Oklahoma, 1998

Heavy Snow in Oklahoma, March 19, 1998

March 19, 1998 · NWS OUN · 9 events in 9 counties and zones

Heavy snow fell across the northwest corner of Oklahoma overnight and into the morning of the 19th. Snow accumulations were confined to an area north of a Reydon-Enid-Kaw Lake line, with amounts over 3 inches from Arnett to Ringwood to Braman and northwestward.

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.

Heavy snow fell across the northwest corner of Oklahoma overnight and into the morning of the 19th. Snow accumulations were confined to an area north of a Reydon-Enid-Kaw Lake line, with amounts over 3 inches from Arnett to Ringwood to Braman and northwestward. Seven to eight inches fell from Amorita to Freedom to Laverne, and 9 inches accumulated 8 miles north of Buffalo. Temperatures warmed fairly quicky and snow melted rapidly, with lingering accumulations for only a few days in extreme northwest Oklahoma.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

9 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Harper

When
March 19, 1:00 AM CST to 11:00 PM CST
Where
Harper forecast zone
Coordinates
36.789, -99.667 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Alfalfa

When
March 19, 1:00 AM CST to 11:00 PM CST
Where
Alfalfa forecast zone
Coordinates
36.731, -98.324 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Ellis

When
March 19, 1:00 AM CST to 11:00 PM CST
Where
Ellis forecast zone
Coordinates
36.218, -99.755 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Garfield

When
March 19, 1:00 AM CST to 11:00 PM CST
Where
Garfield forecast zone
Coordinates
36.379, -97.783 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Grant

When
March 19, 1:00 AM CST to 11:00 PM CST
Where
Grant forecast zone
Coordinates
36.796, -97.786 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Kay

When
March 19, 1:00 AM CST to 11:00 PM CST
Where
Kay forecast zone
Coordinates
36.818, -97.144 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Major

When
March 19, 1:00 AM CST to 11:00 PM CST
Where
Major forecast zone
Coordinates
36.312, -98.536 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Woods

When
March 19, 1:00 AM CST to 11:00 PM CST
Where
Woods forecast zone
Coordinates
36.767, -98.865 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Woodward

When
March 19, 1:00 AM CST to 11:00 PM CST
Where
Woodward forecast zone
Coordinates
36.423, -99.265 (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 1998Every state in 1998This day in weather historyWarnings in Oklahoma, March 1998

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: 5648021, 5648022, 5648023, 5648024, 5648025, 5648026, 5648027, 5648028, 5648029.