Oklahoma, 1996

Heavy Snow in Oklahoma, November 30, 1996

November 30, 1996 · NWS OUN · 15 events in 15 counties and zones

Heavy snow fell across northwest Oklahoma, beginning in the morning in far northwest Oklahoma and then spreading south and eastward into north-central and west-central Oklahoma during the day. By the time the snow stopped early in the evening, areas from Medford to Watonga to Erick and northwestward had accumulated at least 2 inches of snow, with over 4 inches northwest of a line from Cherokee…

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 15 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
15

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.

Heavy snow fell across northwest Oklahoma, beginning in the morning in far northwest Oklahoma and then spreading south and eastward into north-central and west-central Oklahoma during the day. By the time the snow stopped early in the evening, areas from Medford to Watonga to Erick and northwestward had accumulated at least 2 inches of snow, with over 4 inches northwest of a line from Cherokee to Taloga to Cheyenne. All of Ellis County and the southwestern third of Harper County received over 6 inches of snow, with the heaviest snow in a band across southwest Harper County, where 10 inches fell in and around May.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

15 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Harper

When
November 30, 8:30 AM CST to 8:00 PM CST
Where
Harper forecast zone
Coordinates
36.789, -99.667 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Woods

When
November 30, 8:30 AM CST to 8:00 PM CST
Where
Woods forecast zone
Coordinates
36.767, -98.865 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Alfalfa

When
November 30, 8:30 AM CST to 8:00 PM CST
Where
Alfalfa forecast zone
Coordinates
36.731, -98.324 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Grant

When
November 30, 8:30 AM CST to 8:00 PM CST
Where
Grant forecast zone
Coordinates
36.796, -97.786 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Ellis

When
November 30, 8:30 AM CST to 8:00 PM CST
Where
Ellis forecast zone
Coordinates
36.218, -99.755 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Woodward

When
November 30, 8:30 AM CST to 8:00 PM CST
Where
Woodward forecast zone
Coordinates
36.423, -99.265 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Major

When
November 30, 8:30 AM CST to 8:00 PM CST
Where
Major forecast zone
Coordinates
36.312, -98.536 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Garfield

When
November 30, 8:30 AM CST to 8:00 PM CST
Where
Garfield forecast zone
Coordinates
36.379, -97.783 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Roger Mills

When
November 30, 8:30 AM CST to 8:00 PM CST
Where
Roger Mills forecast zone
Coordinates
35.688, -99.696 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Dewey

When
November 30, 8:30 AM CST to 8:00 PM CST
Where
Dewey forecast zone
Coordinates
35.988, -99.008 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Custer

When
November 30, 8:30 AM CST to 8:00 PM CST
Where
Custer forecast zone
Coordinates
35.639, -99.001 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Blaine

When
November 30, 8:30 AM CST to 8:00 PM CST
Where
Blaine forecast zone
Coordinates
35.875, -98.433 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Kingfisher

When
November 30, 8:30 AM CST to 8:00 PM CST
Where
Kingfisher forecast zone
Coordinates
35.945, -97.942 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Beckham

When
November 30, 8:30 AM CST to 8:00 PM CST
Where
Beckham forecast zone
Coordinates
35.269, -99.682 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Washita

When
November 30, 8:30 AM CST to 8:00 PM CST
Where
Washita forecast zone
Coordinates
35.290, -98.992 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Heavy Snow
Snowfall reaching the local warning threshold without the other hazards of a winter storm.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Oklahoma in 1996Every state in 1996This day in weather historyWarnings in Oklahoma, November 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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5578168, 5578169, 5578170, 5578171, 5578172, 5578173, 5578174, 5578175, 5578176, 5578177, 5578178, 5578179, 5578180, 5578181, 5578182.