The Deep Freeze is Coming to Oklahoma, Time to Unhook the Hoses

Every day I'm more convinced that Oklahoma meteorologists are just playing a guessing game with the forecasts. I can just hear my old granny still talking about how "Nobody knows nothin' about the weather," and it's hard to argue that.

Three weeks ago, we were headed into a "flash drought," and then got a ton of rain. Two weeks ago it was predicted Oklahoma might not experience a hard freeze until after Christmas, and today it's coming later this week for most of the state - the rest of Oklahoma is expected to freeze around Thanksgiving.

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Portions of Northern Oklahoma are expecting overnight lows in the upper-20s and low-30s later this week.

Central Oklahoma is forecasted for freezing temperatures a few days later, and Southern Oklahoma to follow right around Thanksgiving, if not the following weekend.

Depending on the weather source - because the National Weather Service doesn't offer long-range forecasts - temps across the state will range from the low to high 20s as the next few cold fronts push into the Great Plains.

Now is a great time to hop on your winter home preparations. 

Even though you and I both know deep down that the forecast will likely change, and the sensational Facebook updates from Sooner State meteorologist will quietly disappear and be forgotten, you make hay when you can in Oklahoma.

First and foremost, you'll want to double-check a few easy things. Disconnect your hoses, pull those fall flowers into the garage if you want a little more life out of them - it'll warm up again before Christmas - and wash your cold-weather essentials.

Things like extra blankets and winter bedding, pull the coats out of the closet, wash that nasty hoodie your kid has been wearing for four weeks straight... The easy stuff.

You don't want to rush the grocery store and hoard a bunch of stuff, but you should make sure you have water and groceries on hand in case the worst-case-scenario actually happens - it's iced over in October before, there's no telling what this week will come of.

If you have time after that, here's a more comprehensive checklist for the cold weather, plus delicious cold-weather recipes below.