Posted on 01/29/2010 7:57:23 AM PST by Star Traveler
FROM STAFF REPORTS
Published: January 29, 2010
More than 140,000 homes and businesses are starting the day without power this morning, the Oklahoma Corporation Commission reports.
Snow is falling across the metro area this morning, which could provide some traction for those driving or walking across a treacherous layer of ice that formed on roadways overnight.
While power has been restored to many customers in the Oklahoma City area this morning, in other parts of the state restoration continues and could be hampered.
Icy conditions and a forecast of high wind and snow today could slow efforts or bring down more lines.
There are 141,941 customers without electric service due to the storm this morning, said Michelann Ooten, state emergency management spokeswoman.
"Certainly ice and wind and snow will affect the restorations. We know the power service companies have all brought in out of state crews in addition to using all crews from inside the state for restoration," Ooten said.
"We know they're working hard and as fast as possible but safety has to be a concern for them as well.
While many people are staying at home today due to closings, walking could be hazardous outside.
"Truly a most dangerous trip today will be from the porch to the car or the mail box or the newspaper. We urge extreme care if you must venture outdoors. With the freezing drizzle, snow forecast this will be another day to stay safe at home with family," Ooten said.
Sand truck overturns
In Sand Springs, a city truck used to spread sand in slick spots hit a slick spot and overturned Friday morning. Assistant police chief Mike Carter said the driver was not hurt. The truck overturned on ice about 5 a.m. in the 800 block of Industrial Avenue.
Outages include the following.
The Trucker News Services
1/29/2010
A dangerous and disruptive storm will spread heavy snow and ice from the southern Plains through the mid-South through tonight, leading to more major problems with long-lasting power outages, widespread tree damage and extremely hazardous travel, according to AccuWeather forecaster Meghan Evans.
Up to a foot of snow will pile up on the storm's northern edge from southern Missouri and northern Arkansas through southern Kentucky and northern Tennessee.
Cape Girardeau, Mo., and Nashville, Tenn., are among the cities and towns that will get the heaviest snow.
The storm will continue to have a major impact on travel on Interstate 40, a major east-west trucking thoroughfare.
The zone of heavy icing to the south will cause the most trouble and damage from this storm.
Memphis and Little Rock will lie in icy zone today, but a changeover to snow is expected to occur in Little Rock overnight.
Snow falling on top of areas like central Oklahoma that were already pounded be heavy icing will keep travel extremely dangerous.
Stretches of I-40 and I-44 were both shut down in portions of the southern Plains by late Thursday due to heavy accumulations of ice. Other portions of I-40 could close as the heavy snow and ice spread farther east.
Flight delays and cancellations will persist in the South Central until the storm moves away late tonight.
The weight of ice will continue to knock down trees and power lines as the storm advances. Gusty winds accompanying the storm are also adding extra stress to trees and power lines from the southern Plains to the mid-South.
More than 50,000 homes and businesses in Oklahoma alone were without power as of early Friday, and some locations could be in the dark for days.
Tonight into Saturday, snow will advance eastward, reaching all the way to the southern mid-Atlantic Coast, blanketing parts of northern North Carolina and southern Virginia with as much as a foot of snow. Charlotte will get a mix of rain, freezing rain and sleet followed by snow.
The combination of wintry precipitation, and in some cases plunging temperatures following the rain, will make untreated roads and sidewalks extremely treacherous in the wake of the storm.
The Trucker staff can be contacted to comment on this article at editor@thetrucker.com.
It’s been snowing heavy for the last hour or more, as the weather service said it would (in Tulsa). They said it could be an inch an hour at times... so we’ll see...
I took the weenie dogs out for a walk in the snow (around the block) while it was coming down and they had some difficulty walking through yards, as it was already getting too deep for them to make it... LOL...
Snowing heavily in Tulsa now (has been for a little while now). It’s probably going at the rate of an inch an hour right now...
I can see we’re gonna get a lot of snow today... :-)
Headed out with the camera and getting a bunch of pictures...
The snow has let off in Tulsa (who knows if it will start up again...), but for right now, it looks to be around 6-8 inches in the Tulsa area.
Anyone in other areas of Oklahoma to report in on any snow or ice amounts?
By The Oklahoman, Oklahoma City
Jan. 29--A strong winter storm buried southern and western Oklahoma beneath ice and snow before creeping into the Oklahoma City area about midafternoon Thursday.
The icy conditions coated roads in a slick glaze and knocked down trees and power lines, forcing highway shutdowns and prompting school cancellations and business closures. Airlines canceled most flights into and out of Oklahoma on Thursday, and additional delays and cancellations are expected today. Tens of thousands were without power.
More than a foot of snow is expected to fall in the Panhandle and northwest Oklahoma today, and a couple of inches of snow are possible in central Oklahoma and the Oklahoma City area.
EMSA paramedics in the Oklahoma City area responded to 140 emergency calls and took 108 patients to local hospitals, spokeswoman Lara O'Leary said. Slips and falls caused 24 calls, and 20 were because of vehicle crashes.
The state Health Department reported 137 injuries because of slips and falls statewide and 25 injuries from vehicle accidents.
The Oklahoma Highway Patrol reported working 86 storm-related crashes, including 27 causing injuries.
More than 132,000 utility customers were without power in Oklahoma on Thursday night, nearly doubling the number of affected customers since the sun went down.
More than 67,000 customers were without power at 5:30 p.m., according to state emergency management spokeswoman Michelann Ooten. That number jumped to more than 132,000 by 9:30 p.m., she said.
More than 55,000 Oklahoma Association of Electric Cooperatives customers in southwestern, south central and central Oklahoma were without power as of 9:30 p.m., Ooten said.
Nearly 44,000 customers on the Public Service Co. of Oklahoma network in western Oklahoma also were without power about 9:30 p.m., spokesman Stan Whiteford said. Outages in Chickasha, Hobart and Lawton were affecting more than 37,000 customers, he said.
Power is not expected to be returned to PSO customers in these areas until Monday night, according to the PSO Web site.
"I do know that the situation is particularly bleak in some areas. I know we are particularly hard-hit in Hobart and Lawton and Chickasha and in some places out in the west ... for as far as you can see, there are downed power poles," spokeswoman Andrea Chancellor said.
Whiteford said crews from less affected areas such as Tulsa will be sent to assist in western Oklahoma today, and about 1,000 additional workers were brought into the state Thursday to assist with restoration efforts.
More than 18,000 Oklahoma Gas and Electric Co. customers were without power at 9:45 p.m., including about 2,000 without power in the cities of Colbert, Holdenville and Stratford.
More than 26,000 customers were without power for parts of Thursday night, including more than 9,000 in Yukon and 3,800 in Pauls Valley, according to the OG&E System Watch. Yukon later showed no outages, and Pauls Valley had less than a thousand.
The Oklahoma Municipal Power Authority reported almost 12,000 outages, including about 8,900 customers in Duncan and another 2,300 in Marlow, Ooten said.
The NOAA all-hazards radio broadcast in Lawton will be off the air for an undetermined amount of time because of equipment damaged in the storm, according to a report to the National Weather Service.
Roads State Transportation Department crews reported numerous highway closings because of downed trees and power lines.
Affected areas were in a band from Harmon County in the far southwest part of the state up through the central part of the state to Lincoln County, a department news release said.
Areas near Altus, Lawton, Duncan, Chickasha, Pauls Valley, Purcell and Stroud were most affected. Also, Texas officials reported poor conditions near Stratford, Texas, and requested highways leading from Guymon and Boise City in the Oklahoma Panhandle be closed.
Interstate 35 southbound near Billings was closed for a couple of hours because of a seven-car accident. And the H.E. Bailey Turnpike from Elgin to Chickasha was shut down all afternoon because of downed power lines.
Custer County officials reported several accidents involving tractor-trailers, and the Oklahoma Highway Patrol was investigating whether slick roads contributed to an afternoon accident and traffic problems on the John Kilpatrick Turnpike at MacArthur Boulevard.
Oklahoma City crews were salting roads with 24 trucks all day, city officials said. The biggest fear was trucks breaking down, which hampered cleanup efforts in last month's blizzard.
"As long as nobody breaks down we'll have 24 trucks out 24 hours," city spokeswoman Kristy Yager said.
Although the roads started to worsen in the afternoon, the city seemed to dodge the worst of the weather, Yager said. Ground temperatures helped melt freezing rain as it hit the streets.
Forecast The first round of the winter storm passed central Oklahoma by sunset, but snow was expected to start falling about dawn, the National Weather Service reported.
"We do have some sleet and snow still occurring in Ponca City, Enid and northeast Oklahoma," forecaster Christine Riley said Thursday night. "We also have some flurries and sleet in the Hobart and Altus area, and it's dry in between."
Starting about 6 a.m. and continuing into the afternoon, forecasters expect snow -- with some sleet mixed in -- to fall in central and southern Oklahoma.
Some light precipitation is expected into this evening, but accumulation will cease during the day, she said.
Airports Nearly all flights in Oklahoma City were canceled Thursday, and further cancellations are expected today, airport spokeswoman Karen Carney said.
"I'm anticipating that flights, weather permitting, will begin arriving at 8 a.m. and slowly start returning to service," she said.
Crews began deicing the runways Thursday afternoon. Flight status can be checked on the airport's Web site, flyokc.com. However, many of Southwest Airlines' arrivals were showing an on-time status, which wasn't accurate, Carney said.
Travelers should contact the airline before driving to the airport.
Morning departures from Tulsa International Airport will depend on whether the airlines have an aircraft in place, airport spokeswoman Alexis Higgins said.
For more flight information, check the airport Web site at tulsaairports.com.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.