Brace Yourselves! Frigid Weather Arrives

UPDATED 5:10 PM CST Sunday
A recent cold front has brought incredibly cold, sub-freezing temperatures to the state.  A developing low pressure system even dumped as much as 3 inches of snow on northern Oklahoma.  In addition to the cold temperatures behind the front, brisk northerly winds are leading to negative and single-digit wind chill values for central and northern Oklahoma.  On Monday, the cold weather will continue, with strong winds persistent through the morning.  These conditions are unusually and dangerously cold, so we urge you to protect yourself from the cold weather.

We will start by covering the most dangerous conditions, which will occur in northeast Oklahoma.  Under partly cloudy skies, lows tonight are expected to range between -5 and 0 degrees.  A north wind blowing between 10 and 20 mph with gusts up to 30 mph will cause wind chill values to be as low as or lower than -20 degrees in far northeast Oklahoma by Monday morning.  This has prompted a WIND CHILL WARNING to be issued until noon CST Monday.  Even for the rest of the region, wind chills will still be below 0 degrees.  Because of this, a WIND CHILL ADVISORY is in effect across northeast Oklahoma from 6:00 PM CST this evening through 12:00 PM CST Monday.  Highs on Monday across the region will continue to stay cold, reaching only the mid-to-upper-teens.  Wind chill values will continue to be in the negative range.

Southeast Oklahoma (except McCurtain County) is also under a WIND CHILL ADVISORY from the same time span as mentioned above.  McCurtain County is under a HARD FREEZING WARNING from 2:00 AM CST to 9:00 AM CST Monday as temperatures drop down to the low-to-mid-teens.  The remainder of the region will see lows in the mid-to-upper-0s.  Skies will be mostly clear to partly cloudy.  A north wind will blow between 10 and 20 mph.  Across extreme southeastern Oklahoma, wind chill readings will be as low as 0 degrees.  For the rest of the region, expect wind chill readings between -10 and -5 degrees.  For Monday, cold weather persists as highs only range from the low-to-mid-20s under sunny skies.  Wind chill values will range between -10 and 0 degrees early in the morning before increasing to slightly above 0 degrees in the afternoon as the temperature attempts to warm up.

Across the panhandle, northwest, and north central Oklahoma tonight, lows will range from the low-to-mid-single digits.  That is, temperatures will generally be between 0 and 5 degrees.  A slight chance of flurries may occur early in the evening, but skies will slowly begin to clear overnight into Monday morning.  A north to northeast wind will blow between 10 and 15 mph.  Wind chill values will be as low as -15 degrees overnight into Monday morning, especially for north central Oklahoma.  The entire region can expect to see wind chill values below 0 degrees.  A WIND CHILL ADVISORY is in effect for north central Oklahoma from 9:00 PM CST this evening through 9:00 AM CST Monday morning.  For Monday afternoon, the panhandle's highs will rise to the mid-30s, but expect highs only in the mid-to-upper-20s across northwest and north central Oklahoma.  Wind chill values will be around 0 to 5 degrees.

Southwest Oklahoma can expect lows in the mid-teens tonight under mostly clear skies.  Winds will blow from the north to northeast between 10 and 20 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.  Wind chill values will be as low as -1 degrees.  For Monday, under sunny skies, temperatures will warm to the upper-20s and low-30s in the afternoon.  Winds will blow between 5 and 15 mph, creating wind chill values as cold as 20 degrees.

Last, but not least, we will cover central and south central Oklahoma.  Across the Oklahoma City metro area, expect partly cloudy skies tonight with lows dropping down between 0 and 5 degrees.  South central Oklahoma will see lows dipping down into the low-teens, around 10 degrees.  Northerly winds will blow between 10 and 20 mph, with gusts up to 25 mph.  Wind chill values will be between -10 and 0 degrees.  A WIND CHILL ADVISORY is now in effect until noon CST Monday.  For Monday, skies will be generally sunny, but afternoon highs will only range from the mid-to-upper-20s.  A north wind will blow between 5 and 15 mph, creating negative wind chill values early and wind chills as low as 10 degrees in the afternoon.

AC

Sources: NWS, HOOT, Mesonet