Gulf stratus can be a forecaster's nightmare across eastern Oklahoma and western Arkansas. You can easily bust on high temperatures if you don't take in account the thick stratus. Gulf stratus is really just a low level cloud deck around 1500 feet above the surface. This is a low deck that can bury temperatures if you don't get any breaks in the deck.

Typically, we see stratus off the gulf when 850 mb RH is over 80%, and your southerly winds are stronger than 35 knts. A pressure gradient ahead of a cold front will usually draw that moisture straight from the gulf. The RUC analysis this morning shows the winds at 850 mb around 35 knts.



Fortunately, the RUC erodes the 850 mb RH throughout the afternoon, and we should see sunshine later on today.