Hot Again Thursday, Rain Likely by Friday.

Another hot one today as you can see by the max/min temperature map on the right, courtesy of the OK Mesonet. At least most locations managed to avoid triple digits, even in the western counties where clouds were thicker along with some more widespread rainfall. But the combination of heat and humidity, or the heat index, was still near triple digits for most of us as the second map shows. Fortunately, this late summer heat wave will be tapering off in the days ahead as the system which has produced some good rains in the western part of the state will be slowly moving on eastward.

Speaking of which, notice the 3rd map on the right which has the statewide rainfall over the last two weeks, again courtesy of the OK Mesonet. NW OK and into the Panhandle have picked up some nice rains, most of which has fallen in the last couple of days and has even produced some localized run-off issues. However, with only a few exceptions, E OK has missed out for the most part and it is getting dry and the vegetation is getting stressed again.

So, as that rainmaker comes our way it will have the potential to produce some decent rains across the rest of the state as well. This will likely be starting after midnight Thursday night as it moves east ward and then off and on throughout much of the day Friday and into Friday night. A few lingering showers/storms will be possible into the day Saturday but right now Sunday and Monday look to be dry. By the way, this does not appear to be a severe weather scenario. This all means that with the possible exception of Saturday, the Labor Day weekend should be looking good for outdoor activities.

Another system will be approaching as we go into Tue/Wed with another chance of showers/storms by then. The bottom line as far as rainfall is concerned is shown on the 7 day QPF map, also on the right. If this verifies, an inch or more of badly needed rainfall should have fallen by the end of that period. As always, keep in mind this is an areal average which means some localized much heavier amounts will also be possible.

Temperatures on Thursday will be back into the mid 90s under partly sunny skies and a light SE wind. Heat index values will likely be close to triple digits once again, but the clouds and more widespread showers/storms on Friday will hold temperatures into the mid 80s. Highs on Saturday will also be in the 80s to near 90, then back into the 90s for Sunday and Monday. At least no more triple digits are currently foreseen although heat index values may be back into that area. In fact, the longer range guidance suggests above normal temperatures for the rest of next week into that following weekend. Since the normal values are dropping now, that would translate into daytime temperatures generally in the lower 90s. By the way, our nights will also remain warm with lower 70s as a general rule.

So, stay cool, stay tuned, and check back for updates.

Dick Faurot