The Woodward News

Local News

October 4, 2012

Frost possible across area this weekend

Gary Engel Woodward News

Woodward, Okla. — Weather officials said some areas of Western Oklahoma could see their first frost of the season as soon as this weekend.

"There is a slight possibility of a freeze here" on Saturday night into Sunday morning, Woodward Emergency Management Director Matt Lehenbauer said.  "I think we'll actually drop into the high-30s or low-40s that night."

The National Weather Service (NWS) forecasts a low of around 36 degrees Sunday morning in the Woodward area and even lower to the west.

NWS has posted a frost advisory for Beaver, Texas and Cimarron counties in the Panhandle for Saturday night. Max Bai, an NWS staff meteorologist in Norman, said there's a slight outlook that the freezing conditions could occur as soon as Friday night into Saturday morning around Woodward, despite the forecast calling for a low of 41 degrees.

"There's a chance the freeze will get close then," Bai said. "This cold air is coming down from Colorado."

Area residents are urged to take some precautions in connection with the possible freeze.

"People with yards may want to think about shutting off their sprinkler systems soon," Lehenbauer said.

Runoff water from sprinklers causes hazardous icing on roadways when the temperatures slide below 32 degrees, experts note.

Lehenbauer said a freeze this weekend would be early for the area.

"We normally get our first freeze around Oct. 21, on average," he said. "A hard freeze, 28 degrees or lower, usually comes around the end of the month."

But whether or not there is a freeze, Lehenbauer said area residents will definitely notice a chill in the air over the next week or so.

"We will have cold mornings for the next 7 to 10 days, with lows in the lower- to upper-40s," he said.

Lehenbauer said daytime highs will hover around the upper-50s to low-60s through early next week.

"The highs will bounce back into the 70s then," he said.



RAIN ALSO POSSIBLE

Forecasters are also predicting a small possibility for precipitation this weekend as well.

NWS calls for a 20 percent chance of rain of Friday and Saturday.   

But even if the rain comes, both Lehenbauer and Bai said it will probably do little to ease current drought conditions in the area.

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