textproduct: Norman

KEY MESSAGES

Updated at 508 AM CST Wed Jan 28 2026

- Freezing fog possible tonight into Wednesday morning. Another round of fog expected Thursday morning

- Below-zero wind chills will be possible again Friday night in northern Oklahoma.

NEAR TERM

(Through Wednesday) Issued at 1200 AM CST Wed Jan 28 2026

The primary near-term forecast challenge continues to be the presence and extent of freezing fog early this morning. Observations in southwest Arkansas/southeast Oklahoma show RH sitting in the 90- 100 percent range with visibilities dropping to 1-5 miles as of the writing of this AFD. As the night goes on, would expect similar conditions to develop in the southeastern quadrant of our area along and south of a frontal boundary where surface winds are light. Given that temperatures are already in the 20s, any fog development will lead to freezing fog, which could put a light glaze of ice over roads that are already treacherous in many places due to the melt/refreeze cycle.

Mostly sunny skies are expected during the bulk of the daytime hours with southwest winds. That will make today the warmest day of the coming week for many of us (though still near to below average with highs between 40 and 50. Snowmelt will continue with the outer periphery of the snowpack starting to recede.

Meister

SHORT TERM

(Wednesday night through Friday night) Issued at 1200 AM CST Wed Jan 28 2026

Further snowmelt and southerly winds should open us up to a perhaps more widespread round of fog near the I-35 corridor tonight. Fog or low cloud cover may last until late morning near and just north of OKC where a surface low is expected to track during that time.

Behind the surface low, a cold front will push south during the day on Thursday. Western north Texas/southern Oklahoma might end up warming up to a few degrees closer to normal before the front arrives, but near and north of I-40 this will bring temperatures back downward. Similar to yesterday, the EPS continues to be unimpressed with the potential for any precipitation from this front while the Canadian ensemble continues to be bullish. The GEFS and the NAM are lending weight more in the direction of the EPS, so forecast was left as it is (ie, mostly dry).

Colder continental air will start to spill in on Friday, driven by a secondary cold front in the afternoon. This will be watched as a potential target of opportunity to lower high temperatures if it becomes clear that the frontal push will be faster than medium-range models show, but given the complexity of the surface pattern, this isn't a given at the moment. By Saturday morning, surface pressures will be back in the vicnity of 1040-1044 mb, so any remaining snow cover will allow surface temperatures to get well into the single digits under clear skies.

Meister

LONG TERM

(Saturday through Tuesday) Issued at 1200 AM CST Wed Jan 28 2026

A compact winter trough will dig due south from Ontario into the mid- South on Saturday. This will help lock that high pressure in place across the Southern Plains/Ozarks over the weekend. In turn, that means we will see a few more days of likely dry and cold weather.

The pattern will remain progressive into early next week. Usually that's not much of a shock, but after the stagnant pattern of December/early January it's nice to see winter acting like winter. Shortwave ridging will move overhead early in the week and finally bring us back to average early February temperatures, melting off what remains of the snow. Behind it, a period of troughiness will likely encourage some moisture return and the development of a surface low. Ensembles suggest at least potential for another round of rain toward the middle of next week.

Meister

AVIATION

(12Z TAFS) Issued at 508 AM CST Wed Jan 28 2026

Some freezing fog has started developing in southeast Oklahoma, which may affect KDUA for a few hours this morning. Elsewhere, we're seeing very patchy reductions in visibility down to 3 to 5 miles. This should all clear fairly quickly this morning, giving way to VFR conditions. Freezing fog will be possible again tomorrow morning in southeast Oklahoma.

Day

PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS

Oklahoma City OK 39 26 36 16 / 0 0 10 0 Hobart OK 40 25 39 16 / 0 0 0 0 Wichita Falls TX 40 26 44 19 / 0 0 0 0 Gage OK 51 22 38 17 / 0 0 0 0 Ponca City OK 36 21 34 11 / 0 0 10 0 Durant OK 41 26 48 23 / 0 0 0 0

OUN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES

OK...Freezing Fog Advisory until 9 AM CST this morning for OKZ048-052.

TX...None.