Significantly Cooler Weather on the Way

Summer arrived in full force last week as we dealt with our first heat wave of year. This was the result of an upper-level ridge of high pressure over the region. However, now we have a different weather setup. We are currently situated in the “middle” of an upper-level high to our west, resulting in the tremendous heat wave in the southwestern United States, and an upper-level low to the east, resulting in relentless rainfall and cooler temperatures in the eastern United States. Because we are in the middle of these two distinct weather systems, a deep northerly flow will result, allowing temperatures to be not only cooler than they have been but also cooler than they should be for this time of year. For the upcoming week, we will be seeing highs and lows reminiscent of late May and early June, not late June and early July. So if you feel like spring cheated you, make sure you take advantage of these next few days.

DANGEROUS Heat, Followed by SEVERE Storms

The weather today will be everything but the kitchen sink (and snow). Ahead of a cold front approaching the state from the north, we will be dealing with intense summertime heat, with this afternoon’s temperatures soaring well into the upper-90s to upper-100s. Then this evening and into tonight, we are looking at the chance for severe weather across northern Oklahoma and parts of central Oklahoma as the cold front pushes through. By the weekend and into next week, we will see a long stretch with temperatures that are significantly cooler and even below average in some cases. However, before that time, we will have to deal with this scorcher. Note that the following heat alerts are in effect:
EXCESSIVE HEAT WARNINGS until 7 PM CDT Friday for most of eastern Oklahoma
HEAT ADVISORIES until 8 PM CDT Thursday for all of central and western Oklahoma (excluding the panhandle)

EXTREME Heat Ahead

To think that the past few months were cooler than average will probably mean nothing now. Oklahoma will be dealing with its first major heat wave of the year, with highs topping out in the 90s and 100s and high humidity levels leading to dangerous heat index values well into the 100s through Friday. For this matter, numerous EXCESSIVE HEAT WARNINGS have been issued by the National Weather Service office in Tulsa, OK across eastern Oklahoma. These remain in effect until 7 PM CDT Friday. While central and western Oklahoma may not be under any type of heat advisory or warning, daytime high temperatures and humidity values will still be high in these areas too. Remember your heat safety tips!

One Word: HOT!

The summer solstice arrived last week, and this week, the weather will be cooperating with the season. Due to a ridge of high pressure building over the region, we will see a streak of rain-free days and very warm temperatures through the end of the week. By the late weekend and into next week, we will be situated in the “middle” of an upper-level high with anticyclonic flow aloft in the western United States, bringing hot and dry conditions to that part of the nation, and an upper-level low with cyclonic flow aloft in the eastern United States, bringing cooler and wet conditions to that part of the nation. This will result in a north flow aloft between these two weather systems, which will allow a cold front to push into the region, bringing chances for rain and cooler temperatures. Until that point, however, we will be dealing with a scorcher. Please remember your heat safety tips!

Summer Kicks Off With Hot Weather

Welcome to summer! The summer solstice officially began at 12:04 AM CDT this morning, and today is the longest day of the year. The forecast for the coming days across Oklahoma certainly looks like one reminiscent of summer, with relatively dry conditions and warm temperatures. Since we are looking at a streak of dry days ahead, with the exception of today and Sunday for western Oklahoma, let us first examine the latest drought conditions before detailing the coming days.

Warmer, Drier Weather Ahead

Following a week with occasional showers and thunderstorms across the state, forecasts for the end of this week, the weekend, and next week are showing drier conditions with warmer temperatures, just in time for the summer solstice, which begins at 12:04 AM CDT on Friday, June 21. We may see slight chances for thunderstorms in the west and northeast this afternoon and evening and in the north on Sunday, but otherwise, rain-free days are ahead.

Storms Possible Again on Wednesday

For the rest of today, we may seem some isolated showers and thunderstorms across the panhandle. Otherwise, we are not expecting any rain across the rest of state; mostly sunny to partly cloudy skies will prevail, along with pleasant afternoon high temperatures. Starting tonight after midnight and lasting through Wednesday night, however, we do have a 20 to 40 percent chance of seeing thunderstorms across central and western Oklahoma. Then, by late-week, rain chances diminish everywhere and warmer temperatures return just in time for the weekend. We will now detail the forecast for the next few days.

More Storms Possible, Cooler Temperatures

Isolated thunderstorms yesterday, some of which turned severe, and the line of strong storms that passed through the state from the northwest this morning have delivered beneficial rainfall to Oklahomans. In fact, from storms for the past couple of days, all of Oklahoma has received some rainfall. The graphic below shows how much rain has accumulated at each of the Mesonet sites over a two-day period.

ATTENTION: Severe Weather Likely This Afternoon, Overnight

Severe thunderstorms are already firing up across the state, generally tracking eastward to southeastward. We will have clusters of these thunderstorms continue to develop later this afternoon and evening, with threats being large hail, damaging winds, and heavy rainfall. Tonight, we are more confident for severe thunderstorms to move across a great deal of the northwest, central, and eastern parts of the state as afternoon thunderstorms developing across Kansas form a complex and track towards the south-southeast into Oklahoma. The primary threats from tonight’s storms will be damaging winds in excess of 60 mph along with the possibility of flash flooding. Remember: turn around, don’t drown!
***ATTENTION: A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH has been issued for several Oklahoma counties until 10:00 PM CDT tonight.

Rain Chances Increase This Weekend

As the upper-level high moves off to the east and out of the area, the scorching hot temperatures we have seen this past week, especially in the west, will back off somewhat starting Saturday. As a stronger cold front pushes through at the beginning of next week, temperatures will become even cooler and below normal for the central and eastern parts of the state. Cloud cover and rain chances will also increase, especially Sunday night. We will now give you your weekend forecast and a brief glance at next week. A complete, detailed forecast for the new work week will come in a couple of days.

Continued HOT, DRY

Hot and dry conditions will continue through the end of the week as an upper-level ridge of high pressure dominates over the Plains. Triple-digit heat will continue in the west while temperatures remain well in the 90s for central and eastern Oklahoma. For many of us, yesterday was the first 90-degree day we have seen so far this year! However, despite a slow start to the warm season, these warm temperatures will soon become the norm as we approach the summer solstice next week.

The Week Ahead: HOT, DRY

Could this be the end of severe weather season? As an upper-level high builds and strengthens over the Plains this week, a typical summer-like pattern will unfold. We are going to see abundant sunshine and much warmer temperatures across the entire state. For those of you involved in clean-up efforts from last month’s tornadoes, the rain-free weather will certainly be a welcoming sign, though we know you could probably do without the scorching heat. However, for those of you in western Oklahoma who are still suffering from extreme to exceptional drought, we know this is not good news to you. At this point, the dry and hot weather will be sticking around for the foreseeable future. We will now step through the next few days to give you the details on exactly how hot it will be, but first let us examine the drought.

Special Story: May in Review

May has proven to be quite the month for weather across the state of Oklahoma, a month that some of us may wish to forget about. With back-to-back weeks of severe weather outbreaks, it may be hard to think that we were dealing with winter weather at the beginning of the month and wondering when, or if, spring would ever arrive. Well spring unfortunately did arrive, and in a rather abrupt fashion. In this blog post, we will be taking a look back at this past month was and explain what we can expect for the future.

AFTERMATH: Tornadoes, Flooding, Wind, Hail

On Friday evening, severe thunderstorms exploded west of the Oklahoma City metro area and moved eastward, producing tornadoes, strong winds, hail, and deadly flooding. Current reports are saying that at least three tornadoes touched down in the Oklahoma City metro on Friday: one south of El Reno to the west of Yukon and downtown Oklahoma City, and two just south of downtown Oklahoma City, including one which passed just north of the Will Rogers World Airport, causing flights to be grounded and passengers to take cover in an underground tunnel. Additionally, the tornado near El Reno and Yukon wreaked havoc on Interstate 40 as it tossed debris and caused a massive traffic jam, with drivers being stranded in their vehicles. Interstates 44 and 35 were also affected by the storms; preliminary tornado tracks are showing that a tornado crossed Interstate 44. As National Weather Service crews have been dispatched today to survey the damage, we will have more reports on the ratings of these tornadoes as well as if additional tornadoes were confirmed.