Ticker for October 19, 2015

                
MESONET TICKER ... MESONET TICKER ... MESONET TICKER ... MESONET TICKER ...
October 19, 2015   October 19, 2015   October 19, 2015   October 19, 2015


Pick your gulp (of rain) this week!


A large, slow upper-level low pressure system will slowly approach our area
during the week and slowly give us a chance for a nice slow, steady rainfall --
our first in what has been a very VERY slow fall thus far.

SLOW DOWN!

Check out the 7-day rainfall forecast from the Weather Prediction Center for
the low-down (but not the slow-down) on what size of Gulp you might be getting.

(sorry Braum's, you're free advertising comes this winter...maybe)



The best news there is that the southern edges of the state appear to be bearing
the brunt of this storm, with up to 4 inches of rain being forecast. Now of
course that doesn't mean everybody will get 4 inches, and it might even mean
some will get 6 and some get 2 in those areas. But it's our first REAL GOOD chance
of widespread moisture in those areas since July. Our local NWS offices have a
bit more on the timing of the rain, which should start sometime on Wednesday and
last through sometime this weekend.







Until we get there, though, we have one more day of fairly intense fire danger.




There's still no sign of any frigid air anytime soon, although I consider this
morning pretty frigid!



But from the CPC's 8-14 day temperature outlooks, they still see increased odds
for above normal temperatures. Remember, this map looks mighty reddish, but that
doesn't mean 90s since we're in late-October. So maybe upper 70s or so. Normal
highs that time of year are in the upper 60s-low 70s and lows are in the mid- to
upper-40s.



The 3-4 week outlooks from CPC, valid for the first two weeks of November, see
us with increased odds of above normal temperatures and for western OK, precip
as well.




So if you need to plant, do it. If you need a drink, wait for it. And if you
want snow more of the same weather we've been having, enjoy it while we can.

Gary McManus
State Climatologist
Oklahoma Mesonet
Oklahoma Climatological Survey
(405) 325-2253
gmcmanus@mesonet.org