Blue is Winter Weather Advisory. Pink is Winter Storm Warning. Purple is Ice Storm Warning (and they can have it...)
: It looks like snow is starting to taper off for now from west to east. This is only the first round, thought. More winter precipitation
is expected this evening and tomorrow. Snow totals from the National Weather Service include 3.1 inches in Tulsa, 2.8 in Broken Arrow and 4.5 in Weleetka.
Here are some more photos sent to me from our friends at the Jack C. Montgomery VA Medical Center in Muskogee. Nathan Schaeffer said an unofficial measurement was about 3 inches. You can see in the photos how dark the sky is and how heavy the snow is falling. That's why Muskogee and surrounding counties were added to the Winter Storm Warning earlier today.
VA employee Louie Ornder helps remove snow at the Jack C. Montgomery VA Medical Center on Feb. 20. Photo by Nathan Schaeffer
VA employee Jerry Payne helps remove snow at the Jack C. Montgomery VA Medical Center on Feb. 20. Photo by Nathan Schaeffer
UPDATE 10:55 a.m.: Forecasters have upped our total in Tulsa for today by just a little bit. The National Weather Service is calling for between 3 and 5 inches, up from 2 to 4 earlier. Still no Winter Storm Warning for Tulsa County, but it's literally on both sides of us. The Department of Public Safety is now reporting that all roads in the Tulsa metro area are slick and hazardous. From their reports in the field: "Numerous collisions in Tulsa at this time. Caution is advised. Turner Turnpike has become extremely hazardous east of Stroud. Travel is discourage."
This photo was sent to me earlier today from Phyllis in Broken Arrow. Look at how much snow has accumulated on the small tree branches. It shows a good example of how wet and heavy this snow is. Temperatures are hovering right at freezing, and atmospheric moisture content is high.
You can send your snow photos to
jerry.wofford@tulsaworld.comUPDATE 9:45 a.m.: Winter Storm Warning has expanded to include Muskogee, Okmulgee, McIntosh and Okfuskee counties. Heavy snow there is leading to higher accumulation than earlier expected. Early storm reports from the area indicate an inch has already accumulated as of 8:45 a.m. on roadways in Okemah. This will affect travel along Interstate 40. Updated road conditions show things are rapidly deteriorating. East central Oklahoma is now reported to be slick and hazardous. The Tulsa metro is reporting slick bridges and overpasses.
Send your snow photos to me at
jerry.wofford@tulsaworld.com
In cased you missed those big, white flakes falling from the sky when you woke up and drove to school and work, it is in fact snowing right now.
We'll update here through the day, but I just wanted to share the current warnings and advisories from the National Weather Service, to the right.
Tulsa County and counties south to about McAlester are under a Winter Weather Advisory. Counties north along the Kansas boarder and in northwest Arkansas are under a Winter Storm Warning. Both are in effect until tomorrow.
The Oklahoma Department of Public Safety is reporting road conditions in the Tulsa metro area as slick in spots. Follow changes
here.
Forecasters say there is still a lot of uncertainty going forward, as a few degrees in temperature could make this some nice rain or a significant winter weather event. But right now, they are
calling for accumulations of snow and sleet today between 2 and 4 inches in Tulsa, with more north and west. About a half inch is expected tonight, and ice accumulations will be the issue tomorrow, with 0.1 inch possible.
As I said, check back here and
here for updates and totals as they come in. In the meantime, check out these precipitation reports coming in to the
PING project. It's a great project that you can be a part of, too.
--Jerry Wofford
