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Good Afternoon, this is meteorologist Jonathan Kurtz with the National Weather Service in
Norman Oklahoma with an updated weather briefing regarding the potential for hazardous winter
weather beginning today through the weekend.
Headlines We are going to try and hit quite a few headlines
in this briefing, so please bear with me, The first of which will be the continued movement
of the cold front south/southeast across the southern plains today through tonight. This
is a very progressive front, already having cleared northwestern Oklahoma through 1130am.
Ahead of this strong cold front, thunderstorms will be possible this afternoon across southern
Oklahoma and portions of northern Texas as dew points continue to rise into the mid 60s
this afternoon. Behind the front, rain and drizzle will increase across much of the area,
with freezing rain and drizzle likely after sunset, beginning across northwestern Oklahoma
and spreading southeastward through Friday morning. Light accumulations can be anticipated,
with up to one tenth of an inch expected across portions of central and southern Oklahoma.
Freezing rain and drizzle will end sporadically through Friday night, ceasing by Saturday
morning. Behind this activity, a stout arctic high will spread across the central United
States, with very cold temperatures funneling across Oklahoma and western north Texas for
Friday and Saturday. I will also hit on a return of winter weather Sunday into Monday
as snowfall across the region is looking more likely.
At the moment, the cold front surged quickly this morning across northwestern Oklahoma,
with temperatures dropping behind the front in the low to upper 30s. At its current rate,
expect the front to reach the Oklahoma City Metro sometime between Noon and 2 pm, with
it clearing the red river and western north Texas later this evening.
Temperatures will fall quickly behind the front, with temperatures by 7pm across northwestern
Oklahoma holding in the upper 20s and lower 30s, while temperatures across central and
western Oklahoma dip into the upper 30s and lower 40s. With the front just clearing the
Red River by 7pm, temps will likely linger in the 50s to lower 60s across far southern
Oklahoma and western north Texas by 7pm.
Ahead of the surging cold front this afternoon, increased warm air advection and moisture
return ahead of the front will result in dew points in the mid 60s. Thunderstorms will
be possible, with a few strong thunderstorms possible. With that said, given the speed
of the front, storms will likely be undercut by the boundary fairly quickly, becoming elevated,
with little chance for severe storms.
The more pressing impact from this system will be the potential Ice accumulation from
freezing rain and drizzle overnight tonight through Friday. Some questions remain in the
exact location and impacts, but at the moment, it looks like the best chance for icing, up
to a tenth of an inch, will be across central and southwestern Oklahoma, possibly into far
western north Texas. Light sleet and less ice accumulations can be expected for northwestern
Oklahoma. Rain and drizzle will slowly transition overnight across south central Oklahoma and
western north Texas, so some ice accumulation will be possible as well. Impacts to roads
is expected to be minimal as ground temperatures will remain warm overnight, but elevated surfaces,
bridges, trees, power lines, etcetera, could see a light glaze in some locations. Even
with the light icing expected, strong north winds behind the front could result in minor
tree damage and sporadic power outages. Friday morning commuters are encouraged to take their
time, leave early and give plenty of room to other drivers.
So what is freezing rain? Well, freezing rain occurs when rain, which is in a liquid state,
falling through the atmosphere, encounters temperatures below freezing at and near the
surface. The lack of what we call “ice nuclei” prevents the liquid drops from freezing within
this layer, but as soon as the drop hits an object, such as tree or power line, which
is also below freezing, the drop freezes immediately on impact.
A winter weather advisory will be in effect from 6pm tonight through 6am Saturday for
portions of central and western Oklahoma due to freezing rain. A wind advisory is also
in effect from 6pm tonight through 6am Friday for portions of western north Texas and Western
and central Oklahoma as winds overnight will be sustained 20 to 30 mph, gusting
to 45mph.
North winds will continue during the day Friday with widespread clouds, rain and freezing
rain. This will keep high temperatures at or below freezing over much of northern and
western Oklahoma, and even south central Oklahoma will struggle into the 40s. Lows Friday night
should fall below freezing most places and any accumulated ice will likely stay put through
Saturday morning.
For Saturday, northerly winds will keep temps cold as an arctic high continues to nose into
the southern plains. Temperatures Saturday morning will dip into the mid to upper 20s
to lower 30s with afternoon highs struggling to reach 40.
For Sunday, models continue to be up in the air, persay, as to what we can expect heading
into and through Sunday. Fairly confident winter weather will continue, but impacts
and timing continue to be hard to nail down. At the moment, some locations may see a trace
to an inch of snow along with sleet and rain earlier in the day. We’ll need to keep an
eye on Sunday through Monday as we continue to approach the weekend, so be sure to stay
tuned to our web page and social media outlets for the latest information.
weather.gov/norman This concludes the winter weather briefing
from the National Weather Service in Norman. Thanks for hanging in there with me as we
had a lot to cover. As always, be sure to check our web page frequently at www.weather.gov/norman,
there you can find the most up to date information regarding forecasts, watches, and warnings.
Also be sure to check out our recently updated winter weather safety page, it has a ton of
new and useful information for all!
Also be sure to check out our recently updated winter weather safety page, it has a ton of
new and useful information for all those interested, you can find a link to it at the top of our
home page! We highly suggest you give it a look and share it with your friends.
weather.gov/norman As always, don’t forget to like us on Facebook,
follow us on twitter, and subscribe to our Youtube channel! Remember to be safe and use
good judgment when dealing with winter weather. Thanks Again for listening, and have a wonderful
Thursday!