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Significant weather advisory for areas of northwestern and western Oklahoma, from the National Weather Service, Norman

Posted by
on December 22, 2011 at 1:52 pm

SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY…

THIS SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY IS FOR DEWEY…ELLIS…HARPER…
ROGER MILLS…WOODS AND WOODWARD COUNTIES.

AROUND AT 130 PM CST…SURFACE OBSERVATIONS INDICATED TEMPERATURES
AT OR JUST BELOW FREEZING GENERALLY WEST OF MAY
RANCH…SEILING…CAMARGO…AND CHEYENNE.  LIGHT PRECIPITATION IN
THE FORM OF FREEZING DRIZZLE OR LIGHT SNOW WILL BE POSSIBLE
THROUGH THE AFTERNOON HOURS.  THIS COULD RESULT IN SLICK SPOTS
ON ROADWAYS. 

BRISK NORTH WINDS WERE ALSO ADDING ANOTHER HAZARD.  HEAVY SNOW THAT
FELL EARLY THIS WEEK WAS BLOWING AND MAKING SOME ROADS IN THE OKLAHOMA
PANHANDLE SLICK AND HAZARDOUS. NUMEROUS ACCIDENTS HAVE BEEN REPORTED
ALONG HIGHWAY 412 IN THE OKLAHOMA PANHANDLE MAINLY WEST OF HIGHWAY
283.

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Oklahoma Panhandle, Short-term forecast from the National Weather Service, Amarillo, Texas

Posted by
on December 22, 2011 at 1:08 pm

 

NOW…
…A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE WESTERN HALF
OF THE OKLAHOMA PANHANDLE AND THE FAR NORTHWEST TEXAS PANHANDLE
THROUGH MIDNIGHT…

THROUGH 3PM LIGHT SNOW WILL CONTINUE TO BE POSSIBLE NORTH AND WEST OF
A NARA VISA TO LIPSCOMB LINE WITH AREAS OF FREEZING DRIZZLE
AND PATCHY FREEZING FOG POSSIBLE SOUTH OF THIS LINE. LITTLE TO NO ICE
ACCUMULATIONS ARE EXPECTED AND ANY SNOW ACCUMULATION ARE EXPECTED TO
REMAIN LESS THAN ONE INCH THROUGH THE MIDDLE AFTERNOON HOURS. IN
ADDITION…BLOWING SNOW MAY LOCALLY REDUCE VISIBILITIES TO LESS THAN
ONE MILE AT TIMES…ESPECIALLY ACROSS THE OKLAHOMA PANHANDLE AND FAR
NORTHWEST TEXAS PANHANDLE. AREA ROADWAYS MAY BE SLICK IN SPOTS…SO
MOTORISTS ARE ENCOURAGED TO SLOW DOWN AND NOT FOLLOW OTHER MOTORISTS
TOO CLOSELY.

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At 12:20 p.m., snowing in Enid, from Mike Honigsberg, emergency management

Posted by
on December 22, 2011 at 12:37 pm

12:20 p.m.: Snowing in the Enid area. Fairly heavy at times. No freezing drizzle at this time.

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Some forecasts for Oklahoma communities for Christmas Day from the National Weather Service

Posted by
on December 22, 2011 at 12:33 pm

Oklahoma City:

Christmas Day: Sunny, with a high near 50.

Sunday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 28.

——————————————–

Tulsa:

Christmas Day: Sunny, with a high near 50.

Sunday Night: Clear, with a low around 27.
——————————————–

Lawton:

Christmas Day: Sunny, with a high near 50.

Sunday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 23.
———————————————–

Weatherford:

Christmas Day: Sunny, with a high near 50.

Sunday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 27.
————————————————

Enid:

Christmas Day: Sunny, with a high near 49.

Sunday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 24.

——————————————————–

Guymon:

Christmas Day: Sunny, with a high near 41. Northwest wind around 10 mph.

Sunday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 20. Northwest wind around 10 mph becoming southwest.
—————————————————————

Idabel:

Christmas Day: Sunny, with a high near 51.

Sunday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 29.

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Hazardous weather outlook, for the National Weather Service, Norman Forecast Office

Posted by
on December 22, 2011 at 12:03 pm

 

HARPER-WOODS-ALFALFA-GRANT-KAY-ELLIS-WOODWARD-MAJOR-GARFIELD-NOBLE-
ROGER MILLS-DEWEY-CUSTER-BLAINE-KINGFISHER-LOGAN-PAYNE-BECKHAM-
WASHITA-CADDO-CANADIAN-OKLAHOMA-LINCOLN-GRADY-MCCLAIN-CLEVELAND-
POTTAWATOMIE-SEMINOLE-HUGHES-HARMON-GREER-KIOWA-JACKSON-TILLMAN-
COMANCHE-STEPHENS-GARVIN-MURRAY-PONTOTOC-COAL-COTTON-JEFFERSON-
CARTER-JOHNSTON-ATOKA-LOVE-MARSHALL-BRYAN-HARDEMAN-FOARD-WILBARGER-
WICHITA-KNOX-BAYLOR-ARCHER-CLAY-
1147 AM CST THU DEC 22 2011

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK COVERS NORTHERN…WESTERN…
CENTRAL…AND SOUTHERN OKLAHOMA…AND WESTERN NORTH TEXAS.

.DAY ONE…THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT…

THUNDERSTORM OUTLOOK…
NO THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED.

DISCUSSION…
THE AIRMASS ACROSS THE REGION WILL CONTINUE TO BE TOO COLD AND
STABLE FOR THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT.

PROBABILITY TABLE…
VALID THROUGH 700 AM CST FRIDAY DEC 23.
PROBABILITY OF THUNDERSTORMS OCCURRING IN THE
              NWS NORMAN COUNTY WARNING AREA…0 PERCENT.

OTHER HAZARDOUS WEATHER…
AREAS OF LIGHT FREEZING DRIZZLE AND SNOW WILL BE POSSIBLE ACROSS
NORTHWEST OKLAHOMA TODAY. ANY ACCUMULATIONS WILL BE VERY LIGHT…
BUT IT DOES NOT TAKE MUCH FREEZING DRIZZLE TO CREATE SLICK
CONDITIONS ON ELEVATED ROAD SURFACES. A MIX OF LIGHT RAIN AND SNOW
WILL SPREAD SOUTHEAST THROUGH THIS EVENING.

MEANWHILE… GUSTY NORTH WINDS TONIGHT WILL RESULT IN WIND CHILL
TEMPERATURES GENERALLY IN THE SINGLE DIGITS AND TEENS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN…FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY…

THUNDERSTORM OUTLOOK…
NO THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED.

OTHER HAZARDOUS WEATHER…
THE LOW WIND CHILL VALUES WILL CONTINUE INTO FRIDAY MORNING. THERE
IS A SLIGHT CHANCE OF LIGHT RAIN AND SNOW ACROSS PORTIONS OF
SOUTHERN OKLAHOMA AND WESTERN NORTH TEXAS FRIDAY NIGHT AND SATURDAY.
HOWEVER… LITTLE OR NO SNOW ACCUMULATION IS EXPECTED.

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Today’s forecast, map, for the National Weather Service, Norman Forecast Office area

Posted by
on December 22, 2011 at 11:44 am

 

 

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Christmas Day, forecast, for the National Weather Service, Norman Forecast Office area

Posted by
on December 22, 2011 at 10:16 am

 

Christmas could be an interesting weather day, with relatively little risk of

travel problems. Temperatures above ground will favor snowfall,

but temperatures at the ground are forecast to be several degrees

above freezing. The result should be a mix of rain and snow

while roads remain wet rather than icy.

 
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Oklahoma City Christmas Day weather facts, provided by the National Weather Service, Norman Forecast Office

Posted by
on December 22, 2011 at 10:13 am
The following are some numbers related to Christmas Day weather in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The numbers are based on records going back to 1890.
Category Average Warmest Coldest
High Temperature 47.4 73 in 1922 13 in 1983
Low Temperature 27.2 49 in 1936 -1 in 1983

Total Precipitation (1890-2010):
2.25 inches

Total Snowfall (1890-2010):
7.3 inches

Wettest Christmas:
1987 – Precipitation totaled 1.05 inches of liquid water equivalent, but all of the precipitation was freezing rain, sleet, and snow.

Highest Snowfall:
1914 – 6.5 inches of snow fell.

Whitest Christmas*** :
2009 – 14 inches of snow on the ground

Percentage of Years with Precipitation:
22% – 26 of 121

Percentage of Years with a Trace or More of Snowfall:
9% – 11 of 121

Percentage of Years With 0.1 Inches Or More Of Snowfall:
2% – 3 of 121

Percentage of Years with At Least a Trace of Snow on the Ground Christmas Morning:
10% – 12 of 121

Percentage of Years with an Inch or More of Snow on the Ground on Christmas Morning:
5% – 6 of 121

*** A white Christmas is defined by at least one inch of snow on the ground Christmas morning.

Years with Snowfall
on Christmas Day

Snow on Ground
on Christmas Morning
       
1913 Trace 1913 Trace
1914 6.5 inches 1914 6 inches
1937 Trace 1918 5 inches
1938 Trace 1939 Trace
1939 0.3 inches 1943 1 inch
1948 Trace 1962 Trace
1952 Trace 1975 1 inch
1962 Trace 1983 Trace
1975 0.5 inches 1987 Trace
1987 Trace 1990 Trace
2000  Trace 2002 2 inches
    2009 14 inches
Some of the more memorable Christmas Days weatherwise in recent years include…1955:The high of 54 was above average, but was a 32-degree drop-off from the previous

 day. A high of 86 on Christmas Eve was 38 degrees above the long-term average,

and still stands as the all-time record high temperature for December.

1975: Rain changed to snow on Christmas Eve, with heavy snow falling

that afternoon and continuing into early Christmas morning.

 Nearly 3 inches fell during the storm, but temperatures hovered

just above freezing, and much of the snow melted when it

 reached the ground.

1983: Bitter cold with wind chills as low as 27 below occurred during

 the pre-dawn hours of Christmas Day. The high of 13 was an

 improvement over the previous day, as the high on

Christmas Eve was 3 above zero. The low was zero,

 and wind chills dropped as low as minus 45 as

north winds gusted to 38 mph.

1987: Freezing rain and sleet began before sunrise, and was the start

of an infamous 2-day ice storm that left parts of Oklahoma

 without power for over a week. Sleet prevailed across

 the western and northern parts of Oklahoma City,

while freezing rain devastated southern and eastern parts

 of the metro area. Despite heavy sleet and

 ice accumulations of up to 2 inches, total snowfall was only a trace.

1989: Christmas Day was a sunny, mild day with

 temperatures in the 50s. But what made this Christmas memorable

 was the dramatic warm-up that was in progress.

Three days earlier the temperature fell to minus 4,

a new all-time record low for December.

Winds of 20 mph at the time dropped wind chills

 to near 50 below. The next night, the December

 low temperature record was broken again

when the temperature fell to minus 8.

Two days later on Christmas Day, the

 temperature reached 57, giving Oklahoma City

a 65-degree warm-up in two days.

2000: A major winter storm affected much

 of Oklahoma on December 25-26, with impacts

 similar to the storm in 1987. The storm began

 on Christmas Day across the region, with

 significant accumulations of snow and ice

 occurring Christmas night and into

December 26. Heavy snow, accumulating

 8 to 12 inches, fell across

 northwest Oklahoma. Meanwhile, a combination

of snow, sleet, and freezing rain fell

across west-central, central and north-central

 Oklahoma, with accumulations ranging from

 2 to as much as 8 inches. One of the worst

 ice storms to ever affect the state of Oklahoma

 occurred in south-central and southeast Oklahoma,

 where ice and sleet accumulations from 1 to 2 inches

 were common. Statewide, around 170,000 residents

were without electricity right after the storm,

 and power was not restored in some locations

 until almost 2 weeks later.

2009: Although no snow technically fell on

Christmas Day, the record-setting blizzard that

affected a large part of Oklahoma on

Christmas Eve was fresh on everyone’s mind.

 Snow accumulated between 5 and 7 inches

from southwest into central Oklahoma,

 with several locations reporting more than 10 inches!

The snowstorm was made worse by the near

 continuous winds that were sustained

near 40 mph with gusts as high as 60 mph.

 All major highways were shut down by

early afternoon, stranding thousands

of holiday travelers and last-minute

 Christmas shoppers. The snow

 finally moved east during the

 early evening hours, leaving

behind snow drifts as high

as five feet, and streets

littered with abandoned cars.
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“Drought reduction continues” from Gary McManus of the Oklahoma Climatological Survey

Posted by
on December 22, 2011 at 10:11 am

Drought reduction continues

Oklahoma’s continuing wet ways have helped the state reduce its drought designation once again. The U.S. Drought Monitor map released this morning shows about 27% of the state now in the two worst intensity categories (exceptional and extreme), down about 5% from last week. Only 3% of that 27% is the worst drought category of exceptional.

The statewide average precipitation total for December now stands at 2.33 inches according to data from the Oklahoma Mesonet. That total will continue to increase regardless of further precipitation as the snowpack currently covering most of the Panhandle melts.

The normal total for the entire month is 2.04 inches. This follows the 12th wettest November for the state since 1895. The two wetter-than-normal months, along with a little bit of help from October, have reduced the state’s drought picture significantly since late September. At that time, 66% of the state was painted with exceptional drought intensity.

Topsoil moisture is in good shape across the entire state according to the Mesonet’s sensors at 2 inches.

The dryness is still showing up in western Oklahoma and the Panhandle down to 24 inches, however.

Hopefully that moisture profile in the Panhandle will improve with further melting of the snow. The lack of response to lakes in western Oklahoma remains a concern as well. The reservoir at Ft. Supply is still at 68% capacity and Canton Lake, a secondary water source for Oklahoma City, is at a miserable 28% of capacity. Drought and water released to OKC have significantly drained that lake’s level over the last several months. Lake Altus, a primary irrigation source for southwestern Oklahoma’s cotton crop, is at 18% of capacity, signaling a desperate need for further rains in that area.

In eastern Oklahoma, Lake Eufaula is now at 90% of capacity. Lake Skiatook remains a bit low at 64% of capacity.

Oklahoma and the rest of the Southern Plains looks to be a bit drier over the next week or two, a bit of a respite from the series of south-diving storms we’ve seen over the last two months.

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Forecast for Christmas Eve and Christmas for some areas of Oklahoma

Posted by
on December 21, 2011 at 10:26 am

Oklahoma City:

Saturday: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 41.

Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 26.

Christmas Day: Sunny, with a high near 49.

Sunday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 30.

——————————————–

Tulsa:

Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 43.

Saturday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 26.

Christmas Day: Sunny, with a high near 49.

Sunday Night: Clear, with a low around 28.

——————————————–

Lawton:

Saturday: A 20 percent chance of snow. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 41.

Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 25.

Christmas Day: Sunny, with a high near 49.

Sunday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 26.

———————————————–

Weatherford:

Saturday: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 41.

Saturday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 26.

Christmas Day: Sunny, with a high near 49.

Sunday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 29.

————————————————

Enid:

Saturday: Partly sunny, with a high near 40.

Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 23.

Christmas Day: Sunny, with a high near 49.

Sunday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 26.

——————————————————–

Guymon:

Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 32. Northwest wind around 10 mph.

Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 15. Northwest wind around 10 mph.

Christmas Day: Mostly sunny, with a high near 36. West northwest wind around 10 mph.

Sunday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 19.

—————————————————————

Idabel:

Saturday: A 30 percent chance of rain. Partly sunny, with a high near 49.

Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 29.

Christmas Day: Sunny, with a high near 52.

Sunday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 32.

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