Staying Mild, Getting Wetter November 30, 2007

It was a cold start to the morning, but sunshine helped get us back to the 50s area wide today. Skies are becoming increasingly cloudy this evening ahead of our next storm system.

Light rain/drizzle is breaking out in the southwest part of the state, and there is a small chance for some light rain in the metro through tomorrow morning. The brunt of this system won’t get here until Friday night.

More widespread rain/drizzle is expected late Friday night through Saturday. While the rain shouldn’t be heavy, it could be fairly persistent. A warm front lifting through the state Friday night will help keep temperatures mild, and well above freezing. There is a small window of opportunity from Guymon to Woodward to Medford Friday evening for the rain to mix with freezing rain. I emphasis this is a small chance, but we could see some slick spots on roads up there.

Rusty

A Few Thoughts… November 29, 2007

I am taking the day off today and tomorrow, but I still spend some time getting in touch with the weather. My Hardcore Weather video talks about what to expect over the course of the next week, so check that out.

We’ll have a nice afternoon, although southerly winds will increase to 10-20 mph.

Expect more clouds tomorrow and a slight chance of a shower or two developing as a weak cold front slips into the state. Highs will be in the low 50s with a northeast wind of 10-15 mph.

There will be a higher chance of some light rain tomorrow night into Saturday. Temperatures will be above freezing across southern and central Oklahoma so just plain rain is expected. In the north, there may be a few hours late Friday night into Saturday morning where temperatures will be around freezing and some freezing rain will be possible. Temperatures will climb quickly by mid morning eliminating any ice problems. In fact afternoon temperatures will easily be into the 50s, and perhaps the 60s. One thing is certain, Saturday will be windy with southerly winds gusting over 30 mph.

Sunday looks mostly dry with highs in the 50s. Much of next week will be dry. The week will start mild with highs in the 60s. A cold front will bring a drop in temperatures Wednesday or Thursday, with maybe some precip Friday.

So what does Rick Mitchell do on his day off? Well I just finished cleaning the bathroom. The back yard is next. I have two dogs…..you follow me here….real glamorous stuff.

Rick

Windy Morning and Weekend Changes November 28, 2007

Did the wind wake you up this morning? It woke me up, twice! It was quite strong just after midnight here in the metro. Here are some of the winds gusts since midnight from our live neighborhood network:
KOCO 49mph
OCCC 41 mph
Quail Springs Mall 39mph
Crossroads Mall 40mph
Norman Transcript 36mph

I’ve got good news for the weekend as well. It looks like the next front that will arrive late on Friday will be weaker than first expected, with not as cold air behind it. It still looks like there’s a decent chance for rain on Saturday, but highs should stay in the 50s. But really, how many people will be outside by 7pm on Saturday anyway? well, if you’re one of them, the weather looks decent.

Rusty

Cold Front Moving Through Today November 28, 2007

A cold front is moving across the state today. Winds are gusty both ahead of and behind the front. It will be through the OKC metro shortly after lunch. Wind will become northerly, gusting over 30 mph, and temperatures will fall through the 50s. No rain is expected with the front.

The cold air that I had been worried about for this weekend now looks like it will stay mostly north of us. We’ll still have the chance for some light rain Friday night and Saturday, but temperatures will be too warm for any snow or ice.

There will be another cold front on Sunday, but temperatures will remain close to normal with highs in the low 50s. Next week should be a little milder as the coldest air will be well to our northeast.

The link to Hardcore Weather is now on the KOCO homepage on the top left. A link to this blog is there as well. We’re just trying to make it a little easier for you to get your weather information.

Rick

A Tough Forecast Ahead November 27, 2007

It seems like there’s always a tough forecast on the horizon. That’s certainly the case for me today. The toughest part will be this weekend.

Tomorrow will be mild, despite a cold front that will move across the state. The front will be dry, but winds will gust over 30 mph behind it. It should move through central OKC by early afternoon. State highs will be in the 50s and 60s.

Friday will be dry and a little cooler, but still nice with highs in the 50s.

What makes the weekend forecast so difficult is a large batch of cold air that drops south from Canada. The models are handling the situation rather poorly with some of them bringing in the cold air, while others shove most of it northeast, while others bring it in briefly and then move it back north by Sunday.

I’m going with a scenario that brings in a shot of cooler air Friday night and Saturday, along with some rain. Right now, I’ll say it will be all rain around here, with a chance of a wintry mix farther north. Of course, if the cold air comes down here in full force, the precip could be sleet, snow or ice farther south.

Most of the rain will be gone by Sunday with temperatures moderating a bit into the 50s. Another shot of colder air comes in on Monday with highs in the 40s.

I’ll tell you right now, this is going to change a bunch before the weekend arrives, so stay up to date with the forecast. In a worst case, we could have wintry precip Friday night into Saturday. The best case would see just plain rain on Saturday, and Sunday’s temps in the 60s.

Here’s the forecast for San Antonio for the Big 12 Championship game:

Friday…..Dry. High 72.
Saturday….Showers. High 73.
Sunday…..Showers. High 73.

Rick

Too warm to snow? November 26, 2007

We had some interesting weather this past weekend. Many parts of the state saw snow for the first time this season while surface temperatures were above freezing.
I saw light snow in Norman at the Bedlam game on Saturday while temperatures were in the mid to upper 30s!

So how can snow fall when air temperatures are above that 32 degree mark?
- Snow comes from higher in the atmosphere where temperatures are well below freezing.
- The snow may not have enough time to melt before reaching the ground.
- Large clumps of snow take even longer to melt.
- Dry surface conditions cause the snow flake to evaporate as it falls. The evaporation process keeps the air immediately around the flake cold enough keep the snow from melting. This is called evaporational cooling.
- Calm winds also give snow a better chance of reaching the ground.

Of course freezing temperatures ensure the best chance for snow, but given the right conditions we can still see the white stuff with temperatures up to around 40 degrees!
Stay tuned to news 5 for all the latest as we head into the winter season.

-Alek Krautmann
Weather Intern

Tranquil Weather Ahead November 26, 2007

After the slick morning commute, skies quickly cleared and temperatures have steadily climbed. We’re in the mid 40s at noon, and should easily climb to the low 50s most locations.

You can goodbye to the winter weather for the rest of the work week as warmer air will be with us. I don’t think we’ll see a chance for precip until the weekend when another storm system moves through the plains. It looks like the brunt of the cold air with that system will miss us north, so temperatures should only drop into the 40s, but it will be a chilly weekend ahead.

Rusty

Some Rain & Snow Tonight November 25, 2007

Here’s an update on the storm system that will affect Oklahoma tonight. Rain will move through the southeast two thirds of the state tonight.

Temperatures will only be marginally cold enough for wet snow along and northwest of I-44. Because of this, accumulations will be rather light, and widespread travel problems are not expected. The highest snow amounts will be an inch or two in the southwest, with an inch or so possible in central through northeast Oklahoma by Monday morning.

The rain and snow will move out of the state by mid morning tomorrow. Sunshine will return with highs in the lower 50s for the afternoon.

Tuesday and Wednesday will be dry and a little milder with highs in the 50s and 60s.

Temperatures will cool back into the low 50s for Thursday and Friday. Next weekend will be chilly with highs in the 40s and a chance of showers.

Rick

Snow is Coming! November 25, 2007

Hello everyone,

OK, here’s the deal. Chances of rain will be increasing this afternoon here in Central Oklahoma. This storm system will be coming from the Southwest. So rain will change to snow in Southwest Oklahoma first then spread Northeast toward the Metro.

It will start as rain then chance to a rain/snow mix late this afternoon and evening then change to all snow after 10pm tonight. While you are sleeping the snow will most likely accumulate 1 to 2 inches here in the Metro. There could be a rogue 3 inch amount but most of these accumulations will be on grassy surfaces.

Make sure you watch those bridges and overpasses especially for the Monday morning drive-time. You may need this website to help with your travel today and drive-time Monday:

http://www.dps.state.ok.us/cgi-bin/weathermap.cgi

Stay tuned to Rick Mitchell this evening he will have the latest.

Take care, stay safe and enjoy the snow!

Prof. Steve Carano
KOCO Meteorologist

Light Snow In The State November 23, 2007

Some light snow is falling in the panhandle right now, with clouds increasing from west to east across the rest of Oklahoma. The snow will stay in the panhandle and northwest the rest of the day with a few inches possible, mainly in the panhandle.

For OKC, the afternoon will be cloudy and cold with temperatures in the low 40s.

Some of the light snow in the northwest today may spread into north central Oklahoma tonight, but little if any accumulation is expected.

A storm system will move across Texas over the weekend. This storm will produce rain across Texas on Saturday, with a few showers possibly making their way into the southern half of Oklahoma. I still believe the rain chance in central Oklahoma is pretty low on Saturday.

Saturday night into Sunday, the storm system will move northeast across Texas. This will spread rain farther north into Oklahoma. Some snow may mix in Saturday night, but much of the precipitation looks to be rain. On the back side of the storm, some snow will once again be possible Sunday night into Monday morning.

This is one of those storms that does not look ominous right now, but someone could end up with accumulating snow. It’s just too early to tell where that could be.

For OKC, I’ll have a low chance of showers tomorrow, but much of the day will be dry. I also believe that what we see on Sunday will be mainly rain. But hey, things can change.

The storm moves east away from Oklahoma on Monday so drier weather is expected. Highs will be a little warmer in the 50s.

Tuesday will be dry with highs in the 50s.

The next storm will affect the state Wednesday into Thursday with a chance of showers and some colder weather.

Rick