Rain Ending, Big Warm-Up On The Way.

Mighty short thermometer today with morning lows generally near 50 and daytime highs not much above that for here in E OK.  However, as you can see that cooler air has struggled to make it through far SE OK which has been much warmer all day.  I point that out because after the current system moves on by later tonight and on Friday, very warm air is not too far away and will be quickly returning in time for the weekend.

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For tonight, look for temperatures to be holding steady along with the cloudy skies and occasional periods of light rain or drizzle.  That means we will still be in the 50s to start the day Friday, but our winds will be returning to a more SE direction by morning and more southerly by afternoon.  Gusty southerly winds will be the general rule for the weekend into early next week until the next front arrives later on Tuesday.

As a result, temperatures will take a big swing upward in the days ahead and after tonight, not much in the way of any additional shower activity.  Some lingering light rain or a few showers/drizzle will be possible through the morning hours, primarily for the more E/SE counties but we expect to be dry for the afternoon and evening.  Cloudy skies will persist through the mid part of the day but we should start to see some sunshine during the afternoon hours and lots of sunshine for the weekend. 

With at least some sunshine, daytime highs should reach the mid 70s which is pretty close to normal.  However, the following days will see temperatures really soaring with daytime highs well into the 80s on Saturday and near 90 on Sunday and Monday.  Those Sunday/Monday temperatures will be close to record levels; in fact, the record on Monday is 90 and we are currently forecasting temperatures at or above that level as you can see on our forecast page.

If we have more cloud cover than is currently anticipated, then we may not reach those near record levels, but right now it sure looks to be sunny, windy, and very warm; or should I say hot.  After all, 90 in October is about 15 degrees above normal.

Looking into next week, a cool front should be arriving late in the day Tuesday shifting our winds back to northerly.  But, this system does not appear to have much moisture to work with so little or no mention of rain for either Tuesday or the following days for that matter.  As you can see on the 7 day QPF, we are pretty much high and dry as the moisture that is shown is due to the system we are currently dealing with.

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Also, this looks to be a relatively weak system so temperatures will only be knocked back to near normal for Wednesday.  Thursday into the day Friday will likely be a bit cooler before things start warming up again going into that following weekend.

In fact, looking further down the road, the 8-14 day outlook continues to suggest above normal temperatures through that period which would most likely translate to daytime highs holding around 80 and overnight lows well into the 50s or perhaps even low 60s.   Also, the longer range guidance has now trended back to below normal on its precipitation signal.

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So, stay tuned and check back for updates.

Dick Faurot