This weekend not only promises pleasant skies, but also marks the official start to the 2013 fall season! The late-week cold front brought some welcome rain to many residents across the state. Over the last 2 days, most areas saw anywhere from a light sprinkle to heavy rains. As you can see from the graphic below, residents of Broken Bow in southeast Oklahoma saw nearly 2.5" of rain while those further west near Hollis, OK saw barely 0.02".
Improving slightly from last week, the northern parts of the state have climbed out of the "abnormally dry" conditions, while the southwest part of the state is still in the firm grip of "extreme" to "excessive" drought conditions.
As the front continues to push southward, skies will gradually clear, paving the way for a very pleasant weekend across Oklahoma. Residents will enjoy sunny skies during the day with highs ranging from the mid to upper 80s and clear nights statewide, allowing for temperatures to fall to the mid to lower 50s as the night goes on. For most people across the state, the National Weather Service forecasts that the weekend's coolest temperatures should be Saturday night.
With cooler temperatures settling into the area, the feeling of Fall is definitely in the air. Sunday is this year's autumnal equinox, which is one of two days every year when both the northern and southern hemispheres catch equal amounts of the sun's rays. As Sunday marks the official start of the Fall season, days will begin to get shorter and folks across the region will begin to notice the slow emergence of the fall foliage colors. This is the time of year when plants stop making chlorophyl and thus their green colors begin to fade, being replaced with the lovely hues of orange, red, and yellow that we Americans have fallen in love with.
Also, this weekend's clear skies will be a star-lover's delight. With the recent Harvest moon beginning to wane, skies will be wide open for Norman area astronomy enthusiasts to catch of glimpse of the comet ISON.
Towards the pre-dawn hours, backyard star gazers will find ISON in the dark sky near Mars. With any kind of basic telescope, viewers will have a chance to see this celestial body as it travels towards the sun for the next two months, passing the Red Planet around October 1st. Regardless, this weekend's weather will provide anyone with the opportunity to get outside and enjoy this season's first blast of cooler air and clear skies.
MS, BK
Sources: Oklahoma Mesonet, spaceweather.com, US Drought Monitor, dailyapplift.com
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