Single digit wind chills, winter weather on the way

(TULSA, Okla.) A cold dry airmass will remain in place through early next week. The next storm system will spread light precipitation into eastern Oklahoma late Tuesday night with higher precipitation chances area wide on Wednesday. Main forecast concerns include much colder temperatures and single digit wind chills behind Sunday’s cold front and potential for wintry precipitation with the next upper level storm system Tuesday night-Wednesday. A mixture of sleet and freezing rain is likely to develop Tuesday night through Wednesday morning, with a transition toward all rain by Wednesday afternoon as temperatures warm. While sleet and freezing rain accumulations are forecast to remain light, slick spots on elevated roadways may be possible. Rain and isolated thunderstorm chances continue into the day Thursday. During the day Tuesday, the surface high will begin to move eastward as a strong upper level storm system approaches from the west. Precipitation chances will increase some Tuesday night, but especially on Wednesday. With some cold air expected to linger as the precipitation moves in, there is some potential for wintry precipitation on the eastern edge of the advancing shield. Southerly low level winds will have returned before precipitation onset, which should make it difficult for much in the way of accumulation of anything wintry that falls. As such, will limit forecast accumulations of only a few tenths of an inch at best. Instability will increase some as the upper system approaches Thursday and into Thursday evening, leading to some isolated thunder potential during this time frame. This will quickly fade from west to east late Thursday night as the dry slot moves in. One thing that will have to be watched in future forecasts is the potential for wraparound precipitation to affect mainly northeast Oklahoma and northwest Arkansas on Friday, which could include wintry precipitation types. After this system departs late in the week, warm and dry conditions will arrive for the weekend, due to the influence of an upper level ridge to the west. M.L.King Day Sunny, with a high near 39. Wind chill values between 10 and 20. Northeast wind around 5 mph becoming southeast in the afternoon. Monday Night Clear, with a low around 18. Wind chill values between 9 and 14. Northeast wind 5 to 10 mph. Tuesday Increasing clouds, with a high near 43. Wind chill values between 9 and 19. Northeast wind 5 to 15 mph becoming southeast in the morning. Winds could gust as high as 20 mph. Tuesday Night A chance of rain, snow, and sleet after midnight. Cloudy, with a low around 34. South wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. Wednesday A chance of rain, snow, and sleet before noon, then rain likely. Cloudy, with a high near 41. South wind around 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. Wednesday Night Periods of rain. Low around 38. Southeast wind 5 to 15 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. Thursday Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm before noon, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after noon. Cloudy, with a high near 49. Southeast wind around 5 mph becoming northwest in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 70%. Thursday Night A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before midnight. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 34. Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph. Friday Mostly sunny, with a high near 46. Northwest wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. Friday Night Partly cloudy, with a low around 31. Northwest wind around 10 mph. Saturday Mostly sunny, with a high near 50. Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph becoming northeast in the afternoon. Saturday Night Partly cloudy, with a low around 34. Northeast wind around 5 mph becoming south after midnight. Sunday Sunny, with a high near 56. South wind 5 to 10 mph.