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Good afternoon everyone, I hope youíre all surviving this cold weather, I know I find
it brisk! Anyway, this is Jon with the national weather service here in Norman, with a briefing
regarding winter weather tonight through Thursday.
Slide 2 Well... Itís been a very cold past 24 hours
across the region. Highs today have or will top out in the mid teens for most locations,
and with 20 to 25 mph north winds, wind chills across northern Oklahoma have continued to
reside in the -10 to -5 range, hence the wind chill advisory for those locations.
Slide 3 Well, Iíll be honest, weíre starting to
run out of adjectives to describe how cold it is outside, and yes, itís not lost on
us how the folks in Alaska might find this balmy for this time of year. At 6 pm, the
current wind chill advisory will expand to all of central and western Oklahoma and western
north Texas. Lows will dip into the single digits to near zero in the north, with wind
chills in the -17 to -5 range. Be a good neighbor tonight and check on the elderly and sick
in your neighborhood, and make sure they are staying warm. Use good judgment when heating
your home tonight, remember that ovens and ranges are not heating sources and that propane
stoves are for outside use only. If you go out tonight, dress in layers and limit your
exposer.
Slide 4 In addition to very cold weather, snow chances
will slowly increase later this evening and overnight. Through 2 pm, there was already
light snow developing over the Texas Panhandle. We expect this activity to slowly spread eastward
through the evening into western Oklahoma and as far east as central Oklahoma by midnight.
Slide 5 After midnight and through the early morning
hours of Thursday, snow will increase, with the heaviest snow across far western Oklahoma,
as highlighted in navy blue. Overall, light snow will also spread eastward near day break,
with flurries and light snow as far east as Enid in the north and Durant in the south.
We expect the heaviest snow to fall during this time frame through sunrise.
Slide 6 Through sunrise, moderate to light snow will
slowly shift east and south along the red river valley toward the southern half of the
I-35 corridor. This region of snow will begin to shift east southeast through mid to late
morning, with the best snow chances across southern Oklahoma and western north Texas.
Slide 7 By the afternoon, any remaining snow will
reside across southern Oklahoma and northern Texas, with light snow and flurries tapering
off through the evening hours.
Slide 8 So, how much snowfall can you currently expect?
Well, at the moment, we expect the heaviest snow to fall across far western and southwestern
Oklahoma. Locations shaded in navy can see anywhere from 2 to 3 inches on the average.
For the OKC metro and locations across western north Texas and central Oklahoma, those locations
will see anywhere from 1 to 2 inches. For northern and far southeastern Oklahoma, most
will see upwards of an inch of snow.
Takeaways Well, weíll wrap up with some takeaways,
snow will enter far western Oklahoma later this evening and increase in coverage through
the early morning hours of Thursday. Snow will be heaviest near sunrise, with the greatest
snowfall across portions of western Oklahoma. Snow will taper off through Thursday afternoon
as it exits to the east southeast across the southern portions of Oklahoma.
Actions Here are some actions you can take. Morning
commuters will face slick and hazardous conditions, including bitterly cold temperatures. Leave
early and slow down. This evening, if you are headed out, dress in layers, limit exposer,
and check on the elderly and sick to make sure they are staying warm.
Road Information If you are traveling tonight and tomorrow,
please call these numbers for the latest travel information for the state listed.
weather.gov/norman That concludes the winter weather briefing
for this afternoon. Thanks for your time, and as always, we encourage you to monitor
our homepage at weather.gov/norman and like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, and
subscribe to our YouTube channel! Thanks again, and have a wonderful Wednesday.