The heat sticks around this weekend for Oklahoma but there's relief in sight

It was a hot Friday afternoon across the Sooner State. The hottest air temperatures were observed in southwestern Oklahoma where temperatures soared between 110-113. Air temperatures closer to I-35 and points east weren't as hot as what was observed in southwestern Oklahoma but the higher humidity made it feel just as warm with heat indices upwards of 115 in parts of central and southern Oklahoma.

Friday's high temperatures Friday's maximum heat index

The hot temperatures will stick around into the second to last weekend of August with high temperatures ranging from 105-110 in western Oklahoma with upper 90s to around 100 from central into eastern Oklahoma as the heat ridge builds over the state. The southerly flow stays in place which will send heat indices between 110-115 for a good chunk of the eastern and southern parts of the state. Overnight temperatures stay quite warm too in the mid to upper 70s to around 80 degrees in some areas. Because of the high heat and no relief overnight, most of Oklahoma is under an Excessive Heat Warning or Heat Advisory on Saturday. Luckily, there will be a stiff southerly breeze, which will make the temperatures feel more manageable but could make for choppy lake waters and increase the fire danger in western Oklahoma where the humidity is lower.

Saturday's heat alerts

There's a low-end chance for isolated storms in northwestern Oklahoma Friday evening, then again Saturday morning in northern and central Oklahoma, and another chance Saturday afternoon across northwestern Oklahoma. Isolated storms are possible across northeastern Oklahoma Sunday afternoon. Please move off the lakes if storms approach.

Rain accumulation forecast next 48-hours

There's some relief in the forecast looking beyond midweek. A cold front approaches the state on Thursday along with a couple systems approaching from the south and southwest that will bring cooler temperatures along with increasing cloud coverage and rain chances. The exact details are still murky but will be fine-tuned over the coming days. Confidence is increasing that temperatures will trend below normal late next week into Labor Day Weekend, possibly extending into part of the first week of September which is depicted on the Climate Prediction Center's 8-to-14-day temperature outlook.

8-to-14-day temperature outlook