Tulsa Weather: Unsettled pattern lingers through 4th of July weekend

Independence Day Outlook

Happy Independence Day! Weather remains top of mind on this all-important holiday, and the forecast is holding pretty steady. The best chance for scattered showers and storms looks to focus just west of Tulsa, but we do expect at least a few widely scattered showers and storms could pop up really anywhere across eastern Oklahoma. Those rain chances look to mostly diminish by the early evening hours.

Afternoon highs will be pretty good by 4th of July standards as most spots top out in the upper 80s, with a few sunnier spots reaching 90°. Afternoon heat index values will reach the mid 90s with a south breeze from 10 to 20 miles per hour during the day.

For Friday evening fireworks and festivities, temperatures around 9 PM look to be in the lower 80s with a light south breeze. The chance for any lingering showers looks to be gone by fireworks time.

Do I Need Rain Gear This Weekend?

You may need some rain gear at certain times. This weekend, upper-level flow will shift more northwesterly as weak disturbances move from the Rockies into the central Plains.

This pattern may bring storm systems into Oklahoma, particularly during the late evening and early morning hours. A few storms may arrive from Kansas Saturday morning.

A few thunderstorms may also develop with daytime heating Saturday afternoon, as highs reach the lower 90s.

Increasing low-level moisture will push heat index values into the 97° to 101° range, raising heat stress concerns through the weekend and into early next week.

Chances for more organized storms will increase late Saturday night into early Sunday, and again Sunday afternoon through early Monday morning.

Sunday morning lows will start in the mid-70s, with highs in the lower to mid-90s and heat index values between 97° and 101°. South winds will continue at 10–20 miles per hour.

Next Week

The active pattern looks to continue into early next week, with additional upper-level energy sliding across the central and northern High Plains. This could bring more organized storm chances to northern Oklahoma and southern Kansas.

Recreational Impacts

Area lake levels remain elevated, which could impact some recreational areas this weekend. Many lakes also have floating debris. Use extra caution on the water.

Here's a look at the current Illinois River level at the Tahlequah gauge as of this morning:

The Morning Weather Podcast:

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Emergency Info: Outages Across Oklahoma:

Northeast Oklahoma has various power companies and electric cooperatives, many of which have overlapping areas of coverage. Below is a link to various outage maps.

1. PSO Outage Map
2. OG&E Outage Map
3. VVEC Outage Map
4. Indian Electric Cooperative (IEC) Outage Map
5. Oklahoma Association of Electric Cooperatives Outage Map — (Note: Several Smaller Co-ops Included)

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