Although it’s doubtful that this forecast winter storm will affect Tulsa, it will affect the panhandle of Oklahoma and SW Kansas.
Beaver, Cimmaron and Texas counties (Region 3) are under a Blizzard Warning from 6:00 AM on Monday until noon on Tuesday. Parts of the panhandle can expect snow accumulation amounts near 16″, very cold wind chills (in the single digits) and 25-35 mph winds, gusting to 50 mph. This combination will make being outdoors dangerous, driving conditions will be hazardous at best and impossible at times. This is a potentially dangerous storm and travel in the affected areas is being discouraged.
To the west of the blizzard warning area, a Winter Storm Watch has been posted for the Woodward area, effective Monday evening into Tuesday afternoon. Surrounding counties can expect up to 6″ of snowfall and similar cold temps and winds.
In the Tulsa area, rain will begin to fall later tonight, continuing through Tuesday. Preliminary forecasts are predicting up to 1.75″ of total rainfall for our area. I don’t think the cold front will be here early enough to cause travel problems, but road conditions to the north and west of Tulsa should be monitored.
Overnight tonight, we’re expecting the low temp to be in the low 40s and tomorrow’s daytime high near 50. Rain is expected to dominate the day. On Tuesday, the high will only reach into the upper 40s and will drop to the upper 20s overnight after the cold front moves through.
BLIZZARD WARNING
URGENT – WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AMARILLO TX
319 PM CST SUN DEC 18 2011…MODERATE TO HEAVY SNOW AND STRONG NORTH WINDS TO IMPACT THE
TEXAS AND OKLAHOMA PANHANDLES MONDAY INTO TUESDAY MORNING….A VIGOROUS UPPER LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM NEAR SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA AND
SOUTHWESTERN ARIZONA WILL WORK SLOWLY EAST ACROSS THE SOUTHWESTERN
STATES TONIGHT…AND INTO FAR SOUTHERN NEW MEXICO AND FAR WEST TEXAS
BY MONDAY MORNING. THIS STORM SYSTEM WILL THEN LIFT NORTHEAST ACROSS
SOUTHEASTERN NEW MEXICO AND THEN ACROSS THE EASTERN TEXAS PANHANDLE
LATE MONDAY INTO MONDAY NIGHT. THE STORM SYSTEM WILL THEN MOVE INTO
NORTHERN OKLAHOMA TUESDAY MORNING. THE INTENSE LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM
WILL TEAM WITH A STRONG COLD FRONT THAT WILL PUSH SOUTH THROUGH THE
PANHANDLES ON MONDAY TO BRING MODERATE TO HEAVY SNOW TO THE OKLAHOMA
PANHANDLE AND ALL BUT THE FAR SOUTHEAST TEXAS PANHANDLE. IN
ADDITION…STRONG NORTH WINDS BEHIND THE COLD FRONT WILL LEAD TO
BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW AND VERY POOR VISIBILITIES…RESULTING IN
BLIZZARD CONDITIONS OVER MUCH OF THE AREA.OKZ001>003-TXZ001>008-011-012-016-017-190530-
/O.UPG.KAMA.BZ.A.0001.111219T1200Z-111220T1800Z/
/O.NEW.KAMA.BZ.W.0001.111219T1200Z-111220T1800Z/
CIMARRON-TEXAS-BEAVER-DALLAM-SHERMAN-HANSFORD-OCHILTREE-LIPSCOMB-
HARTLEY-MOORE-HUTCHINSON-OLDHAM-POTTER-DEAF SMITH-RANDALL-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF…BOISE CITY…KEYES…GUYMON…BEAVER…
FORGAN…DALHART…STRATFORD…SPEARMAN…GRUVER…PERRYTON…
BOOKER…HIGGINS…FOLLETT…HARTLEY…CHANNING…DUMAS…
BORGER…VEGA…AMARILLO…HEREFORD…CANYON
319 PM CST SUN DEC 18 2011…BLIZZARD WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 6 AM MONDAY TO NOON CST
TUESDAY…THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN AMARILLO HAS ISSUED A BLIZZARD
WARNING…WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM 6 AM MONDAY TO NOON CST
TUESDAY. THE BLIZZARD WATCH IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT.* EVENT…HEAVY SNOW AND STRONG NORTH WINDS WILL IMPACT THE OKLAHOMA
PANHANDLE…AND NORTHERN AND WESTERN TEXAS PANHANDLE… MONDAY INTO
TUESDAY MORNING. STORM TOTAL SNOWFALL ACCUMULATIONS OF 6 TO 16
INCHES ARE LIKELY. THE HIGHEST TOTALS…IN THE 12 TO 16 INCH
RANGE…WILL BE FOUND ACROSS THE OKLAHOMA PANHANDLE AND NORTHWEST
TEXAS PANHANDLE. NORTH WINDS WILL INCREASE TO 25 TO 35 MPH WITH
GUSTS UP TO 50 MPH BEHIND THE COLD FRONT ON MONDAY…PRODUCING
BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW AND PERIODS OF WHITEOUT CONDITIONS.* TIMING…RAIN WILL TRANSITION TO SNOW FROM NORTHWEST TO SOUTHEAST
ON MONDAY…WITH ALL SNOW EXPECTED BY EARLY MONDAY EVENING. THE
SNOW WILL CONTINUE MONDAY NIGHT…BEFORE ENDING FROM SOUTHWEST TO
NORTHEAST TUESDAY MORNING. THE STRONG NORTH WINDS WILL DEVELOP
MONDAY AND CONTINUE THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT…BEFORE DIMINISHING
TUESDAY AFTERNOON.* IMPACTS…ROADS WILL BECOME ICY AND SNOW PACKED…LEADING TO
HAZARDOUS TRAVEL CONDITIONS. BLOWING SNOW PRODUCED BY THE STRONG
NORTH WINDS WILL LEAD TO PERIODS OF ZERO VISIBILITIES AND WHITEOUT
CONDITIONS.PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…
A BLIZZARD WARNING MEANS SEVERE WINTER WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE
EXPECTED OR OCCURRING. FALLING AND BLOWING SNOW WITH STRONG WINDS
AND POOR VISIBILITIES ARE LIKELY. THIS WILL LEAD TO WHITEOUT
CONDITIONS…MAKING TRAVEL EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. DO NOT TRAVEL. IF
YOU MUST…HAVE A WINTER SURVIVAL KIT WITH YOU. IF YOU GET
STRANDED…STAY WITH YOUR VEHICLE.
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY
URGENT – WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORMAN OK
310 PM CST SUN DEC 18 2011OKZ004-005-009-010-014-190515-
/O.CON.KOUN.WS.A.0003.111220T0000Z-111220T1800Z/
HARPER-WOODS-ELLIS-WOODWARD-ROGER MILLS-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF…BUFFALO…ALVA…ARNETT…WOODWARD…
CHEYENNE
310 PM CST SUN DEC 18 2011…WINTER STORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM MONDAY EVENING
THROUGH TUESDAY MORNING…A WINTER STORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM MONDAY EVENING
THROUGH TUESDAY MORNING.* TIMING: ACCUMULATING SNOWS ARE EXPECTED TO COMMENCE MONDAY
EVENING…WITH THE HEAVIEST SNOW FALLING FROM 10 PM THROUGH
DAYBREAK TUESDAY.* MAIN IMPACT: SNOWFALL AMOUNTS OF 3 TO 7 INCHES WILL BE
POSSIBLE. NORTHERLY WINDS OF 25 TO 35 MPH WILL ALSO BE
EXPERIENCED. THIS WILL RESULT IN SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED
VISIBILITIES IN BLOWING SNOW AND PRONOUNCED DRIFTING OF SNOW
ACROSS AREA ROADWAYS.* OTHER IMPACTS: THE STRONG NORTHERLY WIND WILL ALSO HELP
PRODUCE WIND CHILL VALUES IN THE TEENS TUESDAY MORNING.PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…
KEEP UP WITH THE LATEST WEATHER INFORMATION…ESPECIALLY IF YOU
PLAN TO TRAVEL ACROSS WESTERN AND NORTHERN PARTS OF OKLAHOMA.
Make certain you’re prepared for this storm. Visit the American Red Cross web site: http://www.redcross.org/portal/site/en/menuitem.86f46a12f382290517a8f210b80f78a0/?vgnextoid=91435d795323b110VgnVCM10000089f0870aRCRD&vgnextfmt=default