The Week Ahead: Rain, Cooler Temperatures

Extreme summer heat will be coming to an end as early as tomorrow for most of the state as a strong cold front associated with a trough pushes southward into Oklahoma.  Today was nothing short of a scorcher as highs in the 100s stretched across parts of southwest and central Oklahoma. Oklahoma City, however, did not reach the century mark today.  The official high at the airport was 99 degrees, meaning that the city still has not reached 100 degrees so far this year.  The average first day for Oklahoma City to reach 100 degrees is July 9.  Despite Oklahoma City not reaching 100, surrounding cities in the central Oklahoma area did.  According to the Oklahoma Mesonet, Kingfisher reached a high of 100 degrees, with Norman, Shawnee, and Guthrie reaching a high of 101 degrees.  More triple digit heat will not be expected in at least the next week across these regions due to the approaching cold front.  Temperatures will be anywhere between 10 to 20 degrees below average!

Strong Cold Front to Usher in Cooler Air Next Week

News has quickly been spreading about an upper-level trough that will bring unusually cool air to the Plains and Midwest next week.  What you're hearing is true.  A strong cold front as a result of the trough will bring a major temperature swing from this weekend into the middle of next week as very warm summer-like temperatures turn into those reminiscent of early fall across Oklahoma and range 10 to 20 degrees below normal.  Some areas could even flirt with some record lows on a couple mornings.  It's a good thing this cold front is happening during the summer; a similar pattern setup during the winter would likely bring a winter storm and a prolonged period of below-freezing temperatures to much of the state.  Luckily, we're still a few months away from something like this happening.

Storms to Follow Intense Heat

We're now a week into the summer season, and the heat is on.  Though daytime highs in most cases have actually been near or below normal, hot and humid conditions are leading to heat indices well into the 90s and 100s.  This hot weather will continue for another day before a couple of rounds of thunderstorms roll through Monday night into Tuesday and then Tuesday afternoon and evening into Wednesday and further drop the high temperatures.

Storms Firing, Severe Thunderstorm Watch Issued

A line of severe thunderstorms which formed across the Oklahoma and Texas panhandles earlier this evening is currently expanding across northwestern Oklahoma.  These storms are moving east at 45 mph and have a history of producing 70 mph wind gusts and quarter-size hail.  The storms will continue to push eastward with additional development likely farther towards the south.  We are also watching a line of storms in central Kansas that will extend farther south and move into northeastern Oklahoma later tonight.  These storms have a history of producing 60 to 70 mph wind gusts and quarter-size hail.  A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH has been issued by the Storm Prediction Center covering central, north central, and northwestern Oklahoma through 4:00 AM CDT Thursday.  Please be weather aware.

Potential for Severe Weather Wednesday, Thursday

A low pressure system and a cold front will push across Oklahoma Wednesday evening and overnight.  We will also see a dryline develop across west Texas.  This setup will fuel the development of strong to severe thunderstorms beginning Wednesday evening across western Oklahoma and lasting overnight for the rest of the state as the storms push eastward.  Please be weather aware during this time period.

More Severe Storms Expected Tonight, Tomorrow Night

A front that has been stalling out across Oklahoma is responsible for two rounds of strong to severe thunderstorms that occurred Thursday night into Friday morning and then Friday night into Saturday morning.  As this front will hang around for the next couple of days, we will continue to see a similar situation in which a large complex of storms forms across western Oklahoma and pushes eastward.  Threats from such a set-up include damaging wind gusts and large hail.  However, we cannot rule out a few embedded tornadoes in this line of storms.  In addition, some of the storms could produce heavy rainfall exceeding 2 inches.  This will lead to flash flooding and will be extremely dangerous.  We urge you to remember your flood safety tips, especially if you have travel plans tonight.  Turn around, don't drown!

Severe Weather Possible Over Next Several Days

May was an unusually quiet month for Oklahoma in terms of severe weather, but it looks like June may be picking up on some of the slack. Beginning tomorrow and lasting through the beginning of next week, parts of Oklahoma are at a risk for severe thunderstorms.  The severe threat shifts each day and covers different parts of the state, but as of right now it looks like northern Oklahoma is the primary target zone for this multi-day severe threat.