Expect a Rainy Weekend Before Spring Break

Although right now temperatures are warm and pleasant, expect a rainy weekend (especially Saturday) before spring break. Currently temperatures are in the mid to upper 60's for most of the state, with low 70's along areas near highway 44. This is caused by a cold front moving in through the state from the northwest, which is now closing in on the central part of the state. There are some high winds in the western part of the state, which will help contribute towards today's fire danger. There are some patchy clouds in the southeast, as well as the southwest, but as of now most of the state is seeing clear skies.




Tonight, no precipitation is expected, at least until early Saturday. Oklahoma will see increasing clouds as the night goes on, which will result in temperatures in the low 50's in the southern part of the state, with the temperatures decreasing to the low 40's as you move northward.

Saturday: 

Panhandle: The panhandle will be dry, partly to mostly cloudy, with temperatures in the low to mid 60's. No precipitation is expected, maybe chances of 10-20% in the eastern part of the panhandle.

Northwest: The northwest part of the state in the Woodward area will see a 40-50% chance of rain, with increasing chances the more eastward you go. Rain will start to cease late afternoon to early evening, with rain lingering longer the more east you go. Temperatures are expected to be in the mid 60's.

Southwest: The southwest portion of the state near Altus and Lawton will see rain chances around 60-80%, with increasing chances the more eastward you go. Rain will cease from the area late evening. Temperatures will be in the low to mid 60's.

Southeast: The southeast part of the state near Hugo and McAlester will have a 70-80% chance of precipitation, with increasing chances towards the south central part of the state. Rain will start in the early afternoon and will continue overnight Saturday. Temperatures will be in the mid 60's.

Northeast: The northeast region near Tulsa will have a 70-80% chance of precipitation, with rain starting much later in the day, probably late afternoon, and continuing into Sunday. Temperatures will be in the mid to upper 60's, a little bit warmer than the rest of the state due to clouds not building up in the region until later in the day.

Central: The central, OKC region will see a 60-80% likelihood of rain, with very high chances in the south central and southeast, around 80-90% in the Ardmore and Durant area. Rain will start mid morning, a little later than the western part of the state, and will cease overnight Saturday, possibly into Sunday morning. Temperatures will be in the mid 60's.

For Sunday rain will completely cease west of I-35 going into Sunday, and east of it the rain will start to dissipate early in the morning. For Central Oklahoma rain chances will be around 30-40% for Sunday morning, while the east part of the state and the Tulsa region will see chances around 40-60% early Sunday, ending before Noon. The western half of the state will see clear skies for most of the day, while the eastern half will see decreasingly cloudy skies as the rain moves out of the state. The west half of the state will see slightly warmer temperatures as a result, with high's in the upper 40's to low 50's. From the north central to south central portion of the state, temperatures will be cooler; in the low 40's, getting slightly warmer in the mid 40's as you travel further south. Most of the east half of the state will see temperatures in the upper 40's, with some extremes in the very northeast corner (high in the low 40's) and the very southeast corner (high's in the low 50's).

From early Saturday to early Sunday, some areas of the state will see much greater rainfall accumulations than the rest of the state. As you can see from the map, the northeast part of the state will see much more rainfall accumulation, due to that part of the state seeing longer durations of precipitation. Most of the state will see just rainfall, but there is the possibility of a rumble of thunder or two throughout the state.

After the front moves through the state, and the skies clear for Sunday night, it will bring freezing temperatures early Monday. Monday will see low's in the upper 20's for the west and central parts of the state, while the rest of the state will see temperatures in the low 30's. Fortunately the precipitation should be completely out of the area, and the streets will be dry by Sunday morning, so there is no concern for driving conditions at this point. Monday should see clear skies, which will allow for some warming across the state. Temperatures will be warmer the more west you travel, so areas like the panhandle, Clinton, and Altus will see high temperatures in the low 70's, central regions will see low 60's, and out east from Tulsa to Hugo temperatures will be in the upper 50's.

The rest of the week should see fairly clear skies, and will see some pleasant afternoons for spring break. Tuesday will see highs from the mid 60's in the north, to the low 70's in the south. Wednesday will see mostly highs in the low 60's and the rest of the week, at this point, is looking like it will be about the same.

From everyone here at the Oklahoma Weather Lab, thanks for reading and have a great spring break!

- CO, TH

Sources: NWS, Mesonet,