Arctic Air Barreling Toward Oklahoma

5:30 p.m. UPDATE

South winds will continue through Friday evening with temperatures in the 60’s under partly skies. So, take advantage of it before the ‘Arctic Blast’ arrives overnight across Northern Oklahoma and in the metro.

As you wake up Saturday morning, north winds at 20-40 mph will be blasting most of the state. Temperatures will fall into the 20’s.

Behind the front, a band of light to moderate snow will move from northwest to southwest across the state. This will be a quick moving band of snow, only lasting a few hours. So, the News 9 weather team is not expecting heavy snowfall amounts. But, some areas in the northwest could see over two inches.

In the metro, a basic dusting to half an inch is likely Saturday. But, the bigger story remains the strong winds and single digit temperatures. The wind chills will be in the 0 to -10 degrees range by Sunday morning.

Sunday will look great through the window, but don’t expect a warm up with sunshine. Temperatures will once again stay below freezing with highs expected in the upper teens to middle 20’s.

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12:45 p.m. UPDATE

The last couple of winters have been fairly mild. Oklahoma could see its coldest air in five years. 

A wind advisory covers much of northwestern Oklahoma, where winds are gusting to 40 mph. Right now, it still appears this even will be a wind-whipped snow and may keep roads free of accumulating snow. 

Dangerous wind chills below zero remain the main threat. 

Winterize your home and car today. Wrap pipes and outdoor faucets with protective foam, bring pets indoors and keep extra gloves, hats and coats handy.

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8:30 a.m.

A big swing in temps is under way as warming temperatures are moving in Friday with a strong south wind. The arctic blast we've been talking about for a while now is diving south through the northern and central plains as of this update. It is still expected to arrive in Central OK just before daybreak Saturday.

Much of Saturday looks cold with temperatures starting in the 30's and 40's. A second surge of arctic cold arrives around noon and this will bring the really cold stuff! North winds are expected to increase to 20-40 mph and wind chills will dip into the single digits above and below zero by Saturday evening. We will expect to have temperatures below freezing for about 50 hours from late morning Saturday through mid-afternoon Monday.

Make sure your cars and homes are ready! Take a look at your tires and see if they need some pressure. The cold tends to cause them to lose pressure. Also, the cold can test the strength of your car battery. Some may be needing to get new batteries after this cold snap because they just wont crank over! Also, make a mental note to let the faucets drip Sunday and Monday mornings- some pipes may freeze up as lows dip into the single digits both days.

Snow will also be in the forecast on Saturday. A storm system will slide overhead causing some light to moderate snow to set up in a band that will start in NW OK late morning and weaken as it pushes east late afternoon. This could bring up to two inches of snow for the NW while Central OK will only see a dusting. A spot or two could see slightly higher totals than this where bands of snow set up. The wind will keep this from being a picturesque snowfall. Blowing snow will cause the snow to fall horizontally. There could be some travel issues. A travel advisory is in effect for Saturday.

The coldest air in the last two years will arrive Sunday with lows in the single digits and highs struggling into the low 20's.

The extreme cold will gradually modify with temperatures returning above freezing by Monday.