Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Oklahoma City, OK
Issued by NWS Oklahoma City, OK
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562 FXUS64 KOUN 200700 AFDOUN Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Norman OK 100 AM CST Tue Jan 20 2026 ...New NEAR TERM, SHORT TERM, LONG TERM... .KEY MESSAGES... Updated at 1244 AM CST Tue Jan 20 2026 - There is a low-to-medium (20-40%) chance for rain showers to return to southeast Oklahoma Tuesday night into Wednesday morning. - Winter precipitation is likely Friday through Sunday, with hazardous travel impacts expected. - There is a high (>90%) chance for very cold temperatures across the area Saturday and Sunday, with wind chills below 0F possible. && .NEAR TERM... (Through Tuesday) Issued at 1244 AM CST Tue Jan 20 2026 A return to southerly winds this morning will help afternoon temperatures get up into the 50s for most locations. Sunny skies will allow for sufficient mixing this afternoon, which will aid in surface winds of 10-20 mph across the entire area. A surface cold front will begin to meander towards Oklahoma late Tuesday afternoon and evening. Bunker && .SHORT TERM... (Tuesday night through Thursday night) Issued at 1244 AM CST Tue Jan 20 2026 Aforementioned frontal passage will help overnight lows get into the 20s across northern and western Oklahoma and adjacent western north Texas, and into the 30s elsewhere. There is a low to medium (30-50%) chance for rain showers across southeast Oklahoma Wednesday morning. Amounts generally will be light with this activity. Surface high across the central Plains will slide to the east, with east-northeasterly winds expected across the area Thursday. Cloud cover will increase during the day, with highs in the upper 40s (north) and 50s elsewhere. Bunker && .LONG TERM... (Friday through Monday) Issued at 1244 AM CST Tue Jan 20 2026 A broad shortwave trough over the Great Lakes and vicinity will aid in continuous cold air advection across the southern Plains through much of the long term. Confidence is very high that our next system will continue to bring in much colder air Friday into the weekend, with winter precipitation likely. The overall synoptic pattern will feature a closed low off the Pacific that is expected to become a more open wave as it moves closer to the southern Plains. Zonal upper level flow ahead of this wave will foster continuous isentropic ascent, which will allow for more widespread precipitation across the area. The potential for an impactful winter weather event is increasing across the entire area. Although this event is still several days out, models are beginning to become more aligned with one another. Below is additional information on the event. What we know: -Dangerously cold temperatures are expected Saturday morning and Sunday morning, with lows generally in the single digits to near 0F. Widespread wind chills below 0F are likely across much of the area both mornings. -High confidence that temperatures will remain below freezing Saturday afternoon, which will have an impact on winter precipitation. -Widespread winter precipitation is likely Friday in the weekend. In fact, ensemble probabilities of greater than 1 inch of snowfall through Sunday is over 80% across the northern third of the area, and 50-70% elsewhere. -The continuous large scale lift even has the chance at producing over 4 inches of snow across portions of the area. There is a 50-60% chance of 4+ inches of snow generally along the I-40 corridor, and a 30-40% elsewhere. -There is a 40-50% chance of a wintry mix along and south of I-40 Friday, decreasing generally from north to south as the colder air (at the surface and aloft) funnels in. Most guidance has a wintry mix across the southern half of the area initially, transitioning to snow through the remainder of the event. What we are keeping an eye on: -Temperatures: Temperatures aloft and at the surface initially will play a huge role on precipitation type during this event. -Exact amounts of each precipitation type: Snowfall/sleet/ice amounts will be heavily dependent on how the overall system evolves leading up to the event. Bunker && .AVIATION... (06Z TAFS) Issued at 1051 PM CST Mon Jan 19 2026 VFR conditions will continue for the upcoming TAF period. After some variability in wind direction tonight, a shift to uniform southerly will occur tomorrow. Maximum gusts of 20 knots are possible in northern and western Oklahoma. Meister && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... Oklahoma City OK 49 34 53 28 / 0 0 0 0 Hobart OK 51 30 54 26 / 0 0 0 0 Wichita Falls TX 54 40 59 32 / 0 0 0 0 Gage OK 55 24 52 21 / 0 0 0 0 Ponca City OK 51 27 51 24 / 0 0 0 0 Durant OK 54 40 60 35 / 0 40 30 0 && .OUN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... OK...None. TX...None. && $$ NEAR TERM...13 SHORT TERM...13 LONG TERM....13 AVIATION...04