Potential for strong-to-severe storms this afternoon and evening | 5/4 AM
LAWTON, Okla. (KSWO) -
Good morning and Happy May the Fourth! And like the political landscape of the Star Wars galaxy, the atmosphere is going to be in turmoil today. The morning scattered showers and storms are pushing east of Texoma, with a lull of light showers and drizzle through the rest of the morning. Today will be generally cloudy, though there will be the occasional peek of sunshine. Winds will be out of the south at 10-15 mph. Highs today are forecasted to get into the upper 70s and low/mid 80s, though with the clouds we could certainly end up cooler.
Lets talk about the afternoon rain chances. Showers and storms are expected to fire up ahead of a dryline somewhere in central Texoma around 3 PM in the mid afternoon, and last until sometime in the evening (ending probably close to 9 PM). Timing, coverage, and intensity of the storms are still up in the air thanks to the showers and storms we witnessed this morning. Since today will remain mostly cloudy, there won’t be a lot of opportunity for instability from daytime heating and sunshine, meaning that the instability to allow for strong-to-severe weather in the afternoon will be impacted by the morning rain. Moisture content will be affected as a result of the showers and storms this morning too, so all in all to say, there is some uncertainty with what will pan out this afternoon and evening.
Strong-to-severe weather is expected later today for Texoma, with all hazards being in the mix. This includes large hail up to the size of golf balls, damaging wind gusts up to 60-80 mph, as well as a conditional tornado threat with the development of any supercells. Of course, depending on the atmospheric ingredients and set-up in the wake this morning’s rain, its difficult to ascertain how much of the storms this afternoon will evolve to become supercells, or if there will be a more messy amalgamation of multi-storm clusters (which would reduce the overall severe threat). Make sure to have the 7NEWS weather app downloaded to keep up to date and track storms, as well as have ways to receive weather alerts.
Clearer skies are expected by the middle of the night heading into early Friday morning. Winds will be out of the south/southwest at 10-15 mph with morning lows in the upper 50s and low/mid 60s.
The sun is expected to dominate the skies on Friday with little-to-no clouds to challenge it. This combined with southwest winds at 10-15 mph and a warm-air mid-level atmospheric ridge will launch temperatures into the low/mid 90s tomorrow afternoon. Make sure to have the sunscreen, sunglasses/hat, and water on hand if you are spending time outdoors, especially if you are attending Sillfest.
This weekend will feature more afternoons in the 90s with mostly sunny and partly cloudy skies on both days. Saturday and Sunday will keep isolated showers and storms in the forecast, but most are expected to remain dry. So those hoping for no inclement weather for the final day of Sillfest, you look to be in the clear.
Rain chances remain in the forecast for every single day next week, though most days will only have a very isolated chance for precipitation. Temperatures look to stay in the 90s. Better coverage for showers and storms will return after the middle of next week along with cooler temperatures.
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