Elk City, OK – Western Oklahoma will trade its summer heat for an early taste of fall next week, according to the National Weather Service in Norman and Oklahoma City meteorologists.

After a warm weekend with highs in the low 90s, a strong cold front will push through late Sunday. That shift brings a sharp temperature drop and growing chances for rain and thunderstorms.

Meteorologists say once this front clears the state, we’re looking at highs only in the 60s and 70s through much of next week. Lows will dip into the low 60s, giving western Oklahoma the kind of weather usually reserved for late September.

The front should arrive Sunday night into Monday, ushering in October-like air along with scattered storms. Rain chances remain elevated through midweek, with showers possible Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. The highest odds of rain in western Oklahoma come Tuesday, when chances reach around 60 percent.

Labor Day weekend may hold on to the cooler pattern. Forecast models show highs in the upper 70s with lows in the 60s, along with on-and-off showers, and it will feel much more like fall than summer as the holiday weekend approaches.

The change follows several weeks of triple-digit heat earlier this summer. Now, residents may be reaching for light jackets instead of sunscreen.