Wind Advisory issued until 10 p.m.

(TULSA, Okla.) Southerly winds will gust to 45 mph Wednesday across eastern Oklahoma and far northwest Arkansas. A Wind Advisory is in effect from 10 AM to 10 PM. Avoid starting any fires, make sure any old fires are extinguished, use caution driving, and secure loose items outdoors. High temperatures will be well above normal and combine with the strong winds to increase the potential for rapid fire spread conditions. A cold front is currently timed to enter northeast Oklahoma after midnight and clear western Arkansas by mid morning Thursday. Any fire suppression efforts ongoing Wednesday evening will need to monitor the wind shift associated with the cold frontal passage late into the night. There also continues to be a signal for a narrow axis of prefrontal elevated convection this evening streaking across the region. Should this light precipitation actually develop it would likely deposit more High Plains dust than measurable rainfall. There will be breezy and cooler temperatures on Thursday with winds diminishing by Friday. The next storm system remains on track to spread widespread rainfall into the area Saturday through Saturday night. Locally heavy amounts appear possible for southeast Oklahoma into western Arkansas. Temperatures on Saturday may briefly warm before the steady and cold rain overspread the region. Warm up commences early next week with the active pattern returning precip chances by mid week.