precipitation to parts of the state. However, unlike the last round of cold, wintry weather, there are three differences with this system. First, the air will not be as cold when the moisture is in place. As currently forecasted, daytime highs through the 7-day forecast period will be above freezing, except for northern Oklahoma on Sunday, where highs will only reach the lower-30s. However, with temperatures above freezing at any time, wintry precipitation will become less of a threat. Overnight and morning lows will be a different story, and we will cover those more in detail below. Second, the cold air will not last as long. Beginning next Tuesday, temperatures will quickly rebound to the 40s, and even the 50s in places farther south. Therefore, it looks like no white Christmas is in store for any of the state this year (although we are watching a mid-week system that has the potential to deposit some very light snow to extreme northern Oklahoma - we'll have more details on that in a later post). Third, from the current forecasts, northern Oklahoma will be getting the worst out of this system, with significant icing possible. As with our past winter weather blog posts, we will detail what you can expect from this system by region.
THE PANHANDLE
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT in effect
Cold weather is on the way! Expect cloud cover to increase tonight as the cold front passes, with lows dropping down to the low-20s for Friday morning. Skies will be mostly cloudy on Friday, with highs in the mid-to-upper-30s. For Friday night, expect a 30 percent chance of rain or freezing rain as temperatures dip down into the upper-20s. Saturday brings the highest chance for wintry precipitation. Highs will remain below freezing in the low-30s, with rain and freezing rain transitioning over to snow early in the day. Periods of snow showers will continue through Saturday evening, then all precipitation will come to an end. Temperatures will drop down to the mid-teens Saturday night and then rise to the mid-30s on Sunday as skies begin to clear. Sunday night brings one more night of colder temperatures before both the highs and lows begin to rebound early next week.
NORTHWEST OKLAHOMA
WINTER STORM WATCH in effect
Northwest Oklahoma is currently forecasted to see the worst out of this system. Expect increasing clouds after the front passes through, with temperatures dropping down to the mid-20s tonight. On Friday, skies will be partly cloudy with highs in the mid-30s. The wintry weather arrives very early Saturday morning, at around midnight. Freezing rain will occur throughout the morning as temperatures are in the upper-20s to low-30s. Then, temperatures are forecasted to rise a degree or two above freezing, causing freezing rain to transition to a cold rain only Saturday afternoon. Beginning Saturday evening, temperatures will once again drop below the freezing mark, causing freezing rain to occur once again, mixed with snow. The wintry mix will become all snow after midnight on Sunday and then end by mid-morning on Sunday. Sunday morning's lows will be in the low-to-mid-20s, and temperatures will be right around freezing on Sunday afternoon. Skies will begin to clear Sunday night, bringing a blast of cool temperatures in the low-to-mid-teens Monday morning. Monday's highs will continue to remain cool on Monday in the low-30s but then rebound rapidly on Tuesday to the mid-40s.
SOUTHWEST OKLAHOMA
As the cold front passes through, expect morning lows on Friday to be in the mid-30s. Cloud cover will increase with the passage of the front, so expect partly to mostly cloudy skies on Friday. Highs will only make it to the upper-30s to low-40s, with strong northerly winds early blowing between 10 and 15 mph, and gusting up to 25 mph.
For Friday night, expect lows in the mid-30s with rain and a possible thunderstorm. For Saturday, showers and thunderstorms will continue as highs rise to the low-40s. Some of the storms could produce heavy rain. For Saturday night, a slight chance for rain and freezing rain will occur before midnight, otherwise precipitation will come to an end. Lows will drop down to the upper-20s and low-30s. On Sunday, skies will be cloudy early and clear partially for the remainder of the day as highs reach the low-40s. Cloud cover continues to decrease into the new week, with highs rebounding to the mid-40s on Monday and the mid-50s on Tuesday. The coldest morning low will occur Monday morning, with temperatures in the low-20s.
NORTH CENTRAL OKLAHOMA
WINTER STORM WATCH in effect
This region of the state will also see quite a bit of action from the storm. Lows will drop down to the upper-20s to low-30s tonight with skies being mostly cloudy. On Friday, continue to expect mostly cloudy skies with temperatures rising only to the mid-30s. The winter weather will come after midnight Saturday in the form of freezing rain; temperatures will drop down to the upper-20s to low-30s to support this. Extreme north central Oklahoma could see ice accumulations between 0.1 and 0.3 inches. The freezing rain will occur all morning Saturday. On Saturday afternoon, temperatures will rise above freezing to the mid-30s, allowing the freezing rain to transition to rain. Then, for Saturday night, rain will transition back to freezing rain and mix with snow after midnight, all the way through early Sunday morning before finally coming to an end. High temperatures will remain below freezing on Sunday in the low-30s, so please take caution if you are heading out. Skies will be generally cloudy on Sunday but clear by Sunday night, allowing temperatures to drop down to the mid-teens. On Monday, far north central Oklahoma may still see temperatures below the freezing mark while the rest of the region sees highs in the mid-30s. Skies will be sunny on Monday and Tuesday. Tuesday's highs will rebound to the mid-to-upper-40s.
CENTRAL OKLAHOMA
Skies will remain generally cloudy through the end of the weekend. After the passage of the front, expect lows to drop down to the mid-30s for Friday morning. Highs Friday will rise only to the mid-to-upper-30s. The rain moves in Friday afternoon, but a decent chance for scattered showers and thunderstorms comes Friday evening, becoming a steady rain overnight. The low is expected to remain a degree or two above the freezing mark, causing only a cold rain to fall Friday night into Saturday morning, but beware: should temperatures fall to the freezing mark or below, ice could start to develop, especially on bridges and overpasses. With the warm temperatures we have had over the past few days, it will take a little longer for ice to become a threat on the main roads. For Saturday, periods of rain and thunderstorms will continue. Highs will rise to the upper-30s. For Saturday night, rain will occur before midnight, and then the rain will become freezing rain and mix with snow after midnight as lows drop down to the upper-20s and low-30s. All precipitation will end by Sunday morning, with skies remaining mostly cloudy through the end of the weekend. Highs will rise to the mid-30s on Sunday, the upper-30s on Monday, and the upper-50s on Tuesday. The coldest lows will occur Monday morning as temperatures dip down into the lower-20s.
SOUTH CENTRAL OKLAHOMA
Cloud cover will increase with the passage of the cold front. After the front passes through, temperatures will remain generally steady on Friday in the upper-40s to low-50s, then fall Friday evening to the upper-30s. Showers and thunderstorms are forecasted Friday night through Saturday, then a 20 percent chance of rain will occur before midnight on Saturday evening. Some of the storms could produce heavy rain. No winter weather is expected across south central Oklahoma, as temperatures will never drop below freezing. Saturday's highs will be in the upper-40s, and Saturday night's lows will be in the upper-30s. For Sunday, highs will be in the low-40s under partly cloudy skies. Sunday night into Monday morning will bring the coldest temperatures, dropping down to the mid-20s. Then, temperatures rebound, with highs reaching the mid-40s on Monday and the upper-40s to low-50s on Tuesday.
NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA
Expect a slim chance for rain tonight, with temperatures falling to the mid-30s. On Friday, continue to expect a slight chance for rain throughout the day. Temperatures will start out in the mid-30s but fall to the freezing mark as early as mid-morning for parts of the region and as late as mid-afternoon for extreme northeast Oklahoma. For Friday night, expect a decent chance for freezing rain after midnight as temperatures drop down to the low-30s. For Saturday, the rain will continue, but temperatures will rise to the mid-30s to low-40s, creating a cold rain only. As temperatures drop back down to the mid-to-upper-20s on Saturday night, expect rain to become freezing rain and then mix with snow after midnight on Sunday. Early Sunday morning, there exists a slight chance for snow showers, but all winter precipitation will come to an end. Temperatures will be a degree or two above freezing on Sunday, and then skies will clear Sunday night, allowing temperatures to drop down to the mid-to-upper-teens for Monday morning. On Monday, continue to expect cold highs in the low-to-mid-30s, but then Tuesday will see highs in the low-40s.
SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA
FLASH FLOOD WATCH in effect
Skies will remain mostly cloudy from now through the end of the weekend. Friday will start off with temperatures in the low-50s, dropping to the mid-40s by late afternoon (except for extreme southeast Oklahoma, where highs will be in the upper-60s in the afternoon). For Friday, a 30 to 40 percent chance for rain, with a rumble of thunder possible, exists throughout the day. On Friday night, lasting through the day on Saturday, expect quite a bit of action, not with winter weather but, ironically, with severe weather. A 90 to 100 percent of showers and thunderstorms is forecasted Friday night and Saturday. Some of the storms could produce heavy rain, and on Saturday, some of the storms could be severe in far southeastern Oklahoma, and the Storm Prediction Center has outlined a SLIGHT RISK area that includes this part of the state. Lows Friday night will be in the mid-50s for extreme southeastern Oklahoma and the upper-30s elsewhere. Saturday's highs will rise to the mid-60s for far southeastern Oklahoma and the upper-40s elsewhere. Lows Saturday night into Sunday morning will be in the upper-30s to low-40s across the entire region. A slight chance for rain will continue through the morning on Sunday, but then all precipitation will come to an end as skies remain mostly cloudy. Sunday's highs will be in the 40s, as will Monday's. For Tuesday, expect the return of the 50s, with sunny skies.
INFOGRAPHICS
Provided by the National Weather Service in Norman, OK
AC
Sources: NWS, Mesonet, Google Images (photo)
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