Today`s Weather Info - 10/4/2013

Rick Smith from the National Weather Service brings up some information on todays weather expectations:

- We expect storms to develop across far west/northwest Oklahoma around 5pm, both along the cold front that will be pushing into NW Oklahoma, and possibly along the dry line which will extend across far western Oklahoma.
- While there may be a very short window of time for storms to develop some supercell characteristics, the storms should quickly grow into a line or complex of storms and move east-southeast across our area.
- The tornado threat is never zero when you have a thunderstorm, but we think the tornado threat is very, very low across western Oklahoma, and close to zero across central and southeast Oklahoma.
- Lightning, gusty winds, and some hail will be the threats well have to deal with through the evening and maybe persisting into the overnight hours
- Expect a severe thunderstorm watch by late afternoon, and probably quite a few severe thunderstorm warnings through the evening
- A lot of high schools moved their game times up to help avoid the storms, and thats a good thing. We are still concerned about the games that wont be over before the storms arrive, and we hope school officials are watching the weather tonight.
- Dont key on warnings for football game safety decisions! Strong winds and hail are not good for people outdoors, but lightning is the main threat. If you see lightning or hear thunder, its time to get people to a safe place. Heres a link to the NCAA lightning safety guidelines, which also work for high school athletics.
Let us know if you have any questions or concerns!
Rick
Rick Smith - Warning Coordination Meteorologist