Blizzard warning set for Osage County as storm threatens state; Tulsa may be spared brunt of storm
BY KENDRICK MARSHALL World Staff Writer
Monday, February 25, 2013
2/25/13 at 9:17 AM
Areas north and west of Tulsa are expected to receive up to 8 inches of snow - with blizzard conditions in some areas - while the city itself may be spared the brunt of a Monday-Tuesday winter storm, the National Weather Service said Sunday.
As of Sunday evening, forecasters said Tulsa could receive 1 to 3 inches of snow between Monday afternoon and Tuesday morning.
However, a change in the direction of the storm could significantly affect snowfall amounts in the area, forecasters said.
"There remains uncertainty concerning the track of the system and resultant snowfall, although it is likely that winter weather headlines will eventually be expanded farther east and south with later forecasts," the weather service said Sunday.
A blizzard warning is in effect for Osage County from noon Monday through 6 a.m. Tuesday, while Pawnee, Payne, Washington and Nowata counties are under a winter storm warning from Monday through Tuesday morning.
A total of 25 other counties in western and northwestern parts of the state are under blizzard warnings, and 10 others - mainly in central Oklahoma, including Oklahoma City - are under winter storm warnings.
Creek County was also under a winter storm watch.
The Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management will activate its Emergency Operations Center on Monday, spokeswoman Keli Cain said.
"We're anticipating that local jurisdictions will be impacted and our services will be needed," she said.
Tulsa city officials will monitor the weather as it develops Monday and then deploy crews as needed, said City of Tulsa spokeswoman Kim MacLeod.
"We have an abundance of salt ready," MacLeod said, adding that the city has been prepared since Tulsa was struck with a recent snowfall just last week.
The more significant precipitation will blow through Pawnee, Washington and Nowata counties, which could get as much as 8 inches, said meteorologist Joe Sellers of the National Weather Service in Tulsa.
Stillwater and Oklahoma City could reach totals of 3 to 5 inches by Tuesday, Sellers said.
Tulsa's forecast is for a 100 percent chance of rain on Monday with periods of snow after midnight, a low around 31, and north winds 20-25 mph, with gusts as high as 35 mph.
There is a 20 percent chance of snow before noon Tuesday with a high near 39. North winds of 15-25 mph may again gust as high as 35 mph Tuesday, forecasters said.
World Assistant Editor Michael Dekker contributed to this story.
Original Print Headline: Snowstorm forecast for state, may spare Tulsa
Kendrick Marshall 918-581-8386
kendrick.marshall@tulsaworld.com
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