Light rain returned to the ArkLaTex Monday and will likely linger into Tuesday. We will see a quick warm-up leading up to the arrival of a very strong arctic cold front. Parts of the area could dip into the single-digits Thursday night. Warmer air returns next week.
A chilly Tuesday & warmer Wednesday: Don’t expect much change in temperatures Monday night through Tuesday thanks to lots of clouds and periods of rain. After highs Monday in the low to middle 40s, lows Monday night will fall into the upper 30s to lower 40s. Highs Tuesday will only rise into the low to middle 40s. This chill will give way to some warmer temperatures Wednesday and Thursday morning. Highs Wednesday will return to the upper 40s to lower 50s. Much of the area will climb well into the 50s ahead of Thursday’s blast of very cold air. More on that later.
Rain to eventually end: Futurecast shows that we will see the rain continue Monday evening. It will gradually decrease Monday night before ending sometime late Tuesday morning or early Tuesday afternoon. We will likely stay cloudy for the rest of Tuesday and continue to see lots of clouds Tuesday night and Wednesday.
Arctic blast arrives Thursday: A strong arctic cold front will move into and through the ArkLaTex Thursday afternoon and evening. A south wind ahead of the front should warm temperatures well into the 50s. Once the front moves in, you will see a quick and dramatic drop in temperatures. By Friday morning temperatures will likely range from around 5 degrees over the northern edge of the area to the low to middle teens over the southern half of the area. Some areas could drop nearly 50 degrees from Thursday afternoon to Friday morning.
If you factor in the strong north-to-northwesterly wind, wind chills will likely be below zero. The front will likely produce a little rain that could briefly change to a mix of sleet and/or snow. I still don’t expect to see much of any accumulation. Highs Friday will likely stay below freezing despite the return of some sunshine. It will probably not be as cold Friday night, but temperatures will still dip well into the teens over most of the area. Highs Saturday should return to the middle 30s. This means that we could see 36 to 48 hours where temperatures stay below freezing.
Outlook for Friday’s Independence Bowal
A big warming trend next week? Fortunately, it doesn’t appear as if the extreme winter temperatures will stick around too long. The warming trend that will begin Saturday will continue through next week. Highs will return to the low 40s by Christmas day, and the low 50s by Monday. We could see highs back up close to 70 degrees by the end of next week. Lows will likely stay in the 20s through Monday but should warm to the 50s. Most of next week is looking dry with a slight chance of rain returning by the middle of the week.
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