Our Hopes For Rain Next Week

Some similarities exist between the synoptic (large-scale) weather pattern next week, and the weather setup which brought rain to the state back on Jan. 9 & 10. The jetstream appears to have a split presentation with the Subtropical Jetstream bringing Pacific moisture across the Central and Southern Plains Jan. 29 & 30, while the Polar Jetstream plunges southward across the Intermountain West. 

At this time, an upper-low will be developing and moving out of the SW U.S. and into the Plains. The combination of lift from the upper-low, and the increased moisture being fed into the system from the Subtropical Jet, will hopefully result in some rain across Oklahoma. Colder air rushing in behind the upper-low may make it in time to change some of the precipitation over to a winter mix.

One caveat - and it's a big one; it's a week away and the track/timing/intensity will likely be adjusted! For instance, if the western U.S. ridge holds strong leading up to next Tuesday and Wednesday, the upper-low will be more open and move faster across the area leading to less precipitation amounts.

Just something to keep an eye on...