Weather Blog: Summer Makes A Comeback With Near-Record Highs

What is today's forecast?

South winds return today with speeds from 10 to 20 mph. The combination of gusty winds and the dry lower levels of the atmosphere will lead to higher fire spread rates this afternoon.

Temperatures will also be higher compared to yesterday. After morning lows in the upper 50s to lower 60s, daytime highs are expected to reach the lower 90s to mid-90s near the Tulsa metro area. Some locations will be nearing daily record highs.

What is the forecast for Friday and the weekend?

The upper-level airflow is currently zonal, moving from west to east across the far northern United States and southern Canada. This pattern will shift tonight and early tomorrow, allowing a weak surface boundary to move southward on Friday.

This front is expected to reach northern Oklahoma Friday morning to midday before stalling or dissipating by the afternoon. Winds will briefly shift from the north on Friday across the northern third of the state, then return from the south by Friday evening.

Friday morning lows will be in the lower 60s with daytime highs anticipated in the lower 90s.

The weekend will start with morning lows in the lower 60s and daytime highs on Saturday in the lower to mid-90s, well above seasonal averages.

A strong shortwave will move across the northern region of the country on Sunday and Monday bringing another surface front into northern Oklahoma by Sunday afternoon or evening. This will usher in more fall-like weather for the early part of next week.

Temperatures on Monday morning will begin in the mid-50s and rise to highs in the lower 80s. Tuesday morning will see another brisk start with lows in the upper 40s to lower 50s, leading to daytime highs in the lower to mid-80s.

The forecast for at least the next seven days, and possibly the next 10, offers no measurable precipitation for the eastern third of the state. Pattern recognition suggests the potential for the flow to strengthen and shift southward from October 12th to the 15th.

With this anticipated pattern change, there could be an opportunity to introduce some chances of showers and storms during this period with a surge of true fall temperatures. In the short term, however, the drying conditions are expected to fuel the drought situation.

Football Gametime Weather:

Friday Night Football games will kick off with temperatures in the mid or upper 80s and finish with game time temperatures into the mid-70s.

The University of Tulsa welcomes the Army Black Knights to H.A. Chapman Stadium on Saturday. Tailgating temperatures will be in the 70s, with kickoff temperatures near 80. As the game progresses, expect temperatures to climb to slightly above 90 by the fourth quarter.

The Oklahoma State Cowboys are set to host the West Virginia Mountaineers in Stillwater for a Saturday afternoon game. Tailgating temperatures will reach the mid-80s by midmorning, with kickoff temperatures expected in the lower 90s.

The University of Oklahoma Sooners are on a bye week. Their next game is the upcoming weekend's Red River Showdown against the University of Texas.

What are the major traffic projects around Tulsa this week?

The Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT) and Oklahoma Turnpike Authority (OTA) provide daily details on several traffic advisories for the Tulsa area and surrounding regions.

To start October, here are some of the significant traffic advisories. For more information, see our detailed list.

I-244 Pavement Rehabilitation

1. Ongoing pavement work between I-44 and the Arkansas River bridge, with lane and ramp closures lasting through spring 2025.

US-75 Bridge Rehabilitation

1. Lane closures at 7th St. and off-ramp closures to 7th St. through fall 2024 for bridge rehabilitation.

US-412 Bridge Rehabilitation

1. US-412 narrowed to two lanes at 81st W. Ave. in Sand Springs through February 2025.

Turnpike Ramp Closures

1. Nightly ramp closures on the Will Rogers Turnpike for cashless tolling construction through Saturday.

Emergency Info: Outages Across Oklahoma:

Northeast Oklahoma has various power companies and electric cooperatives, many of which have overlapping areas of coverage. Below is a link to various outage maps.

PSO Outage Map

OG&E Outage Map

VVEC Outage Map

Indian Electric Cooperative (IEC) Outage Map

Oklahoma Association of Electric Cooperatives Outage Map — (Note Several Smaller Co-ops Included)

The Alan Crone morning weather podcast link from Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/show/0dCHRWMFjs4fEPKLqTLjvy

The Alan Crone morning weather podcast link from Apple:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/weather-out-the-door/id1499556141?i=1000671646905

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