Wave goodbye to warmth

Oklahomans shouldn't put away those coats and ice scrapers just yet.

According to the National Weather Service, a strong winter storm headed toward the state threatens to drop freezing rain and snow on parts of the state this weekend.

While forecasters expect temperatures to climb above freezing today and Saturday, periods of freezing rain and sleet will be possible during the overnight hours.

Southwestern Oklahoma appears to be the most likely area for ice accumulation, with lesser amounts in west-central, central and south-central sections of the state, the weather service said.

The precipitation is forecast to fall as rain on Saturday, but a surge of cold air will trigger a decline in temperatures Saturday night and Sunday and possibly result in a mixture of rain and snow. Still, no significant snow accumulation is forecast, the weather service said.

On Thursday, skies were mostly clear and temperatures, while well above average for mid-February, didn't set new records. Highs ranged widely, from 46 degrees in Guymon, where a cold front went through early in the day, to 78 degrees in Lawton. The mercury peaked at 69 degrees in Bartlesville, Clinton and Tulsa and hit 71 degrees in Oklahoma City and Stillwater, according to the weather service.

A burn ban is effective for 25 of the state's 77 counties: Atoka, Beaver, Beckham, Bryan, Caddo, Carter, Cimarron, Comanche, Cotton, Garvin, Grady, Greer, Harmon, Jackson, Jefferson, Johnston, Kiowa, Love, Marshall, McClain, Murray, Stephens, Texas, Tillman and Washita. For more ban information, call the state Agriculture, Food and Forestry Department at 522-6158.