Southern Plains Soaker: Big Rain on the Way for Oklahoma

Last week, meteorologists all across Oklahoma predicted that it was the end our 100-degree days... And about that, the Sooner State laughed, cranked the thermostat up to 105, and reminded everyone that summer isn't really ever over until Christmas.

Now they're doubling down on another pretty bold forecast, but unlike the "end of 100's," this one might hold a little merit.

The hot and dry pattern looks ready to break with a proper Southern Plains Soaker.

While you have to always take what KOCO's Damon Lane says with a big heaping of salt, forecast models have been trending wetter and wetter, stacking up rainfall totals that would make you double-check the calendar.

Two to four inches of rain spread out over a week? That’s not your typical late August sprinkle. That’s a slow, soaking rain stretching across Oklahoma, up into southern Kansas, and splashing across the Texas Panhandle.

Impressive numbers for this time of year, especially considering how baked the ground is.

It’s not just the thirsty soil that wins here either. This much rain should finally take the edge off the triple-digit heat - even though the triple-digit heat index will likely remain with the humidity.

A good soaking can do what a cold front alone never quite manages, dragging those daytime highs back into something resembling tolerable.

Of course, there’s always the “ifs” and “buts” of forecasting.

Will everybody get their share, or will we see the usual Oklahoma patchwork where one county gets a flood warning while the next watches dust blow across the pasture? Time will tell. But even the National Weather Service is trending towards this forecast.

So those earlier predictions about the end of 100-degree days might not be totally wrong, just a little premature. Turns out, Oklahoma needed a week-long rainstorm to seal the deal.