By KWGS/National Weather Service
Tulsa, OK – Blizzard Warning
URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
221 PM CST THU DEC 24 2009
OKZ055>058-060>063-065>068-070-071-250430-
/O.CAN.KTSA.WS.W.0003.000000T0000Z-091225T1200Z/
/O.EXA.KTSA.BZ.W.0001.000000T0000Z-091225T1200Z/
WASHINGTON OK-NOWATA-CRAIG-OTTAWA-TULSA-ROGERS-MAYES-DELAWARE-
OKFUSKEE-OKMULGEE-WAGONER-CHEROKEE-MUSKOGEE-MCINTOSH-
221 PM CST THU DEC 24 2009
...BLIZZARD WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 AM CST FRIDAY...
...WINTER STORM WARNING IS CANCELLED...
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TULSA HAS ISSUED A BLIZZARD
WARNING...WHICH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 AM CST FRIDAY...
FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES...
* IN OKLAHOMA...CHEROKEE...OKFUSKEE...OKMULGEE...WAGONER...
TULSA...ROGERS...MAYES...DELAWARE...OTTAWA...WASHINGTON...
CRAIG...NOWATA...MCINTOSH AND MUSKOGEE.
* THE BLIZZARD WARNING REPLACES THE WINTER STORM WARNING.
HAZARDOUS WEATHER...
* RAIN WAS CHANGING TO SLEET AND SNOW FROM WEST TO EAST
ACROSS EASTERN OKLAHOMA. HEAVY SNOW WAS DEVELOPING
IN WESTERN OSAGE AND PAWNEE COUNTIES AT EARLY AFTERNOON AND
THIS HEAVY SNOW IS EXPECTED TO EXPAND ACROSS NORTHEAST
OKLAHOMA THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. SNOWFALL WILL BE
HEAVY AT TIMES WITH 1 TO 2 INCH PER HOUR ACCUMULATION RATES
THE HEAVY SNOW WILL BE ACCOMPANIED BY VERY STRONG WINDS THAT
WILL RESULT IN BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW.
* SNOW ACCUMULATIONS...SNOWFALL WILL TOTAL 5 TO 7 INCHES ACROSS
MUCH OF THE BLIZZARD WARNING AREA. LOCAL AMOUNTS NEAR 10 INCHES
ARE POSSIBLE...ESPECIALLY IN OSAGE AND PAWNEE COUNTIES AND IN A
ZONE FROM AROUND OKEMAH TO THE OKLAHOMA...ARKANSAS AND MISSOURI
BORDERS.
* WIND GUST VALUES OF 50 TO 60 MPH WILL OCCUR IN OSAGE AND PAWNEE
COUNTIES WITH GUSTS OF 35 TO 50 MPH LIKELY ACROSS THE REST OF
THE BLIZZARD WARNING AREA. THESE WINDS PRODUCE MINOR WIND
DAMAGE AND COULD RESULT IN A FEW DOWNED POWER LINES.
* VISIBILITY DURING THE HEAVY SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW WILL BE
REDUCED TO BELOW ONE QUARTER MILE AT TIMES.
IMPACTS...
* WEATHER CONDITIONS IN THE TULSA METRO AREA WILL BEGIN TO
QUICKLY DETERIORATE WITH TRAVEL CONDITIONS BECOMING INCREASINGLY
HAZARDOUS DURING THE EVENING RUSH HOURS.
* TRAVEL WILL BECOME TREACHEROUS OR IMPOSSIBLE EVEN ON TREATED
SURFACES. ISOLATED POWER OUTAGES WILL BE POSSIBLE DUE TO THE
STRONG WINDS.
* COUNTIES WHERE SLICK AND HAZARDOUS ROADS WERE REPORTED...OSAGE...
PAWNEE...TULSA...CREEK...
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
* PEOPLE IN THE TULSA METRO SHOULD PLAN FOR A HAZARDOUS EVENING
COMMUTE AND TRAVEL AS SOON AS POSSIBLE BEFORE THE CONDITIONS
WORSEN.
* TRAVEL WILL BE DIFFICULT IF NOT IMPOSSIBLE THIS EVENING IN THE
BLIZZARD WARNING AREA. DO NOT TRAVEL AFTER THE SNOW INCREASES
IN YOUR AREA UNLESS ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY.
* STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...COMMERCIAL RADIO OR TELEVISION
FOR THE LATEST INFORMATION CONCERNING THIS WEATHER EVENT.
ADDITIONAL WEATHER AND SAFETY INFORMATION CAN BE FOUND
AT: WEATHER.GOV/TULSA.
DEFINITION...
* A BLIZZARD WARNING MEANS HEAVY SNOW WITH STRONG WINDS AND
EXTREMELY POOR VISIBILITIES IS OCCURRING OR IS EXPECTED.
$$