Well...at least it's not snowing, like it did in West Fargo, N.D., on Thursday. (AP Photo/The Forum, David Samson)
It’s safe to say you can put away the tank tops, flip flops and beach gear.
Not only is it near cold outside, I think we skipped a season. Fall must have come and gone as we all slept last night, because when I took the dog out this morning, I had to rush back in to dig my slippers out of the closet.
A major cold front came through eastern Oklahoma last night, drastically dropping temperatures across the state. How drastic? Glad you asked.
Here is a map of the high temperatures in Oklahoma Thursday. Notice how orange it is.
Here are the high temps today. Notice how orange it’s not.
The high in Tulsa Thursday was 79. The high Friday was 56. That’s
20 degrees below normal. And here’s the kicker: That high temp was set at 12:01 a.m. That’s crazy.
As I write this, the temperature is 52 degrees, with a
wind chill of 47 degrees.
I…I don…I don’t even know anymore. Yesterday I was sweating while out covering a story and today, I had to dig out the slippers and coat.
And we haven’t even reached the bottom. The low temperature on Saturday and Sunday nights is forecasted to hit 34 degrees, with a frost or freeze possible in some places.
Speaking of frosting and freezing, let’s take a moment here to pause and look at the frost and freeze climatology for Tulsa.
The average first freeze, when the temperature hits 32 degrees, is Nov. 3. The record first occurrence in fall was Oct. 8, 1952. If we dip down a little further than forecast this weekend, that record would be in jeopardy. The average date for the first hard freeze (when temps hit 28) is Nov. 15, and the record earliest is Oct. 9, 2000. That record seems safe.
And as the photo above shows, other places around the country actually are having an early winter experience. Snow!
The cold snap won't last forever. By next week, it's
forecast to get back up closer to normal. So, it's probably a little premature to say winter is already here. But, I'm going to make chili and hot chocolate and dust off the Christmas ornaments anyway (not really...that's insulting).
--Jerry Wofford
