Dry on Wednesday, But Extremely COLD

Following two winter storms, Oklahoma will be taking a break from the winter weather on Wednesday before more wintry precipitation is expected Thursday through Saturday.  However, this does not mean that the state will be getting a relief from the cold.  A strong arctic front will be pushing into the state later tonight and into tomorrow, bringing exceptionally cold air and dangerously low wind chill values.  We will now give you the latest forecast details regarding this arctic blast.

Wind Chill Alerts

Tonight and Wednesday

PANHANDLE: Skies will be generally cloudy tonight, with a slight chance for snow before midnight.  As the cold front passes through, temperatures will drop down to the lower-to-mid single-digits.  A north-northeast wind blowing at 15 mph, with gusts up to 25 mph, will create wind chill values between -5 and -15 degrees.  On Wednesday, skies will remain mostly cloudy.  Highs will only rise to the upper single-digits and lower-teens!  With a northeast wind blowing between 10 and 15 mph and gusts as high as 20 mph, expect wind chill values between -5 and -15 degrees.

ALERTS IN EFFECT: WIND CHILL WARNING

NORTHWEST: Skies will be mostly cloudy tonight, with a slight chance for snow occurring before midnight.  The cold front will also bring bitterly cold temperatures to the region, with lows dropping  to the low-to-mid single-digits.  A north wind will blow between 10 and 20 mph after the passage of the front, with gusts up to 25 mph.  This will create wind chill values as low as -20 degrees.  For Wednesday, skies will remain generally cloudy, but as with the panhandle, highs will only rise to the upper single-digits to lower-teens.  With a north wind blowing 10 to 15 mph and gusts as high as 20 mph, wind chills will again be as low as -20 degrees.

ALERTS IN EFFECT: WIND CHILL ADVISORY

SOUTHWEST: Partly to mostly cloudy skies can be expected tonight, with temperatures falling to the mid-teens tomorrow morning after the passage of the cold front.  A strong northerly wind behind the front will blow between 20 and 25 mph, gusting at up to 30 mph.  This will create wind chill values as low as -5 degrees.  For Wednesday, expect mostly cloudy skies with daytime highs rising to the upper-teens and lower-20s.  Strong northerly winds will prevail, blowing between 15 and 25 mph, with gusts at up to 35 mph.  Expect wind chill values as low as -5 degrees.

ALERTS IN EFFECT: WIND CHILL ADVISORY

NORTH CENTRAL: Near the Oklahoma-Kansas border, a slight chance for snow exists before midnight.  Otherwise, skies will remain mostly cloudy through Wednesday.  The passage of the cold front will bring temperatures dropping to the upper single-digits and low-teens.  A north wind will blow between 10 and 20 mph behind the front, with gusts as high as 25 mph.  This will create wind chill values as low as about -10 degrees.  For Wednesday, highs will rise to the mid-to-upper-teens, with a north wind continuing to blow between 10 and 20 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.  Wind chill values as low as -10 degrees can continue to be expected.

ALERTS IN EFFECT: WIND CHILL ADVISORY

CENTRAL: Widespread fog currently being observed across the area will start to clear by later this evening, especially when the front passes through and brings drier conditions and increased wind speeds.  However, while visibilities will improve, skies will still remain mostly cloudy through Wednesday.  The front will cause lows tonight into tomorrow to drop down to the upper single-digits and lower-teens.  A north wind increasing to 20 to 25 mph with gusts up to 30 mph after midnight can be expected and will create wind chill values as low as -10 degrees.  For Wednesday, cold highs in the mid-to-upper-teens can be expected with the north wind being persistent at blowing around 20 mph, with gusts up to 30 mph.  Wind chill values will again be as low as -10 degrees.

ALERTS IN EFFECT: WIND CHILL ADVISORY

SOUTH CENTRAL: Some widespread fog is also being observed across the area and will clear by the late evening hours.  The cold front will allow lows to drop to the lower-20s tonight under mostly cloudy skies.  A northerly wind will increase to 10 to 20 mph behind the front, with higher gusts up to 30 mph possible.  For Wednesday, expect partly cloudy skies with highs in the upper-20s.  The north wind will continue to blow between 10 and 20 mph, with gusts at up to 25 mph.'

ALERTS IN EFFECT: WIND CHILL ADVISORY

NORTHEAST: A chance for a wintry mix of precipitation with snow and freezing drizzle will occur through midnight then end.  Skies will remain cloudy.  Low temperatures will fall to the low-teens after the passage of the front.  A north wind will blow between 5 and 15 mph, creating wind chill values between 0 and 5 degrees.  On Wednesday, partly cloudy skies can be expected with highs rising to the upper-teens.  A north wind will blow between 10 and 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.  Therefore, wind chill values will be between -5 and 0 degrees.

ALERTS IN EFFECT: WIND CHILL ADVISORY

SOUTHEAST: Widespread fog in parts of the region will clear later this evening.  Skies will be mostly cloudy through Wednesday across all of the region.  Lows tonight for extreme southeastern Oklahoma will fall to the mid-20s, with highs on Wednesday rising to the mid-30s.  For the rest of the region, lows tonight will drop to the mid-to-upper-teens, with highs on Wednesday rising to the mid-20s.  A north wind will blow between 10 and 15 mph across the region, with gusts up to 20 mph.  Wind chill values will generally be between 5 and 10 degrees.

ALERTS IN EFFECT: WIND CHILL ADVISORY (excludes counties farther south)

It will be absolutely imperative to dress warmly over the next couple of days. This arctic air, combined with strong winds, is very dangerous to exposed skin!

AC

Forecasts based on the National Weather Service.  Please visit NWS Amarillo (OK panhandle), NWS Norman (central/western OK), and NWS Tulsa (eastern OK) for additional up-to-date details.

Additional Sources: OK Mesonet (alert graphic), Google Images (photo)