Area forecast discussion from the National Weather Service, Norman
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORMAN OK
604 PM CST WED FEB 27 2013
.DISCUSSION…
WINDS WILL DECREASE QUICKLY THIS EVENING. OTHERWISE…
VFR CONDITIONS WILL PREVAIL NEXT 24 HRS.
.PREV DISCUSSION… /ISSUED 317 PM CST WED FEB 27 2013/
DISCUSSION…
BREEZY NORTH WINDS CONTINUE BEHIND A COLD FRONT THAT HAS PUSHED
INTO SOUTH TEXAS THIS AFTERNOON. EXPECT SPEEDS TO DECREASE NEAR
SUNSET AS THE BOUNDARY LAYER DECOUPLES. A SFC RIDGE WILL EXTEND
ACROSS WESTERN OK TONIGHT/EARLY TOMORROW AND TEMPERATURES SHOULD
DROP INTO THE LOW 20S UNDER CLEAR SKIES ACROSS N/NW OK WHERE SNOW
PACK WILL REMAIN. NORTH WINDS ARE AGAIN ANTICIPATED FOR TOMORROW
WITH SOME WEAK CAA ACROSS THE REGION. THIS WILL KEEP MAXTS
SIMILAR TO WHAT THEY ARE GOING TO BE THIS AFTERNOON…ALTHOUGH
WITH SOME MELTING OF THE SNOW PACK FROM TODAY THEY SHOULD BE A
COUPLE OF DEGREES WARMER FOR MOST LOCATIONS.
BY EARLY FRI MORNING A SHORTWAVE TROUGH WITHIN NORTHERLY MID LEVEL
FLOW WILL ENTER THE PANHANDLE AND THEN MOVE OVER SW OK DURING THE
LATE MORNING. SOME VERY LIGHT RAIN/SNOW HAS BEEN INTRODUCED
THROUGH FRI WITH THIS FEATURE…ALTHOUGH LIMITED MOISTURE/LIFT
SHOULD KEEP ANYTHING SIGNIFICANT FROM DEVELOPING. PERSISTENT DEEP
NORTHERLY FLOW WILL KEEP TEMPS BELOW AVERAGES THROUGH AT LEAST
SATURDAY…BEFORE HEIGHTS START TO INCREASE SUNDAY AS A SHORTWAVE
RIDGE MOVES OVERHEAD. WARMER THAN AVERAGE TEMPS ARE THEN
ANTICIPATED FOR MONDAY…ESPECIALLY ACROSS SOUTHWESTERN OK AND
WESTERN N TX…AS THE NEXT SIGNIFICANT SHORTWAVE TROUGH PASSES
OVER THE CENTRAL ROCKIES. A LEE SFC LOW AND ACCOMPANYING DOWNSLOPE
FLOW WILL DEVELOP WITH THIS FEATURE AHEAD OF THE NEXT COLD
FRONT…WHICH IS EXPECTED TO IMPACT THE FA LATE MONDAY NIGHT.
Oklahoma Department of Transportation, Traffic Advisory
Road Conditions Update 2-27-13 – 4:30 p.m.
Crews have made significant improvements throughout Wednesday, and all highways are open in northwest Oklahoma. There remain a few closures in north central Oklahoma due to downed power lines.
The following highways are currently closed due to downed power lines as of 4:30 p.m.:
- Garfield Co: SH-132 one mile south of the Grant county line.
- Grant Co: US-81 between Medford and Pond Creek.
- Noble Co: SH-15 is closed between US-77 and I-35 in Noble County.
Although highways are now open, ODOT crews will continue to monitor roads in case of any refreezing.
Drivers should remain cautious for possible overnight refreezing. Barricades are there for safety, please do not attempt to maneuver around them.
Out-of-State Road Conditions
Arkansas 800-245-1672
Colorado 303-639-1111
Kansas 866-511-5368
Missouri 800-222-6400
New Mexico 800-432-4269
Oklahoma 888-425-2385
Texas 800-452-9292
To check CURRENT ROAD CONDITIONS, call the Department of Public Safety's ROAD CONDITIONS HOTLINE at 888-425-2385.
Arnett sets new snowfall record
Arnett sets new state record for most snow ever in a month of 42.5″ (5.32 liquid) surpassing Buffalo’s record of 39.5″ set in 1971, according to Gary McManus, Oklahoma Climatological Survey.
Hazardous weather outlook, from the National Weather Service, Tulsa
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
1233 PM CST WED FEB 27 2013
ADAIR OK-BENTON AR-CARROLL AR-CHEROKEE OK-CHOCTAW OK-CRAIG OK-
CRAWFORD AR-CREEK OK-DELAWARE OK-FRANKLIN AR-HASKELL OK-LATIMER OK-
LE FLORE OK-MADISON AR-MAYES OK-MCINTOSH OK-MUSKOGEE OK-NOWATA OK-
OKFUSKEE OK-OKMULGEE OK-OSAGE OK-OTTAWA OK-PAWNEE OK-PITTSBURG OK-
PUSHMATAHA OK-ROGERS OK-SEBASTIAN AR-SEQUOYAH OK-TULSA OK-WAGONER OK-
WASHINGTON OK-WASHINGTON AR-
1233 PM CST WED FEB 27 2013
THIS OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHWEST AND WEST CENTRAL ARKANSAS AS WELL AS
MUCH OF EASTERN OKLAHOMA.
.DAY ONE…THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT.
NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED.
SPOTTER AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT ACTION STATEMENT…
SPOTTER ACTIVATION NOT EXPECTED.
.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN…THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY.
THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY…NO HAZARDS.
EXTENDED DISCUSSION…
COOL WEATHER WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF THE WEEK…WITH
A MODEST WARMUP OVER THE WEEKEND. A FEW SNOW FLURRIES WILL BE
POSSIBLE ACROSS NORTHWEST ARKANSAS FRIDAY NIGHT INTO SATURDAY
MORNING.
FYI: More information on Historic Blizzard provided by the National Weather Service, Amarillo, Texas
February 25, 2013 Blizzard
A historic blizzard struck the Panhandles during the early morning hours of Monday, February 25 and continued through the afternoon hours. A very intense upper-level disturbance produced a band of heavy snow that set up over the central Panhandles from roughly Amarillo to Borger to Perryton during the early morning hours on Monday. Within this band of snow, snowfall rates approached 2-3 inches per hour, thundersnow was observed, and extreme blizzard conditions were observed. As this band moved west and east during the morning hours, many locations from Hereford to Beaver received more than 10 inches of snow. The heavy snow and strong winds resulted in visibilities less than 50 feet at times for many of these locations. As a result, this virtually crippled the entire area and made travel almost impossible. In fact, all roads in the Texas and Oklahoma Panhandles were closed, including Interstate 40 from the New Mexico border to the Oklahoma border and Interstate 27 from Amarillo to Lubbock. Conditions were so severe that Texas Department of Transportation crews were not able to work to keep the roads plowed. Rick Husband International Airport in Amarillo was shut down for most of the day. 19 inches of snow accumulated at NWS Amarillo along with a peak wind gust of 75 mph late Monday morning. A peak wind gust of 77 mph was also recorded at the Pantex Nuclear facility. Unfortunately, many motorists were also stranded.
*This was the 3rd largest snowfall event at Amarillo – only behind March 25-26, 1934 (20.6 inches) and December 26-27, 2000 (20.2 inches)
*This was the 2nd largest snowfall for a calendar day — only behind March 25, 1934 (19.3 inches)
*This was the largest snowfall for a single day in the month of February. The previous record was 12 inches on February 16, 1893
*The 17-inch snow depth at 6 AM on Tuesday, February 26 was the highest all-time snow depth measurement taken at Amarillo. (Snow depth measurements are only take once a day at 6 AM)
FYI: Record All Time Snow Depth at Amarillo, Texas
RECORD EVENT REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AMARILLO TX
654 AM CST TUE FEB 27 2013
…RECORD ALL TIME SNOW DEPTH SET AT AMARILLO …
THE SNOW DEPTH AT AMARILLO WAS MEASURED AT 17.0 INCHES
YESTERDAY…FEBRUARY 26TH. THIS SETS A NEW ALL TIME RECORD FOR SNOW
DEPTH. IT BREAKS THE OLD RECORD OF 15.0 INCHES WHICH WAS SET ON
DECEMBER 27, 2000. SNOW DEPTH MEASUREMENTS ARE ONLY TAKEN ONCE A DAY
AT 6 AM.
Hazardous weather outlook from the National Weather Service, Norman
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORMAN OK
1159 AM CST WED FEB 27 2013
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-
1159 AM CST WED FEB 27 2013
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…
A COOL AND STABLE AIRMASS WILL PERSIST.
PROBABILITY TABLE…
VALID THROUGH 700 AM CST THURSDAY FEB 28.
PROBABILITY OF THUNDERSTORMS OCCURRING IN THE
NWS NORMAN COUNTY WARNING AREA…ZERO PERCENT.
OTHER HAZARDOUS WEATHER…
NONE.
.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN…THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY…
THUNDERSTORM OUTLOOK…
NO THUNDERSTORMS EXPECTED.
OTHER HAZARDOUS WEATHER…
NONE.
Oklahoma Department of Transportation, Traffic Advisory Update for noon Wednesday (Feb. 27, 2013)
**Corrected**
Road Conditions Update 2-27-13 – 12 p.m.
The consistent work of ODOT crews is paying off in northwest Oklahoma. Crews have been able to open more highways in Ellis and Woodward counties.
The following highways are currently closed as of 12 p.m.:
- Garfield Co: SH-132 one mile south of the Grant county line due to downed power lines.
- Grant Co: US-81 between Medford and Pond Creek.
- Noble Co: SH-15 is closed between US-77 and I-35 in Noble County.
- Ellis Co: SH-46 between Gage and the Harper county line.
- Ellis Co: SH-15 between US-283 and the Texas state line.
- Beaver Co: SH-23 is closed between US-64 and the Kansas State line.
- Beaver Co: SH-23 is closed between Elmwwod and the Texas state line
- Beaver Co: US-83 is open, but areas of one lane between Turpin and the Texas state line.
- Woodward Co: SH-50 is closed within Woodward County.
Crews in northwest Oklahoma are plowing to open roadways to traffic. Travel is still discouraged in this area. Crews will continue clearing efforts until all highways are clear.
In western Oklahoma, highways are mostly clear, but slick spots may be present. Crews are sanding and salting areas and clearing roadways as needed.
Thirty counties received heavy snow, some up to 20 inches. Approximately 500 - 600 ODOT Personnel have been working 24/7 to clear the roads. Crews have been shifted from unaffected parts of the state to help out in the harder hit areas.
There are 550 trucks available statewide, including 60 in the Oklahoma City metro area and more than 40 in the Tulsa metro area. Sand and salt sheds are stocked and crews remain ready to respond to conditions.
During snow and/or ice conditions, motorists are asked to:
· Check road conditions before getting out on the roads.
· Stay at least 200 feet behind road-clearing equipment; crews need room to maneuver and can engage plowing or spreading materials without notice.
· Allow extra space between vehicles, so there is adequate distance for braking in wet and icy conditions.
· Be aware of "black ice," which looks wet on the roadway, but is actually a thin layer of ice.
· Please be patient, plan trips ahead and allow extra time to reach destinations
Out-of-State Road Conditions
Arkansas 800-245-1672
Colorado 303-639-1111
Kansas 866-511-5368
Missouri 800-222-6400
New Mexico 800-432-4269
Oklahoma 888-425-2385
Texas 800-452-9292
To check CURRENT ROAD CONDITIONS, call the Department of Public Safety's ROAD CONDITIONS HOTLINE at 888-425-2385.
Oklahoma Municipal Power Authority press release (9 a.m. Wednesday)
DATE: February 27, 2013; 9 a.m.
Power update on OMPA Member Cities
Transmission service to City of Fairview has been restored. Crews are currently working on restoring power to the circuits in the city. Transmission service to City of Watonga has also been restored.
Transmission service remains out to Okeene and Goltry. The total number of customers affected is 816.
Lines feeding the Town Goltry are down in both directions along Highway 45. ODOT has closed Highway 45 between Highway 8 and GarfieldCounty causing issues for restoration efforts.
Repair crews worked on transmission service to Okeene yesterday but found additional damage. Crews are currently in the area repairing damage.
Restoration work is underway; however, road conditions are still causing issues for restoration crews. We will provide an additional update at 1400 hours. All OMPA outage information is posted to our website and can be found at www.ompa.com/outages.
Source: Oklahoma Municipal Power Authority (OMPA)
30-day Rainfall from Oklahoma Mesonet
