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. . . Ticker for October 17, 2012 . . .
MESONET TICKER ... MESONET TICKER ... MESONET TICKER ... MESONET TICKER ... October 17, 2012 October 17, 2012 October 17, 2012 October 17, 2012 We got Don today Oklahoma's weather is famously fickle, often going from a beautiful day (yesterday) to a not-so-beautiful one (today). All it took was the passage of a dry cold front. I like to call this fickleness "Swayze weather." Some days you get Patrick: http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20121017/patrick.jpg But other days, you get his brother Don: http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20121017/don.jpg Okay, that's a bit unfair. Both are fine looking fellows, I guess. But come on, I did say "not-so-beautiful." Yesterday's weather was tremendous (if you don't need rain) with temperatures 5-10 degrees above normal for mid-October and a decent breeze to keep it from being hot. Today's cold front, however, has turned the heat dial down and the wind dial up. http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20121017/current.temps.png http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20121017/24hour-temp-change.png http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20121017/current.gustarrows.gif http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20121017/today.gust.gif It's not like it's cold or anything (that comes overnight): http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20121017/thursday-lows.png But combine those winds of 35-50 mph and the dry conditions and you get extreme fire danger, a Don Swayze day indeed. http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20121017/norman-firedanger.jpg http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20121017/tulsa-firedanger.png The worst fire danger is in the area hit hardest by drought, which is more than coincidence. From the NWS-Norman Red Flag Fire Danger warning: "A COLD FRONT WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE THROUGH THE REGION...USHERING IN STRONG NORTHERLY WINDS AND VERY DRY AIR. ALTHOUGH TEMPERATURES WILL BE COOLER THAN PREVIOUS DAYS...THE WINDY AND VERY DRY CONDITIONS COMBINED WITH AREAS OF EXCEPTIONAL DROUGHT AND DRY VEGETATION WILL CREATE VERY HIGH FIRE DANGER." That fire danger will stay elevated for awhile as well, although not quite as bad as today: http://ticker.mesonet.org/archive/20121017/firedanger.jpg So we're going to have a couple of days of Don, but then we'll back to Patrick over the weekend. For those that actually like Don weather, here's a bone for ya: Don is actually the better actor than his late brother was, if that helps. But then again, Don never helped a ragtag bunch of high school kids battle invading forces, either. Yes, I need to read more. Are there are any "Road House" books out there? Gary McManus Associate State Climatologist Oklahoma Climatological Survey (405) 325-2253 gmcmanus@mesonet.org ================================================== The OCS/Mesonet Ticker https://ticker.mesonet.org/ To subscribe or unsubscribe from the Ticker or for questions about the Ticker or its content Phone or Email the Ticker Manager at OCS Phone: 405-325-2253 Email: ticker@mesonet.org --------------------------------------------------- -C- Copyright 2024 Oklahoma Climatological Survey ===================================================