Oklahoma, 1999

Heavy Snow and Lightning Strike in Oklahoma, December 4 to 5, 1999

December 4 to 5, 1999 · NWS OUN · 10 events in 10 counties and zones

A winter storm accompanied by heavy snow and strong winds affected northwest Oklahoma from the evening of the 4th through the early morning of the 5th. Although snow fell across all of northwest Oklahoma, the heaviest snow, averaging between 4 and 8 inches, fell in a band approximately 50 miles wide.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 10 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
$86,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
10

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.

A winter storm accompanied by heavy snow and strong winds affected northwest Oklahoma from the evening of the 4th through the early morning of the 5th. Although snow fell across all of northwest Oklahoma, the heaviest snow, averaging between 4 and 8 inches, fell in a band approximately 50 miles wide. The band of heaviest snow fell in a southwest to northeast orientated band, and was bordered on the northwest by a line from Laverne to Buffalo, both in Harper County, and on the southeast by a line from Reydon in Roger Mills County to Burlington in Alfalfa County. The largest amount of snow fell in Arnett, which is in Roger Mills County, where 10 to 12 inches of snow was reported. Snow amounts tapered off very quickly to between 1 and 2 inches east of a line from Reydon to Burlington. Approximately 150 power poles were downed during the storm, the majority of them in Harper, Ellis, Woodward, and Woods Counties. In the city of Woodward in Woodward County, a carport collapsed on Sante Fe Road, while in Enid, which is in Garfield County, lightning struck the roof of a house on Rimrock Rd. producing 2 holes.

The radar

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

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Event by event

9 heavy snow, 1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Harper

When
December 4, 7:00 PM CST to December 5, 2:00 AM CST
Where
Harper forecast zone
Property damage
$20,000
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
36.789, -99.667 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Ellis

When
December 4, 7:00 PM CST to December 5, 2:00 AM CST
Where
Ellis forecast zone
Property damage
$20,000
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
36.218, -99.755 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Woodward

When
December 4, 7:00 PM CST to December 5, 2:00 AM CST
Where
Woodward forecast zone
Property damage
$20,000
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
36.423, -99.265 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Woods

When
December 4, 9:00 PM CST to December 5, 4:00 AM CST
Where
Woods forecast zone
Property damage
$22,000
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
36.767, -98.865 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Beckham

When
December 4, 9:00 PM CST to December 5, 4:00 AM CST
Where
Beckham forecast zone
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
35.269, -99.682 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Custer

When
December 4, 9:00 PM CST to December 5, 4:00 AM CST
Where
Custer forecast zone
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
35.639, -99.001 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Major

When
December 4, 9:00 PM CST to December 5, 4:00 AM CST
Where
Major forecast zone
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
36.312, -98.536 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Alfalfa

When
December 4, 11:00 PM CST to December 5, 7:00 AM CST
Where
Alfalfa forecast zone
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
36.731, -98.324 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Grant

When
December 4, 11:00 PM CST to December 5, 7:00 AM CST
Where
Grant forecast zone
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
36.796, -97.786 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Lightning, Garfield

When
December 5, 2:30 AM CST
Where
Garfield County, Enid
Property damage
$4,000
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
36.379, -97.783 (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.
Lightning
A lightning strike that killed, injured or caused damage.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Oklahoma in 1999Every state in 1999This day in weather historyWarnings in Oklahoma, December 1999

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: 5722208, 5722209, 5722210, 5722211, 5722212, 5722213, 5722214, 5722215, 5722216, 5722217.