Oklahoma, 2001

Heavy Snow in Oklahoma, January 27 to 28, 2001

January 27 to 28, 2001 · NWS AMA · 3 events in 3 counties and zones

A strong storm system in the upper atmosphere moved eastward across the southern Rockies and into the Oklahoma panhandle. Heavy snow fell across the Oklahoma panhandle with amounts ranging from ten to twelve inches.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 3 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
3

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 AMA wrote it up.

A strong storm system in the upper atmosphere moved eastward across the southern Rockies and into the Oklahoma panhandle. Heavy snow fell across the Oklahoma panhandle with amounts ranging from ten to twelve inches. There were several accidents in the Oklahoma panhandle because of the heavy snow with only minor injuries reported.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Amarillo, TX wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jan 27, 9:36 AM CST, 2 hours 24 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 27, 9:36 AM CST, 2 hours 24 minutes before
TEXAS/OKLAHOMA PANHANDLES FORECAST DISCUSSION...CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AMARILLO TX
845 AM CST SAT JAN 27 2001

...CORRECTED TO ADD ZONE HIGHLIGHTS AT BOTTOM...

STRONG WAA REGIME UNDERNEATH DIFLUENT UPR LVL FLOW HAS ALLOWED FOR
HVY PRECIP TO BREAK OUT ACROSS ERN NM AND W TX.  WOULD NOT BE
SURPRISED TO SEE LTG STRIKES BY EARLY AFTN AS MID LVL LAPSE RATES
INCR TO NEAR 7 DEG C/KM.  RECENT COORD CALLS TO SWRN ZONES INDICATE
PRECIP INITIALLY STARTED OUT AS SN AND PL...BUT HAS SWITCHED TO
ZR. WILL BE UPDATING ZONES SHORTLY TO EMPHASIZED MORE OF A MIXED
BAG...MAINLY PL AND ZR...A LITTLE MORE HEAVILY FOR THE FIRST PERIOD.

.AMA...
TX...WINTER STORM WARNING...TODAY |THROUGH SUN MORNING. TXZ001>020.
OK...WINTER STORM WARNING...TODAY THROUGH SUN MORNING. OKZ001>003.

JH

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Beaver

When
January 27, 12:00 PM CST to January 28, 6:00 PM CST
Where
Beaver forecast zone
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
36.750, -100.477 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Cimarron

When
January 27, 12:00 PM CST to January 28, 6:00 PM CST
Where
Cimarron forecast zone
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
36.748, -102.518 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Texas

When
January 27, 12:00 PM CST to January 28, 6:00 PM CST
Where
Texas forecast zone
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
36.748, -101.490 (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 2001Every state in 2001This day in weather historyWarnings in Oklahoma, January 2001

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: 5228258, 5228259, 5228260.