Damaging Winds in Texas, February 8, 2001

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORMAN OK
1005 PM CST THU FEB 8 2001

MAIN CONCERN THIS EVENING HAS BEEN STEADY MOVEMENT OF SHALLOW ARCTIC
AIR INTO NORTHWEST OKLAHOMA AND ASSOCIATED VARIETY OF PRECIP TYPES
NORTH OF THE BOUNDARY. AS OF MID EVENING...COLD FRONT WAS LOCATED
FROM NEAR STILLWATER SOUTHWESTWARD TO NEAR QUANAH TEXAS WITH
TEMPERATURES ACROSS FAR NORTHWEST OKLAHOMA ALREADY INTO THE MID AND
UPPER 20S. RECENT SURFACE OBS AND CALLS TO THAT AREA INDICATE A
MIXTURE OF FREEZING RAIN...SLEET..AND SNOW...WITH OCCASIONAL RUMBLES
OF THUNDER. GROUND TEMPERATURES ARE STILL WARM HOWEVER RELATIVE TO
THE SURFACE AIR WHICH HAS GREATLY LIMITED SIGNIFICANT ACCCUMS OF
ICE/SNOW FROM DEVELOPING. BACK EDGE OF DEEPEST MOISTURE AND
STRONGEST SYNOPTIC SCALE LIFT IS JUST BEGINNING TO ENTER EXTREME
WESTERN OKLAHOMA AT THIS TIME.

COLD FRONT SHOULD ACCELERATE SOUTHEASTWARD AFTER MIDNIGHT AS UPPER
LOW LIFTS OUT ALLOWING ARCTIC AIR TO MOVE FASTER AND FARTHER THAN
EXPECTED INTO THE FORECAST AREA WITH SEVERAL HOURS OF SIGNIFICANT
PRECIP TO FALL INTO SUB FREEZING AIR PARTICULARLY ACROSS NORTH
CENTRAL OKLAHOMA. FOR THIS REASON RECENTLY UPDATED THE WINTER
WEATHER ADVISORY TO INCLUDE NORTH CENTRAL OKLAHOMA AND A FEW MORE
COUNTIES TO THE SOUTH. WOULD NOT BE SURPRISED TO SEE ICE PROBLEMS
DEVELOP EVEN FARTHER SOUTH INTO THE AREA LATE TONIGHT/EARLY FRIDAY
BUT WILL LEAVE THAT UP TO THE MIDNIGHT SHIFT TO DECIDE.

SQUALL LINE ACROSS THE EASTERN TEXAS PANHANDLE SHOULD PICK UP
EASTWARD SPEED AND PERHAPS INTENSITY AS IT ENCOUNTERS DEEPER
MOISTURE OVER CENTRAL TEXAS. SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH ALREADY IN
EFFECT FOR PARTS OF SOUTHWEST OKLAHOMA AND WESTERN NORTH TEXAS FOR
PRIMARILY LARGE HAIL AND SEVERE WIND GUSTS.

UPDATES TO THE ZONES AND WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY HAVE ALREADY BEEN
ISSUED.

.OUN...
OK...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY TONIGHT OKZ004>018
TX...NONE.
JAMESL