A weather system approaching our area will result in more clouds Saturday.
What's the weather like this weekend?
The hazy skies may be due to some smoke from the Canadian wildfires that occurred earlier this week, as well as some upper-tropospheric dust from the Sarhan dust layer. This is expected to keep temperatures slightly cooler than recent days, with highs reaching the mid-80s Saturday afternoon.
A weak upper level low will move from the ArkLaTex area into western Arkansas over the next 24 hours. This system will bring a few showers or storms to southern and far eastern Oklahoma on Saturday. Most data suggests areas east of the Tulsa metro will still see precipitation, but we will continue to mention the possibility of the metro in case the system slides a little further west than expected.
By early Sunday morning, this wave will move eastward and a mid-level ridge of high pressure will extend from the western United States into the southern Plains. This marks the start of a long period of heat and humidity that is expected to last through much of next week.
The core of this ridge may be slightly further out of our area, but its impact will result in very hot weather. The combination of increased low-level humidity and local evapotranspiration rates will result in heat index values in the range of 105 to 110 on Monday and 108 to 115 on Tuesday through Thursday. The ridge will likely flatten and slide southeast next Friday, with northwest upwelling developing by the end of next week. This will favor another heat reduction and some scattered storms.
EMSA Thermal Safety Tips:
- Prehydration is key to preventing heat-related illnesses. Drink plenty of water or electrolyte-replenishing drinks before and during prolonged exposure to summer heat.
- If working outdoors, wear light-colored, loose-fitting clothing, a wide-brimmed hat, and rest in the shade.
- Contains no alcohol or caffeine.
- If you don't have air conditioning, find a cooling station or public space during the day (such as a library or mall).
- Don't limit the use of air conditioning.
- If working outdoors, use a buddy system and check on older neighbors.
- Keep your phone with you at all times when you are outdoors, including while walking, running errands, doing yard work, or during sports and physical activities.
Power outages across Oklahoma:
Northeastern Oklahoma is home to multiple electric companies and electric cooperatives, many of which have overlapping coverage areas. Below are links to various outage maps.
PSO outage map
OG&E Power Outage Map
VVEC parking map
Indian Electric Cooperatives (IEC) Outage Map
Oklahoma Electric Cooperative Association Outage Map – (note several smaller co-ops included)
Alan Crone Morning Weather Podcast Link from Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/episode/03KuCPYyb4hNFyC42Yo6Bt
Link to Apple's Alan Crone Morning Weather Podcast:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/weather-out-the-door/id1499556141?i=1000656145416
Follow the news from 6 Meteorologists on Facebook!
Meteorologist Travis Meyer
Meteorologist Stacia Knight
Meteorologist Alan Clone
Meteorologist Stephen Nerenz
Meteorologist Aaron Reeves
Meteorologist Megan Gold