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.
Drought and Rainfall Update
Despite recent rainfall in the area, western Oklahoma is still in a severe to exceptional drought, with the southwest part of the state and western part of the panhandle in the worst conditions. Working our way farther east, we can see that much of central and eastern Oklahoma are now out of the drought, or at least in the lowest category. We have chosen three cities in Oklahoma to compare rainfall totals, and as you can see, the differences are pretty astonishing. Oklahoma City comes out on top for month-to-date and year-to-date totals, while Tulsa and Guymon are unfortunately falling behind for the year. Oklahoma City’s vast departure from normal is due in part to the frequent cold fronts of spring which brought an inch or two of rain at a time, as well as the flooding rains of May 31. However, despite the surplus in rain for Oklahoma City, we still caution you to use water wisely. The second graphic above shows Oklahoma City’s Mandatory Water Conservation Plan, which is currently in stage 1. Friday
A stray afternoon shower or thunderstorm may pop up in areas of the panhandle, southwest, and central Oklahoma. Otherwise, we will have mostly sunny skies across the state this afternoon with summer-like highs reaching the mid-to-upper 90s in central and western Oklahoma and the low-90s in eastern Oklahoma. Beware of high index values! Due to the humidity, especially in central Oklahoma, heat index values will be near 100 degrees. Therefore, remember your heat safety tips, especially if you are planning on spending time outside today. Drink plenty of water, wear sunscreen, and wear light-weight, light-colored clothing. We will also have breezy conditions, with a south wind blowing between 15 and 25 mph and gusting up to 35 mph.
Saturday
In the morning, we will have partly to mostly cloudy skies with temperatures in the low-to-mid-70s all across the state. Skies will begin to clear by the afternoon, and except for a stray afternoon shower or thunderstorm in the panhandle, we will have mostly sunny skies throughout the day. Again, highs in the mid-to-upper-90s can be expected across central and western Oklahoma with highs in the low-90s across eastern Oklahoma. Heat index values will be near 100 degrees. Winds will continue to blow from the south at 10 to 20 mph, gusting as high as 30 mph. Higher gusts to 40 mph are possible in the panhandle and northwest Oklahoma.
Sunday
Lows Sunday morning will be in the 60s in the panhandle and in the low-to-mid-70s elsewhere. Skies will be partly cloudy before sunrise and throughout the day. In northwest Oklahoma in the panhandle, we may see a pop-up shower or thunderstorm in the afternoon. Otherwise, another rain-free day is in store for the state. Afternoon highs will continue to be in the mid-to-upper-90s across central and western Oklahoma, while in the east, they range from the upper-80s to low-90s. Breezy conditions persist, with southerly winds blowing between 15 and 20 mph, with gusts up to 25 mph.
For the start of the work week, we are expecting the same: hot and dry conditions. Summer has indeed arrived. Again, we encourage you to remember your heat safety tips, especially if you will be involved in outdoor activities over the coming days. Enjoy the season!
Sources: NWS, HOOT
No comments:
Post a Comment