Last updated 12:00 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 24.
Oklahomans woke up Saturday morning to see snow blanketing rooftops, fields and streets. And the state is still in store for another wave of winter weather.
The first round of winter weather entered the state Friday afternoon and stretched into Saturday morning. Oklahoma's State Climatologist Gary McManus said the main storm system is incoming.
"Now, when we get later into this evening and into tomorrow morning, that's the main storm system coming from off the coast of California coming up through Mexico, believe it or not," McManus said. "I think what we've had so far is kind of what's expected. We knew we weren't going to get a just a complete uniform blanket of snow across the state..."
Right now, he's waiting on the last part of the first wave of precipitation. This is expected to bring more moderate to heavy snow, weighing down across south-central and southeastern Oklahoma, and little more freezing rain and sleet.
"I think the biggest thing though is it's just so cold," McManus said. "We had wind chill values last night down to about -20. In parts of the state right now, they're hovering below zero."
The lingering cold, he said, makes this storm different.
When it snows in Oklahoma, it doesn't usually stick around long. But in the last few years, the state has seen storms with colder temperatures, prolonging the life of snow on the ground.
"I think this really cold portion of the storm system could last, I mean, it could literally last all the way through the rest of January," McManus. "Not as cold as we are over yesterday and today, but pretty darn cold, unfortunately."
State highway patrol responds to collisions, expects more to come
As of Saturday morning, Oklahoma State Highway Patrol spokesperson Lt. Mark Southall said state emergency response teams are managing collisions and other roadside emergencies well, despite the snowy conditions across most of the state.
"I don't know if it's as much as what they were anticipating, but being that it's a Saturday, that sure helped us out a lot," Southall said.
Sleet has made for slicker road conditions in the southern part of the state, he said, leading to more traffic collisions. But Southall said the snow accumulation farther north has stranded more vehicles.
On social media, OHP reported it has responded to 20 injury collisions, 120 non-injury collisions and 81 motorists in need of assistance as of 10:00 a.m. Saturday. Oklahoma National Guard's Stranded Motorist Assistance Recovery teams (SMART) had responded to 10 calls.
Southall said OHP, the state National Guard and the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management are bracing themselves for what's yet to come, as temperatures stay well below freezing and more snowfall looms.
"There's not a lot of traffic out and about right now, but we expect that to increase later as people get more stir-crazy and want to get out," Southall said. "Unfortunately, that's when more snow is going to fall, so we're expecting to have more problems later."
He said OHP is keeping as many troopers as possible on deck.
"We're keeping our troopers out working through the weekend," Southall said. "We've canceled days off to be able to respond to all the crashes and incidents that we come across.[...] We expect it to get a little bit worse, but we're hoping Oklahomans will drive safe if they have to get out."
For Oklahomans who must leave their home and drive around, Southall emphasized the importance of caution. He urged motorists to drive slowly and at a distance from other vehicles – more than you think you need.
"The posted speed limit is not the speed limit when we have conditions like this; the speed limit is what's reasonable," he said. "A lot of times we get calls to crashes, and the driver will say, 'Well, I was going the speed limit.' Doesn't matter if you're out there losing control."
Oklahoma is not out of the woods yet
As Friday inched on, the chance of ice lowered while snow expectations rose. Sleet started to pepper parts of southern Oklahoma Friday afternoon and entered into the Oklahoma City metro that evening.
As of Saturday morning, Skiatook had the state's highest reported 24-hour snowfall total with reports of 5 inches, although much of the Tulsa metro saw around 2 inches.
After the first wave of precipitation overnight Friday, National Weather Service forecasts around 6 more inches of snow to fall across the northern half of the state Saturday night. Weekend snowfall totals are expected to be lower in Southern Oklahoma, but that area is expected to see sleet Saturday night.
Because of the prolonged cold temperatures, Oklahoma weather experts say there won't be much thawing taking place.
But when it does melt, McManus said it will bring needed moisture in parched areas. Winter is typically the state's drier season, and this year drought has reared its head in much of the state.
Because of the way ice or snow melts, there won't be as much runoff as after a similar amount of rainfall.
"So when we finally melt all this moisture down, all this snow and ice, it should equal a good three-quarters to even more of an inch in some places," McManus said. "We won't know until it actually falls and melts."
As of Saturday morning, the only major reported power outage in the state was in McCurtain County, where around 2,000 customers were without electricity, according to PowerOutage.us.
Because more winter weather is on its way, McManus is urging people to stay home.
"I think that one of the most important things is don't think this is the end of the snow and think you can go out and act like this is a normal day," McManus said. "Because there is more snow coming and it will be heavier than what we've seen already."
How to stay safe and warm
Officials are continuing to urge people to stay inside and not to travel until weather conditions improve. National Weather Service officials said if people must go outside, they should layer up.
"Several layers of clothes will keep you warmer than a single heavy coat," according to the service. "Cover exposed skin to reduce your risk of frostbite or hypothermia. Gloves, a scarf, and a hat will keep you from losing your body heat."
Although officials are discouraging unnecessary travel, the state provides a live tracker for road conditions at oksnowplows.org, including video feeds from the Oklahoma Department of Transportation's snowplows and highway cameras.
The Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management has compiled a list of warming stations, including many that can accommodate people overnight. OG&E also maintains a list of warming stations every winter. People in need of services can also search for providers using the state's Be a Neighbor tool.
Visit our storm preparation page to find tips on keeping your home, pets and loved ones safe during winter precipitation and extreme cold.
How state and local officials are bracing for impacts
While Arctic winds rushed in, officials across the state prepared for the incoming storm.
Tulsa Mayor Monroe Nichols declared an emergency ahead of the storm, which allows the city to start its Emergency Operations Plan, according to a press release. The plan directs the city to track emergency-related expenses and allows it to enter certain contracts if they are needed.
On a state level, the Oklahoma Department of Transportation and the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority have been pre-treating roads, turnpikes, bridges and overpasses, and have dozens of trucks ready.
"We're coordinating closely with our partners and making sure everyone has the resources needed to get through it safely," Gov. Kevin Stitt said in a press release. "I'm thankful for the men and women working around the clock."
The Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management (OEM) increased staff at the State Emergency Operations Center. At the request of the OEM, Stitt authorized the deployment of Oklahoma National Guard Stranded Motorists Assistance and Recovery Teams.
Service members are being dispatched to Woodward, Weatherford, Ardmore, Vinita, Tulsa, Oklahoma and Durant to help the Oklahoma Highway Patrol.
Maj. Gen. Thomas Mancino, adjunct general for the state, said the safety of their fellow Oklahomans is the top priority and the National Guard provides necessary skills to reach stranded people.
"This mission is a perfect example of how the Oklahoma National Guard partners with other state agencies to protect our neighbors when they need it most," Mancino said in a press release.
Today, Attorney General Gentner Drummond also announced his office will monitor the natural gas supply and marketing activity to make sure customers are protected from possible price tinkering or unfair practices.
In a press release, Drummond asks public utilities to notify his office if natural gas marketers don't meet their obligations or participate in potential illicit conduct.
"It is critical that Oklahomans are not exploited, especially during extreme weather events," Drummond said. "While energy markets can experience volatility during periods of severe cold, those conditions do not excuse predatory behavior or violations of contractual obligations. Ratepayers deserve fair and transparent costs that reflect legitimate market conditions."
Drummond is pursuing litigation and investigative efforts related to natural gas pricing during Winter Storm Uri three years ago. He said the office is dedicated to preventing a repeat of the marketing abuses that helped lead to high energy costs during the 2021 storm.
The Oklahoma Corporation Commission is hosting a daily call with utility providers to coordinate response efforts.
This story will be updated as the situation changes.
