Winter Weather in Oklahoma, January 11 to 12, 1997

Name: Winter Weather in Oklahoma, January 11 to 12, 1997
Start: 1997-01-11T20:00
End: 1997-01-12T21:00
Location: Oklahoma

January 11 to 12, 1997 · NWS OUN · 16 events in 16 counties and zones

On January 11, a Sunday, 2 to 3 inches of snow fell over southwest Oklahoma with a band of heavy snow over Altus where snow measured 4 inches. 5 inches fell.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 16 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 16

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.

On January 11, a Sunday, 2 to 3 inches of snow fell over southwest Oklahoma with a band of heavy snow over Altus where snow measured 4 inches. Elsewhere, one to two inches of snow blanketed parts of central and south-central Oklahoma with a band of heavier snow over Oklahoma City, where 2.5 inches fell. One traffic accident in rural Payne County resulted in an injury and a fatality when the driver lost control of his car on a patch of ice on the road. The 17-year-old driver was killed and his passenger was injured in the crash. Numerous other traffic accidents throughout central and southern Oklahoma were attributed to icy road conditions; however, law enforcement officials stated that the rate of accidents was much lower than could have been expected if the snow had occurred on a work day.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

16 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Weather, Oklahoma

When: January 11, 8:00 PM CST to January 12, 9:00 PM CST
Where: Oklahoma forecast zone
Coordinates: 35.552, -97.407 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Payne

When: January 11, 8:00 PM CST to January 12, 9:00 PM CST
Where: Payne forecast zone
Coordinates: 36.077, -96.976 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Jackson

When: January 11, 8:00 PM CST to January 12, 9:00 PM CST
Where: Jackson forecast zone
Coordinates: 34.588, -99.415 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Tillman

When: January 11, 8:00 PM CST to January 12, 9:00 PM CST
Where: Tillman forecast zone
Coordinates: 34.373, -98.924 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Comanche

When: January 11, 8:00 PM CST to January 12, 9:00 PM CST
Where: Comanche forecast zone
Coordinates: 34.662, -98.472 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Stephens

When: January 11, 8:00 PM CST to January 12, 9:00 PM CST
Where: Stephens forecast zone
Coordinates: 34.486, -97.851 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Grady

When: January 11, 8:00 PM CST to January 12, 9:00 PM CST
Where: Grady forecast zone
Coordinates: 35.017, -97.884 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Jefferson

When: January 11, 8:00 PM CST to January 12, 9:00 PM CST
Where: Jefferson forecast zone
Coordinates: 34.111, -97.836 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Greer

When: January 11, 8:00 PM CST to January 12, 9:00 PM CST
Where: Greer forecast zone
Coordinates: 34.936, -99.561 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Kiowa

When: January 11, 8:00 PM CST to January 12, 9:00 PM CST
Where: Kiowa forecast zone
Coordinates: 34.916, -98.981 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Harmon

When: January 11, 8:00 PM CST to January 12, 9:00 PM CST
Where: Harmon forecast zone
Coordinates: 34.744, -99.846 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Logan

When: January 11, 8:00 PM CST to January 12, 9:00 PM CST
Where: Logan forecast zone
Coordinates: 35.919, -97.443 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, McClain

When: January 11, 8:00 PM CST to January 12, 9:00 PM CST
Where: McClain forecast zone
Coordinates: 35.009, -97.444 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Cleveland

When: January 11, 8:00 PM CST to January 12, 9:00 PM CST
Where: Cleveland forecast zone
Coordinates: 35.203, -97.326 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Garvin

When: January 11, 8:00 PM CST to January 12, 9:00 PM CST
Where: Garvin forecast zone
Coordinates: 34.705, -97.309 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Caddo

When: January 11, 8:00 PM CST to January 12, 9:00 PM CST
Where: Caddo forecast zone
Coordinates: 35.174, -98.375 (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

Every storm in Oklahoma in 1997 Every state in 1997 This day in weather history Warnings in Oklahoma, January 1997

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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5595678, 5595679, 5595680, 5595681, 5595682, 5595683, 5595846, 5595847, 5595848, 5595849, 5595850, 5595851, 5595852, 5595853, 5595854, 5595855.