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Hello, this is Marc again from the NWS office in Norman. We hope everyone made it through
yesterday’s freezing rain event alright. We’re already gearing up for another round
of winter weather beginning late tonight and lasting into Monday.
Despite temperatures warming above freezing for a brief time today, another cold airmass
is on the move and will reach our area tonight. As this cold air fills in, an upper level
storm system will move eastward, generating scattered snow and sleet showers mainly over
southwest Oklahoma and western north Texas.
We expect the heaviest and most widespread snow and sleet to fall on Sunday, particularly
between the hours of 6am and Noon. This activity will spread northward and eastward from the
Texas and Oklahoma Panhandles into interior portions of Oklahoma and western north Texas
through the afternoon. The heaviest snow/sleet accumulations should occur over southwest
Oklahoma and western north Texas, and hazardous travel is likely to develop quite rapidly
by late morning. However, it’s important to note that virtually all of western/central
Oklahoma and northern Texas will get in on some winter weather, and impacts will be felt
over much of the region.
By Sunday afternoon, we should see the heaviest activity move eastward into central and southern
Oklahoma, but we still expect the better chance of accumulating snow/sleet across southwest/south
central Oklahoma and north Texas, where heavier precipitation rates are forecast.
By Sunday night, most of the activity will be winding down outside of our southern Oklahoma
and north Texas counties, where some snow and sleet may still be accumulating. Lows
Sunday night will be below freezing over the entire area, so any snow/sleet or slush on
roads will freeze making for dangerous travel conditions overnight and into Monday morning.
Monday morning will feature a continuation of wintry precipitation across south central
and southeast Oklahoma with spotty activity elsewhere, but much of the accumulating snow
and sleet will have ended by afternoon. Highs on Monday should be just above freezing, so
any melting will be slow to occur and travel will be dangerous in some areas Monday morning.
So between Tonight and Monday morning, we do expect some light to moderate snow and
sleet accumulations over much of the area. The mixed mode of precipitation makes forecast
exact amounts very difficult, but this is our best stab a where the heaviest snow, sleet,
or a combination of those two is likely to occur. With most of the more favorable ingredients
positioned over southern/western Oklahoma and western north Texas, this is where we
believe the greatest accumulations will occur (red hatched area). Most guidance suggests
2 to 3 inches is a good bet, but some very localized areas may see up to 4 inches. From
northwest through central and southeast Oklahoma, it’s a bit less certain, but many places
should see an inch to possibly 2 inches of snow/sleet by the time all is said and done.
Many areas over north central and northeast Oklahoma will see little to no accumulation.
The main thing to take away from this is that much of southwest and south central Oklahoma
and western north Texas are likely to see some accumulating winter precip, including
accumulation on roads. So travel will likely be hazardous from late tonight through early
Monday. Again, it’s extremely difficult to estimate potential snow accumulations and
many times it’s dependent on short lived small scale processes that are nearly impossible
to predict this far in advance, so this map is sure to change over the course of the event.
Just know that there will be travel impacts and be prepared to make changes to any travel
plans you may have, especially along and south of the I-40 corridor.
Key Points A few takeaways here – We’re preparing
for another round of winter weather. This system will enter the region late tonight
and exit during the day on Monday. We expect snow and sleet accumulations of 1 to 3 inches
over a fairly large area, with up to 4 inches possible over far southwest Oklahoma and western
north Texas. We are not worried about freezing rain with this system, though any remaining
ice on trees, power lines, roads, etc. will make for more efficient accumulation of snow
and sleet on these surfaces. There will be travel problems tomorrow. If you don’t have
to get out and travel – especially over southwest Oklahoma and north Texas, don’t.
If you do decide to go ahead and get on the road, make sure you have a winter weather
safety kit in your vehicle, just in case you get stuck. And finally, be sure to check back
frequently for changes to the forecast.
You can find details on putting together a winter weather safety kit, including one for
your car, on our winter weather safety page. There is a convenient link to it at the top
of our home page – weather.gov/norman
weather.gov/norman Thanks for watching and don’t forget to
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