Classic Example of "Roller Coaster Temperatures" This Week

Make sure you have your wardrobe ready!  Temperatures will be all over the place this week as one cold front pushes through tonight, bringing cooler temperatures for tomorrow, and then as a second, much stronger, front pushes through Wednesday night into Thursday.  We'll have generally pleasant conditions for Monday and Wednesday but conditions more reminiscent of the winter season on Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday.

So here's the forecast.  In the panhandle and northwest Oklahoma this afternoon, expect highs in the mid-to-upper-50s.  It will also be windy in these regions, with a north wind blowing between 20 and 30 mph in the afternoon, with gusts as high as 40 to 45 mph.  Across all of southern Oklahoma expect highs to soar into the mid-to-upper-60s.  Some strong winds will also be prevalent in southwestern Oklahoma, with a north wind blowing between 25 and 30 mph, with gusts up to 40 mph.  (Another RED FLAG WARNING is in effect for this region until 6 PM CST this evening.)  Central, north central, and northeast Oklahoma will see highs in the lower-60s this afternoon.  North winds will be blowing between 15 and 25 mph with gusts up to 35 mph.

For tonight, the panhandle will be experiencing the coldest lows in the upper-teens.  North central and northeast Oklahoma will see lows in the low-20s.  The rest of the state will see lows in the mid-to-upper-20s.  Skies will be mainly clear.  Tuesday brings the first drop in temperatures to all of the state except the panhandle, which will see highs in the low-60s.  The "warmest" highs will be in western Oklahoma, with the coldest highs in eastern Oklahoma.  For the west, expect highs on Tuesday to be in the upper-40s to low-50s.  For north central and northeastern Oklahoma, highs will be in the mid-30s, while central and south central Oklahoma see highs in the low-to-mid-40s.  Southeast Oklahoma will see highs reach the upper-30s, with extreme southeastern Oklahoma seeing highs in the upper-40s.

Tuesday night will have lows in the mid-to-upper 20-degree range.  On Wednesday, high temperatures rebound significantly for all but the panhandle in which a drop for the low-60s to the mid-50s can be expected.  Elsewhere, expect highs in the mid-to-upper-50s across western Oklahoma, southern, and central Oklahoma, and the upper-40s to low-50s across north central and northeastern Oklahoma.

Then...the arctic blast arrives!  Wednesday night/Thursday morning temperatures will fall to the mid-teens in the panhandle, the low-20s across northern Oklahoma, the mid-20s across central Oklahoma, and the upper-20s to low-30s across southern Oklahoma.  Thursday's highs will be exceptionally cold across the state, with many areas remaining below freezing. Across all but southern Oklahoma, expect highs in the mid-to-upper-20s on Thursday afternoon.  Southern Oklahoma will see highs in the low-to-mid-30s.  Thursday night will bring the coldest temperatures of the arctic blast, with single-digit lows possible in the northeast Oklahoma, and lows as cold as the low-to-mid-teens elsewhere.

For Friday, highs return to the 40s for the central and southern portions of the state, and at least to the mid-30s for the northern portion.  However, by the weekend, highs in the 50s return, with even some 60s popping up across southern Oklahoma.

AC

Sources: NWS, HOOT