UPDATE: Another HOT Week

Through mid-week and even into parts of the late week and weekend for some of you, we will be dealing with extreme heat as part of another heat wave of the year across Oklahoma. Temperatures will be well into the 90s and 100s during this time, and high humidity levels, mainly in central and eastern Oklahoma, will lead to dangerous heat indices reaching the 105-degree mark. We strongly urge you to limit or avoid outdoor activities this week. If you have outdoor plans this week and cannot reschedule them, please prepare accordingly and remember your heat safety tips. They are listed in the graphic below, courtesy of the National Weather Service Office in Norman, OK, for your convenience.


Heat Safety Tips

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Detailed Forecast

For today, skies will be clear to partly cloudy for the rest of the morning and remain that way for the remainder of the day everywhere except for in the panhandle, where we have a slight chance of seeing an afternoon thunderstorm or two. High temperatures across western Oklahoma and the panhandle will be well into the 100s. Across central and eastern Oklahoma, expect highs in the mid-to-upper-90s. But, with humid conditions expected, be prepared for heat indices as high as 105 degrees.  Eastern Oklahoma is slated to see the worst from Tuesday’s heat, as we have a HEAT ADVISORY in effect for several counties in that part of the state, effective from 1 PM to 7 PM CDT today.  The heat advisory has been extended to include some counties farther towards the south in eastern Oklahoma.  Additionally, an EXCESSIVE HEAT WARNING has now been issued for Tulsa County, effective until 8 PM CDT Wednesday.

Stretching across northern Oklahoma, a slight chance for showers and storms exists Tuesday night. Though chances are no greater than 30%, any developing storms could produce heavy rainfall and damaging wind gusts. Please be prepared for any changing weather conditions.

Current forecasts point to Wednesday as being the hottest day for the state overall. First, we will again start with mild morning lows in the mid-to-upper-70s under mostly clear to partly cloudy skies across Oklahoma. Later in the day, all of central Oklahoma will see highs in the triple-digits: more specifically, the low-100s. The west will bake with highs reaching the low-to-mid-100s. In eastern Oklahoma, highs will be in the upper-90s to low-100s. Heat indices will be as high as 105 degrees again in eastern Oklahoma, which may prompt an extension of the current heat advisory in effect. In the afternoon and through the night, most of the state, the exception being areas towards the south, has a chance of seeing a pop-up shower or storm. This is due to a stationary front that will situate itself across northern Oklahoma. Current rain chances are no greater than 30% at this time, with the “greatest” chance in northwest Oklahoma. When no storms are occurring, skies will be partly to mostly cloudy.

For the latter part of the week, morning lows will be in the low-to-mid-70s across the state. Central and eastern Oklahoma have no greater than a 20% of seeing an afternoon shower or thunderstorm on Thursday; otherwise, skies will be partly cloudy through the weekend. Thursday’s highs will drop down to more seasonable levels for northeast Oklahoma in the low-to-mid-90s. Across the rest of the state on Thursday, expect another day of the week with highs in the upper-90s to low-100s, though the triple-digit heat will be confined primarily to the west again. For Friday, expect the same story: low-to-mid-90s for highs in eastern Oklahoma, and upper-90s to low-100s for highs across central and western Oklahoma.

Sources: NWS, HOOT, Google Images (photo)