Thursday Morning Update

Good morning.  We're once again looking at some patchy and freezing fog issues across part of the state this morning, including the Tulsa metro.  Freezing fog is fog that freezes on contact with elevated surfaces and bridges.  This could produce a few spots of ice this morning on bridges and overpasses.  The fog and low clouds will attempt to mix out by the late morning hours.  South winds will be increasing speeds during the next 24 hours and we'll not have the fog issues Friday or Saturday morning. A freezing fog advisory is currently posted for most of eastern OK until 11am this morning.  Consequently, the RAP indicates the low clouds will start to thin out around the 11am to noon hour.  Some of the point soundings indicate the moisture is very shallow and this could allow the clouds to break up before the noon hour, but only time will tell for sure.  We should have some sunshine later this afternoon with highs approaching the 49 degree mark with light southwest winds.   

The remainder of the forecast is mostly centered on temperatures.  The daytime highs should move into the upper 40s and lower 50s today with some sunshine by afternoon.  Friday slightly stronger southwest winds from 10 to 18 mph will signal a robust warm up into Saturday afternoon when temperatures will move well above the seasonal average.  The Friday afternoon high in the lower 50s will be followed by Saturday readings nearing 60.  

Another strong cold front will move across the state pre-dawn Sunday morning with a few snow flurries and north winds.  Temperatures will more than likely remain in the 30s Sunday and Monday for daytime highs followed by a quick warm up Tuesday and Wednesday.   

The extended data support another major arctic air invasion by the middle to end of next week with some locations across the Midwestern and NE portion of the county experiencing the coldest air of the winter season to date.  The question remains regarding whether the cold air will move into the southern Kansas and northern OK vicinity.  A few models runs earlier this week brought the air mass directly into the region but the last 3 runs indicate most of it will remain to the northeast.  If this air mass does arrive it would be for the latter half of next week and we still have plenty of time to figure out the issues!  But the confidence is high that this arctic air will move across the Midwestern and northeastern part of the nation.

The official high in Tulsa yesterday was 41 recorded at 3:59pm.

The normal daily average high is 47 and the low is 28.

The daily records include a high of 76 from 2008 and a low of 9 from 1914. 

You'll find me on Facebook and Twitter. 

I'll be discussing the forecast on numerous Radio Oklahoma News Network affiliates across the state through the noon hour. 

Thanks for reading the Thursday Morning Weather discussion and blog.  

Have a super great day! 

Alan Crone

KOTV