Pleasant New Year's Eve, Cold Front Tomorrow

The temperatures around here sure don't want to stay warm, do they?  The trend of cold fronts will continue on into the new year.  We'll have calm conditions for this evening and tonight, with a cold front moving through the state tomorrow afternoon and evening, bringing much colder temperatures and the chance for some wintry precipitation across parts of northern and central Oklahoma.

Powerful Cold Front to Bring Sinking Temperatures, Strong Winds

Warm, above-average temperatures we have been experiencing over the past few days will come to a dramatic end as a strong cold front pushes through the state overnight.  As a result, afternoon temperatures tomorrow will be some 20 to 30 degrees colder than what they were today, and winds will be exceptionally strong in some areas.  Some freezing drizzle may occur behind the front, but we are not expecting any major wintry precipitation at this time.

UPDATE: Winter Weather, Thunderstorms to Impact State

UPDATE 12/20/13 5:00 PM: The Ice Storm Warning has been expanded farther southward.  A new Freezing Rain Advisory is now in effect across southern and eastern Oklahoma.  Updates have been made to the regions as indicated below.  We have written the updates in bold and this blue color to stand out.

The cold front has swept across much of the state as of this morning and has brought significantly cooler temperatures along with strong northerly winds.  Here are the latest details on what we expect to occur regarding winter weather and thunderstorms in the coming days.

Another COLD BLAST Coming!

Following unseasonably warm temperatures in the 60s and 70s over the past few days, another cold front will sweep across the state later today into tomorrow, bringing much colder temperatures and the chance for wintry precipitation to parts of the state.  However, unlike the last round of cold, wintry weather, there are three differences with this system.  First, the air will not be as cold when the moisture is in place.  As currently forecasted, daytime highs through the 7-day forecast period will be above freezing, except for northern Oklahoma on Sunday, where highs will only reach the lower-30s.  However, with temperatures above freezing at any time, wintry precipitation will become less of a threat.  Overnight and morning lows will be a different story, and we will cover those more in detail below.  Second, the cold air will not last as long.  Beginning next Tuesday, temperatures will quickly rebound to the 40s, and even the 50s in places farther south.  Therefore, it looks like no white Christmas is in store for any of the state this year (although we are watching a mid-week system that has the potential to deposit some very light snow to extreme northern Oklahoma - we'll have more details on that in a later post).  Third, from the current forecasts, northern Oklahoma will be getting the worst out of this system, with significant icing possible.  As with our past winter weather blog posts, we will detail what you can expect from this system by region.

Two Winter Storms...And It's Not Even Winter Yet!

We have been calling them "winter" storms, but perhaps to be more technical we should have called them "fall" storms.  The winter solstice does not officially begin for a little over a week, but already we have had two winter storms sweep across the state in the past couple of weeks, the second certainly the more drastic of the two.  These storms have been caused by exceptionally strong cold fronts, fueling arctic air from the north, along with upper-level lows, which have provided moisture in the air to support the wintry precipitation.  When forecasting winter weather, cold air and moisture are two of the primary aspects that meteorologists look at.  If either aspect varies just slightly, a forecast could change dramatically.  We will now take a step back in time and examine the two winter storms of the past weeks in depth.

LATEST: Winter Storm Impacting Oklahoma

Winter weather is occurring across southern and eastern Oklahoma and will expand to cover central and parts of northern Oklahoma later this afternoon through tonight.  Here are the latest updates by Oklahoma region on what you can expect from the ongoing winter storm.

UPDATE: Winter Storm Ahead

 

As time progresses are more details are gathered about the impending winter storm, we will now give you an update on what can be expected across the state of Oklahoma in the coming days.  Unlike previous systems, this one could come in two parts, with action happening Thursday and Friday and then again for the weekend.  Additionally, the cold air will not be exiting quickly; many areas of the state are expected to see temperatures well below freezing for the entire 7-day forecast period.  Thus, we again urge you to prepare in advance.  As in our past posts, we will detail what you can expect by region.

Another WINTER STORM on the Horizon

Please be prepared!  Following ice and snow across parts of Oklahoma the weekend before Thanksgiving, we are looking at the potential for another major winter storm to take shape from Thursday through Sunday across the state.  This winter storm has the potential to bring snow and significant icing, prompting travel concerns.  Additionally, temperatures will be unbelievably and dangerously cold.  Again, now is the time to prepare.  As winter weather is difficult to predict, because we must take into account factors such as enough moisture in the air, cold enough temperatures both at the surface and in the upper levels of the atmosphere, and the exact position of the low pressure system, details may still be uncertain or incorrect at this time.  However, we have done our best to detail what you can expect over the next few days by region.  This is a lengthy post, but we have a lot to cover.  Please check back later this week for future blog updates when we are more certain of the exact timing and details of this major storm.