A man walks in the snow Wednesday in Tulsa. (AP Photo/Tulsa World, Tom Gilbert)
The snow/sleet/hail/freezing rain/thunderstorms have left the area, so let's recap.
First, this was one of the strangest weather mornings I’ve seen in a while. I woke up to loud claps of thunder and sleet (or maybe hail? It was huge sleet if it was sleet). There was some icing on the tree branches, indicating freezing rain, but there was no thick coating, at least where I was in Midtown Tulsa. All that with snow on the ground and the holes in the yard filled with water.
I think that’s all weather happening at once, right? Wild.
Whatever was happening this morning, the combination was something with which my dog did not agree.
That precipitation has now moved east of the Tulsa metro, with some straggling ice possible later. It should be out of the state by noon or shortly after. Then, it’s
Arkansas’ problem. And that problem is an ice storm. Y’all have fun with that.
Back to Oklahoma now and Wednesday’s snow. That was a nearly perfect snowstorm for Tulsa: It was heavy enough to stick on grassy surfaces despite the warm weather, but melted quickly on roadways because of it.
The official snow total for Tulsa from the National Weather Service was 3.2 inches. It brings our seasonal total to 3.3 inches. That puts us about in the lower third snowiest winters in the last century.
And, we now actually have a real contest in our snow contest! Our winner right now is Trish Daniels, who is spot on with her guess of 3.3 inches. But, she can’t claim her prize yet. The contest runs through March 30, so there is potentially still a lot of winter left. Because as we’ve determined, that groundhog was full of it.
Here are some photos of the snow and weather in Tulsa from the Tulsa World’s wonderful and wonderfully talented photographers.
Brian Garner tosses a snowball during a snowball fight at Tulsa's Centennial Green on Wednesday, February 20, 2013. MATT BARNARD/Tulsa World
TU students Kirby James, 21 (left), Daylen Burney, 20, and Casey McCreery, 20, build a snowman on the TU campus after a morning of heavy snowfall, taken in Tulsa, Okla., on February 20,2013. JAMES GIBBARD/Tulsa World
Snow falls around Gerald Swindle's boat as he looks for a place to fish during practice day for the Bassmaster Classic at Grand Lake near Grove, Oklahoma, on Wednesday, Feb. 20, 2013. JOHN CLANTON/Tulsa World
While we had the benefit of beautiful snow-covered landscapes without the hassle of treacherous roads, areas north and west of here were not as lucky. If you had a trip planned to Kansas, you should
rethink it.
This was the scene in Wichita yesterday.
AP Photo/The Wichita Eagle/Kansas.com, Jaime GreenIt’s worse further north, where Kansas City is experiencing thundersnow, and about a foot of accumulations.
But perhaps the best news from this snowstorm is the moisture associated with it. Tulsa recorded 0.58 inch of liquid precipitation yesterday, including snow. And so far today, we’ve had 0.85 inch of precipitation. That brings our monthly total to 1.82 inches of liquid precipitation for Tulsa. That is nearly the monthly average already.
That can do nothing but help our drought situation here. Across the state, we’ll have to wait to see how much liquid precipitation fell, as
Oklahoma Mesonet stations don’t have heated gauges. The liquid will be recorded and show up on the map as it melts.
And it will melt today, most likely. The high in Tulsa is
forecast to reach about 40 degrees and across the state, most places will be at or above freezing today. Cold weather will return tonight and tomorrow with lows to 21 and highs Friday at 34. The weekend will be nice, albeit at bit chilly, for the Bassmaster Classic. So you should definitely get out, enjoy the weather and enjoy the activities all around northeast Oklahoma this weekend.
-- Jerry Wofford
