Triple Digits Return, Ozone Alert Issued For Tulsa Metro

Hot, humid, and stuffy conditions are fueling another Ozone Alert for our Thursday.

Highs on Thursday will climb back above 100 degrees, with much higher humidity returning for the midday and early afternoon hours and little to no wind to cool us off. Heat index values over 105 are expected in many areas, especially far eastern and southeastern Oklahoma.

With that nearly calm wind condition in addition to ample sunshine and hot conditions, air quality will likely become an issue again during the afternoon and early evening hours, so an Ozone Alert is in effect.

Some things you can do to help limit our air quality issues today: Try to limit your trips in the car, and avoid refueling your car until the later evening hours. Also, hold off on using gas-powered lawn mowers and lawn equipment. And be aware that if you’re particularly sensitive to lowered air quality, you should try to limit your outdoor activities.

Unfortunately, this is just the beginning of another extended triple-digit stretch. Highs of 101-103 degrees are expected Friday as the upper-level ridge strengthens over the area, and even hotter conditions appear likely Saturday.

With the summer doldrums well underway and the upper-level “heat dome” dominating things, we start looking for any very small disturbances riding along the edge of that heat dome to try to trigger a few isolated showers or storms. There is a slim chance of that occurring late Saturday into early Sunday as a weak boundary nears the area, although that’s unlikely to bring any sort of notable heat relief.

The same pretty much goes for next week as well, as the July doldrums continue. As the drought continues to worsen, that will only push those temperatures even higher. We’re looking at the potential for highs over 105 next week. Yikes.

I hope you have a great Thursday, Green Country! can follow me on Twitter @StephenNehrenz as well as my Facebook page to stay up to date with the very latest.