Back to School: A Hot, Dry Week Ahead

While "summer" in the sense of being free from school and classwork may be coming to a close, the season of "summer" is not.  We're expecting a typical summerlike week for back to school, with mainly sunny skies and high temperatures reaching the middle to upper 90s and even the lower 100s across the state.  With higher humidity levels, heat indices may reach the lower to middle 100s.  Make sure to take it easy this week if heading outdoors.

Weekly Outlook
Through Tuesday, daytime high temperatures will soar to the lower 100s across all of western Oklahoma and the panhandle.  Central Oklahoma will see highs reaching the upper 90s but flirting with the triple-digit mark, while eastern Oklahoma sees highs top out in the middle to upper 90s.  Heat indices for the next couple of days will reach the lower to middle 100s, especially across central Oklahoma.  Now is a good time to remember your heat safety tips:

HEAT SAFETY TIPS
Adapted from the National Weather Service

• Limit outdoor activities during the day, especially those that are strenuous.
• If possible, stay out of the sun.   Otherwise, take short, frequent breaks in the shade or in an air-conditioned environment.
• Move outdoor work to morning/evening hours.
• Stay hydrated; drink lots of water
• Wear lightweight, light-colored clothing.
• Wear sunscreen if outdoors.
• Do not leave pets, children, or elderly inside a parked vehicle!

On Wednesday, the 100s will be confined to southwest Oklahoma while the rest of the state sees highs in the middle to upper 90s.  Thursday will bring a brief break from the triple-digits across all of the state, but highs will still reach the middle to upper 90s, with heat indices reaching the lower 100s.  On Friday, triple-digit heat returns to the southwest, while highs remain in the middle to upper 90s elsewhere.

With overnight lows falling only to the lower to middle 70s, heat relief will not even be major during the nighttime hours.  If you want to see cooler lows, travel to the panhandle, where temperatures may fall to the lower to middle 60s.

Update on the 100s

For most of us, this summer has been rather mild in the sense that we've seen little to no triple-digit days so far.  The Mesonet map to the right shows the number of triple-digit days reported at all the observation sites so far this year, and it is clear to see that southwest Oklahoma as well as portions of the panhandle have seen the hottest temperatures of the summer so far, with central Oklahoma seeing a few sporadic 100s and much of eastern Oklahoma seeing temperatures that have not yet reached the century mark.  More statistics on how Oklahoma City and Tulsa are faring on triple-digit days this year compared to in years past is shown below.

AC

Sources: NWS, Mesonet