Chance for scattered showers this weekend
Strong southwest winds of 15 to 35 mph returned on Friday before switching from the northwest as a weak front crosses the area from midday to afternoon.
What is the weather like on Friday?
Red flag warnings expire for most locations across the region at 7 p.m.
By Saturday morning, winds will return from the south ahead of a stronger upper-level system expected to brush the Central Plains states Saturday night into Sunday morning.
This will bring gusty southeast winds back across the area on Saturday with increasing humidity during this period.
Any storm chances for the weekend?
Low-level moisture will move back into eastern Oklahoma from North Texas by Saturday evening, bringing a chance for scattered showers or thunderstorms late Saturday night into the pre-dawn hours of Sunday, mainly near and east of the Highway 69 corridor.
Higher probabilities for storms may extend across extreme northeastern Oklahoma, southern Kansas, northwestern Arkansas, and southwestern Missouri.
If storms do develop, some could be strong to severe, with hail and damaging winds as the primary threats.
As the system approaches, a surface area of low pressure is likely to develop across northwestern Oklahoma by Saturday afternoon.
As this feature strengthens, southeast winds will increase to 15 to 30 mph bringing low-level moisture up and into the developing system.
Most data suggests that a quasi-warm frontal boundary will begin lifting northward late Saturday night, possibly reaching or slightly north of the Tulsa metro area by predawn Sunday.
Most of the storms are expected to be elevated in nature along and north of this boundary. Most of these should be along the Oklahoma-Kansas state line region and areas mentioned above.
What happens on Sunday?
The cold front will move southward Sunday morning through midday, bringing gusty northwest winds and lower humidity to Green Country.
After early Sunday morning, when a few spotty showers or storms may still linger across east-central Oklahoma, the focus for additional thunderstorms will shift south and east of the area.
Regions like the Red River Valley, the Arkansas-Louisiana-texas area, and parts of North Texas could see further storm activity.
Gusting northwest winds of 15 to 30 mph will again raise fire spread concerns Sunday afternoon.
What is the outlook for next week?
A new upper-level flow may briefly come from the northwest for a few days early next week.
A weak disturbance is likely to trigger a few storms on Wednesday and Thursday but may stay slightly west of our immediate areas.
We’ll continue to carry low probabilities for this period until confidence arrives regarding the exact solution.
The Forecast by the Numbers
Friday's highs will reach the lower 70s under a mix of sunshine and clouds early today and mostly sunny by afternoon.
Gusty southwest winds are likely from 20 to 35 mph through midday before becoming from the northwest by afternoon and evening.
Saturday will be warmer, with afternoon highs in the upper 70s to lower 80s with gusty southeast winds from 15 to 25 mph.
Sunday morning temperatures will start in the upper 50s, with daytime highs in the lower 70s.
Early next week, we can expect highs in the lower 70s on Monday, near 80 on Tuesday, and mid-70s on Wednesday.
Storm chances will remain at 20% for late Saturday night into pre-dawn Sunday, and 30% by next Wednesday.
These probabilities may change slightly over the weekend so check back for updates.
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Welcome to Spring!
The astronomical start of spring, the vernal equinox, happened Thursday morning at 4:01 a.m. in the Northern Hemisphere. Meteorological spring, however, is considered to begin on March 1st.
What is the Equinox?
The equinox occurs twice a year, in March and September, when the Earth’s axis is positioned so that the sun’s rays shine directly on the equator. This creates a moment when day and night are nearly the same length all over the world. The word “equinox” comes from the Latin words aequus (meaning equal) and nox (meaning night).
- Sun’s Position: On the equinox, the sun rises roughly in the east and sets roughly in the west for most locations. This happens because the Earth’s axis is oriented in such a way that its tilt doesn’t favor either hemisphere, allowing the sun’s rays to strike the equator directly.
- Day and Night Equality: In most places on Earth, the equinox brings a near-perfect balance of 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of night. However, due to atmospheric refraction, the daylight can be a bit longer than 12 hours.
- Seasonal Shift: The vernal equinox marks the beginning of spring in the Northern Hemisphere and autumn in the Southern Hemisphere. It’s the point when the days begin to get longer than the nights, ushering in warmer weather.
See related stories:
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🔗Oklahoma Forestry Service prepares firefighters for potential wildfire threats
🔗How to protect your home from wildfires: Tips from experts
🔗Oklahoma fire danger: How rural fire departments prepare for days of extreme danger
🔗Red Cross shares tips for preparing wildfires
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:
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