Morning Storms

The storm system that formed early this morning in northwestern OK moved eastward and survived the trip into the Tulsa metro.  Scattered showers and storms will remain for the next few hours across eastern and far southeastern OK as the complex continues to move eastward with time.

Afternoon highs will be tricky behind the system, but some clearing is taking place across western OK.  The clouds across eastern Ok will also begin to " thin out" later today and temperatures will start the climb back into the 80s.  Our high for today has been set at 92 earlier this morning, but we may adjust the high down a few degrees, but not too much.  Other locations across the northern part of the state will stay in the upper 80s for the afternoon with northeast winds shifting to the southeast later this evening.

The upper air flow will continue to provide a chance for additional showers and storms to form later this evening off the Front Range of the Rockies and move east to southeast with time.  These storms will form a MCS or a complex of storm activity that will have a chance to slide across southern Kansas and possibly northeastern OK by Wednesday morning.

The mid level ridge is expected to crank back up over the southern plains Wednesday evening into Thursday bringing our respite from the heat to an end.  Triple digit weather is expected for afternoon highs Thursday through Saturday.

The EURO model is attempting to bring some energy from the Gulf of Mexico into the southern plains this weekend and effectively splitting the ridge into two pieces creating a chance for some scattered showers and storms Sunday and Monday.  I have mentioned this probability on the air today, but we haven't made any major changes to the extended forecast at this point.  We may be adding a slight chance of storms Sunday and Monday while bringing the temps down a notch during subsequent forecast cycles.  

Next:

A visit to the Blue River near Tishomingo has resulted in about a million and 1 chigger bites.  We spent Friday and Saturday on the river located east and northeast of Tishomingo with some good friends from Texas.  The Blue is a beautiful river with two seasons of fishing including a warm season with the normal fish one would expect along with the cold season including trout.  Yes, trout.  Trout are introduced every year into the river and every year a lot of folk's fly- fish the Blue for trout during the cold months.  I have never fly fished in my life, but I do understand the attraction of using light tackle to land such a fish.

We didn't do any fishing but did spend quality time floating down the river on tubes and grilling some mighty good food.  The copperheads and cottonmouths were a little thick, but as always, if you watch where you are walking, everything works out just fine.

Let me encourage you to check out the Blue River.  It's about 2 1/2 hours from Tulsa.

If you go, be sure and take precautions against the chiggers.  Goodness. They must love me. 

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