Ice Storm in Oklahoma, January 7 to 8, 1999

Summary of freezing drizzle events on January 7-8 1999:Following the passage of an arctic cold front late on January 6, warm moist air returned over the top of the dome of shallow cold air. Drizzle then formed across all of eastern Oklahoma on January 7. Where temperatures were below freezing, the drizzle froze upon contact with the ground. Heavier drizzle then developed on the night of January 7 and caused more significant icing along and north of the I-44 corridor by the morning of January 8. Roads and sidewalks became ice-covered and hazardous. All schools in the affected area cancelled class on January 8. More than 300 people were admitted with orthopedic injuries to Tulsa hospital emergency rooms because of slip-and-fall accidents. There were numerous traffic accidents caused by ice-covered streets. The Oklahoma Highway Patrol at Pawnee did not have enough patrolmen to respond to all of the accidents. While there was not enough ice to cause widespread power outages or tree damage, there were spotty power interruptions in Osage County and a power outage at Claremore in Rogers County affecting several thousand customers.