Name: Winter Weather in Oklahoma, December 17, 1996
Start: 1996-12-17T07:00
End: 1996-12-17T13:00
Location: Oklahoma

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 9 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

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The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 9

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS OUN wrote it up.

One to three inches of snow fell over portions of south-central Oklahoma during the morning of the 17th. The area extended from Faxon in Comanche County to Wilson in Carter County to Dougherty and Sulphur in Murray County to Maysville and Lindsay in Garvin County to north of Rush Springs in Grady County. The heaviest snow...an area of 2 to 3 inches...fell across southern Grady and northern Stephens Counties from Cox City to southwest of Rush Springs to Duncan. Snow fell from around 7 am through midday, accompanied by wind gusts to 40 mph and sub-zero wind chills. Numerous traffic accidents were reported in south-central Oklahoma, including 5 with fatalities.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

9 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Weather, Grady

When: December 17, 7:00 AM CST to 1:00 PM CST
Where: Grady forecast zone
Coordinates: 35.017, -97.884 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Comanche

When: December 17, 7:00 AM CST to 1:00 PM CST
Where: Comanche forecast zone
Coordinates: 34.662, -98.472 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Stephens

When: December 17, 7:00 AM CST to 1:00 PM CST
Where: Stephens forecast zone
Coordinates: 34.486, -97.851 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Garvin

When: December 17, 7:00 AM CST to 1:00 PM CST
Where: Garvin forecast zone
Coordinates: 34.705, -97.309 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Murray

When: December 17, 7:00 AM CST to 1:00 PM CST
Where: Murray forecast zone
Coordinates: 34.482, -97.068 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Cotton

When: December 17, 7:00 AM CST to 1:00 PM CST
Where: Cotton forecast zone
Coordinates: 34.290, -98.372 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Jefferson

When: December 17, 7:00 AM CST to 1:00 PM CST
Where: Jefferson forecast zone
Coordinates: 34.111, -97.836 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Carter

When: December 17, 7:00 AM CST to 1:00 PM CST
Where: Carter forecast zone
Coordinates: 34.251, -97.286 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Johnston

When: December 17, 7:00 AM CST to 1:00 PM CST
Where: Johnston forecast zone
Coordinates: 34.317, -96.661 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Winter Weather: Snow, sleet or freezing rain below warning levels that still caused disruption, damage or casualties.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Oklahoma in 1996 Every state in 1996 This day in weather history Warnings in Oklahoma, December 1996

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5578211, 5578212, 5578213, 5578377, 5578378, 5578379, 5578380, 5578381, 5578382.