Like many other Tulsans, I, too, was "Snowed in" like this bold headline stated on the Feb. 2 edition. I spent most of Feb. 1 updating the Tulsa World website, but feeling cabin fever, went out and shoveled part of the driveway.
One of my co-workers wrote a column recently (read it
here) on how forecasts can sometimes predict severe weather that never materializes, and I have seen reader comments on this site joke about it as well.
I take in good fun, of course, as I'm sure many actual meteorologists do. However, whenever I have the urge to ignore a weather warning, I think back to what Tulsa National Weather Service meteorologist Joe Sellers told me Jan. 31 when a blizzard warning was declared:
"People should really take this seriously," he said. "It's a pretty rare event in this part of the world. This is not something we look forward to for sure."
Blizzard? Yeah, right, many thought. This is Tulsa. We're getting hardly any precipitation, and the streets are clear. Blizzard warning? Yawn.
A sampling of reader comments: "Two inches ... tops. They are overshooting again." "I will NOT cancel tomorrow's tee time."
But 10 months ago on Feb. 1, Tulsa received 13.2 inches of snow -- 14 inches total in the 24-hour period combined with Jan. 31. About a week later, we received 5.2 inches more. In total, 22.5 inches of snow fell on Tulsa in the month of February, the all-time monthly record. The previous record was 19.7 inches, set in March 1924.
The videos that we had looked like they were from my native Wisconsin, not Oklahoma. Here's one example:
The schools were closed, the roads were impassable, and the Tulsa World? We published three online editions, which you can still view
here for free.
The storms reportedly cost Tulsa $2.5 million, which included employee overtime, materials, independent contractor fees and equipment.
So please, think back to February and be careful this winter, Tulsa. Some forecasted storms will not materialize, yes, but prepare yourself, your families and your neighbors in case they do.
And be careful what you say about the weather. While some comments were skeptical about snow, here's one from Jan. 31 that also looks funny in retrospect:
"i am so ready for summer and 100 degree days!!"
Hard to believe if you weren't here that the Tulsa World would have to a have special sections for a heatwave and a blizzard in the same calendar year, but here's the proof:
tulsaworld.com/blizzard2011 and
tulsaworld.com/heatwave2011.
--Althea Peterson
