A Look at Soil Temperatures.

Thought it would be instructive to look at soil temperatures this morning. On the right is the 2" soil temperature map under bare ground which is available from the Oklahoma Mesonet. Since we spent much of the last week in the deep freeze with air temperatures not getting above freezing till Thursday afternoon and again on Friday, that has had an impact on our soil temperatures.

Another factor is the lack of snow cover to provide any sort of insulation to keep those soil temperatures from dropping below freezing. As you can see, there are many locations that are at or below the freezing mark as of early this morning. Although the air temperature should make it well into the 40s this afternoon ahead of the next cold front, these soil temperatures are much slower to respond. And with air temperatures expected to stay in the 30s again on Sunday, then obviously the soil temperatures will not be moderating by much.

I mention all this because there will also be a slight chance of precipitation early Sunday morning. Conditions suggest a mist or perhaps some light drizzle could develop. Although the chances are slight the air temperatures and the soil temperatures at that time would also suggest that there could be some slick spots on the roadways; bridges and overpasses in particular. So, it might be a good idea to allow some extra time to get wherever you are headed for the morning hours of Sunday.

Temperatures will moderate again on Monday ahead of another strong cold front that will arrive by early Tuesday with little or no warming during the day. Slight chances of precipitation are also expected for Monday morning and on Tuesday. Wednesday night into early Thursday may have a little better chance of wintry precipitation.

As always, stay tuned and check back for updates.

Dick Faurot