Wet Weekend on the Way

It's been a long, dry week, but you better get your rain boots and umbrella ready! As the weekend arrives, so do some healthy chances for rain for most of the Sooner State. Today's brisk, southerly winds have begun pumping warmer, moist air into the region, allowing the atmosphere to ripen with moisture which translates into some pretty decent rain chances statewide.

Areas in the Oklahoma panhandle will begin seeing showers and storms develop late this afternoon and into tonight as the warm, moist air collides with the approaching cooler air mass.  Overnight, the front is forecast to push southeast toward portions of central Oklahoma where rain chances are very high. The National Weather Service is calling for a near 100% chance of rain across the heart of the state, but say "the threat for severe storms will be low...but locally heavy rainfall will be possible...especially in southeast Oklahoma." Rain chances should be highest on Saturday morning and will gradually fall off as the winds shift to the north, ushering in the cooler and drier air.

By Saturday afternoon and early evening the front's position is forecast to be approaching the residents of southeastern Oklahoma who will also see a high chance of rain, with locally heavy rain possible.

Any rain that does fall will be a sweet relief from the ongoing dry conditions that have been plaguing most of the state. Only a few lucky areas in the northern and eastern part of Oklahoma have escaped the grip of this summer's ongoing drought, as can be seen in the US Drought Monitor's most recent drought map.

As the front pushes the rain and clouds across the state, it will bring in much more pleasant temperatures that are more consistent with the fall season. Below are two maps showing tomorrow's high and low temperatures. As can be seen from the graphics, once the front passes, the storms will begin to clear, bringing sunny skies once again.

So just how much rain is supposed to fall over the course of this weekend? The Weather Prediction Center is forecasting rain gauges across the area to pick up some decent amounts, ranging from 1" for most to more than 2" to the southeast.

For farmers across Oklahoma, especially those in the southwest who are still in the firm grips of the extreme to exceptional drought conditions, this weekend's forecast is a good one. With the little rainfall that the state has seen this month, grasses have once again begun to fade to brown as the the soil gradually loses its moisture. But with the talk of a rain event that could produce 1" of rain, farmers and homeowners alike will rejoice.

Ever wondered how much water falls from a raincloud during a 1" rain? Most will be shocked to learn that just one inch rain falling on one square-mile translates into roughly 17.38 million gallons of water! Pretty staggering amounts! Let's hope the current forecast holds true, and if so most folks across Oklahoma will enjoy some nice relief from the hot and dry conditions we've seen this week.

MS, BK

Sources:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/newsid_8170000/newsid_8174700/8174718.stm
http://weather.gov/
http://hoot.ou.edu/
http://ga.water.usgs.gov/eduearthrain.html/
http://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/