Posted on 03/20/2010 9:57:50 AM PDT by Star Traveler
By Staff Reports
Published: 3/20/2010 8:22 AM
Last Modified: 3/20/2010 11:17 AM
The National Weather Service is predicting that the Tulsa area will be hit with 5 to 10 inches of snow over the weekend.
Meteoroligist David Jankowski said Saturday morning's mix of sleet and rain will turn to snow by early afternoon.
"We're kind of in the transition stage," Jankowski said.
Tulsa should see 2 to 4 inches of snow Saturday and another 2 to 3 inches overnight, Jankowski said.
Another 1 to 3 inches is possible on Sunday before the precipitation stops Sunday afternoon.
"Monday, this should be pushing out of the area and we can see mostly sunny skies with temperatures rebounding into the mid-50's," Jankowski said.
The temperature at Tulsa International Airport at 8 a.m. was 31 degrees with Ponca City and Stillwater already showing snow.
"So the snow is not too far," Jankowski said.
Meanwhile, Tulsa Police say they have responded to at least four weather-related crashes Saturday morning.
"Those are either injury or possible injury" accidents," said Capt. Randy Hughes. "What I'm hearing is that the overpasses are slushy and slick."
Darren Stefanek, the manager of street maintenance in the Public Works Department, said the city has eight trucks on the streets with crews concentrating on bridges.
"I plan on having all 54 trucks in by four o'clock," Stefanek said. "However, if conditions deteriorate I'll have them in earlier."
The Oklahoma Department of Transportation is reporting one-quarter to one-half inch of snow in western Oklahoma and mist and sleet in the central part of the state.
ODOT crews are treating bridges, which are the first road surfaces to freeze, first.
As of 10:15 a.m. the Tulsa International Airport Web site was showing two flights delayed and one canceled. That's out of 25 flights scheduled to depart the airport between 10 a.m. and 5:45 p.m.
In advance of the winter storm, state officials declared a state of emergency late Friday for all 77 of Oklahoma's counties.
The declaration provides a formal mechanism for local governments to seek reimbursement for recovery costs through the state's disaster public assistance program should conditions warrant. The executive order is also the first step toward seeking federal aid should it be necessary.
The storm could make driving hazardous and hinder fans trying to get to men's and women's NCAA tournament games scheduled for Saturday and Sunday in Oklahoma City and Norman, officials said.
"We certainly hate that it may affect attendance," said Laura Kriegel, director of marketing and communications for the Oklahoma City Convention & Visitors Bureau. "We hope it passes by and we have some great basketball."
Kriegel said hotels in downtown Oklahoma City are sold out for the men's tournament, but she encouraged ticketholders who plan to drive to the Ford Center arena for the college basketball games to take road conditions into account.
"We want people to use their best judgment. Be mindful of the weather," she said.
The storm was expected to be the third major winter storm to hit the state in the past three months, starting with a Christmas Eve blizzard that dropped more than 14 inches of snow in some areas and stranded holiday travelers on snow-packed highways.
Forecasters said 8 to 10 inches of snow was likely Saturday from north central Oklahoma to southeast of the Oklahoma City area and that a blizzard warning could be issued as the storm intensifies.
"You just can't trust Mother Nature in Oklahoma," said Sukie Allison, spokeswoman for the state Department of Transportation.
Allison said more than 100 state road crews readied snow plows and other snow-removal equipment in advance of the storm and that the state had enough sand and salt to keep snow-covered roadways open.
Rick Smith, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Norman, said early spring snowstorms are not unprecedented in Oklahoma. A storm in late March 2009 dropped record snowfall in parts of the state and was the second-most-severe winter storm of the year, behind the Christmas Eve blizzard.
Guess there’s a silver lining to every cloud. Good luck down there folks. Ironically it’s in the 60s here in CT today.
What do they say on the forecast? Here they say up to 10 inches (but of course, you don’t know for sure)....
Yeah, y’all get that stuff through there before it gets here... LOL ...
If only we could get the migrant Californians to keep going...
Oh... those, huh? They show up around here, too... :-)
Latte locusts... ;)
Yes to the silver lining, I try never to complain about this stuff as I remember all the complaing the Hebrews did when they were led out of Eygpt, they got 40 years in the desert.
Rejoice in the Lord always.
Different reports, of course. Happy Spring! I love Tulsa, btw. The cleanest city I’ve ever seen. Good people, too.
I also remember when Tulsa was 105 degrees on May 4, 1972, Then 38 degrees with wind on May 1, 1978.
Stick around. The weather will change.
I looked out the window this morning and saw that awful white pollution covering the ground and shouted a word Michelle Obama and her most recent crusade have admonished Americans never to use again.
At the top of my lungs, I yelled, “Fudge!”
Maybe these are the Ides of March approaching?
I bet Al Gore has an AGW conference scheduled in Tulsa this weekend.
How’s that 10 inches of Global Warming working out for ya there in Tulsa?
When was the last time Oklahoma had a global warming blizzard this late into the winter? Isn’t the official start of Spring in a day or so?
You will need .12 gauge for zombies.
When was the last time Oklahoma had a global warming blizzard this late into the winter? Isn’t the official start of Spring in a day or so?
Well, last year about this time, about 8 inches in Tulsa. And if you read another FReeper's post, a big one in March back in 1968...
It's not really uncommon to have a last blast of winter about this time in Oklahoma...
Got two 5 gallon buckets of those, but I prefer a better class of zombie and use a 16 gauge double.
How’s that 10 inches of Global Warming working out for ya there in Tulsa?
As I was saying... my relatives tell me it's not that uncommon...
My cousin warned me several weeks to a month ago, that we were going to have one in March, sometime. And sure enough, here it is.
And last year, I saw it at the end of March, right here in Tulsa, about 8 inches...
Well, about two days ago (maybe it was three), I knew this was coming, so it was not unexpected. In fact, yesterday while riding around on the bicycle in 70 degree weather, I was contemplating the snow that I knew was coming today... and thought how strange it gets in Tulsa, from 70 to snowing in one day... (but, again, typical...).
Yeah, Tulsa is great. I’m back in town again, after being away in Oregon for many many years... :-)
I love it, actually... and I wish I had my cross country skis from Oregon. I think I’m actually going to get a pair of them for Oklahoma. I didn’t think I would need them here, but now I’m changing my mind... :-)
LOL ...
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