Posted on 12/24/2009 1:35:10 PM PST by PhiKapMom
A winter storm bludgeoning Oklahoma today has been responsible for at least three deaths so far, and Gov. Brad Henry declared a state of emergency, officials said.
Christmas Eve in OKC
All interstates closed in Oklahoma City; H.E. Bailey...
12/24/2009 EL RENO — The Oklahoma Highway Patrol closed eastbound Interstate 40 at U.S. 81 in El Reno because of several weather-related wrecks. Troopers closed... One person died in a weather-related crash on Interstate 44 near Geronimo, Comanche County officials said. At least two people died in a weather-related crash on State Highway 51 near Sand Springs, Assistant Police Chief Mike Carter said. The victims' identities have not been released.
Governor Henry declared a state of emergency in all 77 counties, according to a news release. The declaration allows local authorities to seek reimbursement for storm-related costs through the state's disaster assistance program.
The governor also pleaded with Oklahomans to stay off the roads unless travel "is absolutely necessary."
Blizzard warning issued
Sleet and rain has changed to snow today in central Oklahoma, and heavy snowfall through the evening could leave up to 11 inches in parts of the state, forecasters say.
The National Weather Service issued a blizzard warning through 6 p.m. throughout most of Oklahoma. Heavy snow, wind gusts of 40 to 60 mph and dangerous wind chill levels are expected.
Roads are expected to be slick and hazardous throughout the state during the storm, according to the weather service. The relatively warm days leading up to the storm could lessen snow and ice accumulation, but a frigid arctic air mass arrives overnight and will send temperatures tumbling further.
Strong, gusty winds and blowing snow will add to the dangerous driving conditions this afternoon, weather service forecaster Daryl Williams said. Nearly a foot of snow is possible across southern Oklahoma today, and the Oklahoma City area could see about one-half foot.
Officials urge motorists to avoid driving if possible. Drivers should slow down, increase following distance and avoid distractions inside the vehicle. Authorities said those who must drive should pack extra warm clothing or blankets, food, water, a charged cell phone and sturdy shoes in case they become stuck.
Conditions deteriorating on roads statewide
Officials have reported worsening conditions on roadways throughout the state, including in the Oklahoma City area.
All interstates in the Oklahoma City area have been closed. A 50-car pileup is clogging Interstate 40 eastbound near Hudiburg Drive in Midwest City, said Midwest City Police Chief Brandon Clabes.
Two Midwest City police cars and an EMSA ambulance are involved in the pileup, Clabes said.
Oklahoma Highway Patrol troopers have reported multiple weather-related crashes on all interstate highways and most other major state roads. Troopers are no longer responding to non-injury accidents in the Oklahoma City-area, instead focusing on roadway blockages and injury accidents.
Motorists involved in a non-injury accident are asked to pull off the roadway and exchange information.
The slick roadways also have led to numerous wrecks in the metro area today, Emergency Medical Services Authority spokeswoman Lara O'Leary said early this afternoon. Paramedics were dispatched to about 25 crashes and 10 falls, but the situation has not been as bad as officials feared.
"It seems like a lot of people are heeding the advice to stay off the roads," O'Leary said.
Wrecks during morning rush hour clogged metro freeways, but city street crews were expected to continue spreading salt around the clock for the duration of the storm. State and turnpike salt crews also were attending to roads throughout Oklahoma.
Paul Southerland, a photographer at The Oklahoman, said traffic was at a standstill on Interstate 40 west of Oklahoma City because of blowing snow.
"You can't see 10 feet in front of you," Southerland said about 1 p.m. "The windshield is cracked all the way across. A piece of ice hit it."
State Transportation Department road crews are reporting blizzard-like conditions, causing slick spots throughout the state, department spokesman David Meuser said.
"The conditions have rapidly deteriorated, and the western part of the state is experiencing worse snow than the rest of the state. It has followed the way the storm has come in," Meuser said.
The department has 430 salt and sand trucks, 115 crews and 130,000 tons of sand and a salt and sand mixture available.
"If people can stay home that would be preferable," Meuser said. "If you have to travel, allow yourself plenty of time."
Meuser encouraged motorists to stay at least 200 feet behind road-clearing equipment. Crews need room to maneuver and can engage plowing or spreading materials without notice.
Oklahoma City-area airports closed
All Oklahoma City-area airports, including Will Rogers World Airport, were closed this afternoon, city officials said.
All Southwest Airlines departures had previously been canceled, and most other flights on other airlines had also been delayed or canceled.
Wind gusts of more than 50 mph have been recorded at the airport, city airports spokesman Mark Kranenburg said. Pilots have reported wind shear, which is especially dangerous for takeoffs and landings.
Travelers are encouraged to contact airlines regarding flight cancellations.
Power outages on the rise
State Emergency Management Department spokeswoman Michelann Ooten said more than 16,000 power customers in Oklahoma were without power about 2 p.m.. Most of the outages were in western Oklahoma, with many in Lawton.
The American Red Cross has opened a shelter at Lawton High School, 601 NW Fort Sill Blvd., for those without power.
The Oklahoma Gas and Electric Co. reported around 4,700 outages in the metro area about 2:15 p.m.
There were also reports of power outages in Chickasha, Hobart and Tipton, Ooten said.
State officials have deployed industrial-sized generators to several locations across the state in order to power water treatment plants, shelters and important services if necessary, Ooten said.
"Thankfully, many schools and businesses are closed today. But it's a good day to just sit at home and be with your family while watching the storm," she said.
Temperatures, precipitation totals vary throughout state
Temperatures were in the 20s in most of Oklahoma along and west of Interstate 35 around 2 p.m., according to the Oklahoma Mesonet.
The front had yet to push temperatures below freezing in eastern Oklahoma. Temperatures were near 50 degrees in far southeastern Oklahoma and in the 30s and 40s elsewhere east of I-35.
Up to 4 inches of snow had fallen in central Oklahoma by 2 p.m. with higher amounts reported in southwestern Oklahoma, according to a state Emergency Management Department news release.
Some Mesonet stations in southern and eastern Oklahoma had reported more than an inch of rain from midnight to around 1 p.m. About a fifth of an inch of sleet and freezing rain fell in and around Oklahoma City during the same time period.
Read more: The Oklahoma
It was in the 60's on Tuesday and high 50's yesterday morning and now 25 degrees and snowing.
We are definitely having a white Christmas and all my outside Christmas looks really pretty. I have a lot of things in my yard and it looks like a postcard from Minnesota!
Merry Christmas from the snowy Heartland of America Norman Oklahoma!
Yeah.... sudden losses in C02 cause temps to fall dramatically.
Meanwhile here in southern Michigan.
Windy. Freezing rain and sleet likely...then rain and freezing rain overnight. Ice accumulation around one tenth of an inch. Lows in the upper 20s. East winds 15 to 25 mph. Gusts up to 30 mph increasing to 35 mph toward daybreak. Chance of precipitation 90 percent.
I’m so envious. Nothing but wind and rain in central Illinois
I have kinfolk in Oklahoma! Y’all take care and have a Merry White Christmas. *Wink*
North Texas too!! Just got off the phone with my relatives at the South end of the H.E. Bailey Turnpike and they haven’t seen it like this ever!
We just got home, we beat the mess out of OK and KS thank goodness.
Left Central Kansas as the weatherman said a blizzard was on the way it was just starting to get cold and windy. Got ahead of the storm stayed the night in Pauls Valley OK and it was very humid and kinda warm. Drove the next day into Central Texas Ft Hood and it was 75 degrees.(with it being this warm in central TX we knew something was up)Got up this morning and the wind was blowing and cold. Drove down home to Seguin, and was home 5 minutes and the front was right behind us blowing cold. All our neighbors blamed us for bringing it with us. Heck no I said we were running from it.
Just ignore it. Actually it’s 120 degrees and the ocean has risen to the border of southern OK.....according to UN climatologists.
We had ours last weekend in SE PA
23 in Philly
12 in the burbs where I am —5 hours of shoveling
Supposed to be in the 40s and rain the next 2 days so maybe most of it will be gone
Be happy if we don’t get any for the rest of the winter
Anything over 4 inches becomes a pain to shovel
Especially at 73
I live in KS and have a big drift of global warming across my driveway. Supposedly two more days of it coming. Algore should shovel my sidewalk.
Yer gonna get it again,,,heh heh.
Beautiful snow in Killeen right now.
Go figure! Here in S.E. Michigan we have a light dusting of snow on the ground but that's it. Tomorrow the temps are expected to rise and by nightfall they are predicting rain........
Don't ask me to explain this.
Pretty bad conditions. Got out around lunch in 4 wheel drive pickup with sand bags. It does fine... but there were 9845739457483 cars that couldn’t go anywhere.... Blizard with visibility about 75 yards.
Who let Al Gore into Oklahoma?
My Ft. Hood weather tale:
In 1975 Ft. Hood was my first posting. As a Pfc. I was assigned as the squad M113 (APC) driver. As winter approached, operators were directed to check and service the anti-freeze in the track's engines. I checked and discovered that mine, for whatever reason, contained straight water.
"No big deal", I told myself (being a 19 year old easterner with a touch of laziness inherent). This was Texas, after all-full of dessicated steer skulls, dying prospectors begging for water and blistered cactus and creosote bushes.
Right?
Wrong. One weekend in January an ominous north wind began to blow. The temps plummeted until by Saturday afternoon they were in the teens and still headed south. Frantic that my engine block would crack from the cold and I would be sent to Ft. Leavenworth, I climbed the fence surrounding the motor pool and fired the engine up. It ran all night Saturday, all day Sunday and Sunday night.
Monday morning, I was the first one there when the gate was opened so the First Sergeant wouldn't find an unattended, running 113.
Bottom line? It gets cold as hell in Texas!
Stay warm, TexasBeth.
***they haven’t seen it like this ever!***
Were they around the area back in March 14, 1968?
That was when Tulsa weatherman Don Woods (KTUL 8)said it would be just a “dry front”. We got 18 inches of dry front!
Yeah my Sis in Copperas Cove just called and said its really a nice snow big flakes she’s sayin’
Good for yall
Merry Christmas, PKM!
It’s still 45 degrees here but will change rapidly before midnight. We had plans to go to in-laws tomorrow but that will probably change.
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