After a relatively quiet early winter, a dose of reality, in the form of a major, record-setting winter storm, affected all of Oklahoma from late on January 31 through February 1. Periods of heavy sleet and snow, combined with winds that gusted over 40 mph, disrupted travel and closed hundreds of schools and businesses.
Every event with a place to put it; 48 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
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.
The episode as NWS OUN wrote it up.
After a relatively quiet early winter, a dose of reality, in the form of a major, record-setting winter storm, affected all of Oklahoma from late on January 31 through February 1. Periods of heavy sleet and snow, combined with winds that gusted over 40 mph, disrupted travel and closed hundreds of schools and businesses. Snowfall totals reached over a foot in some places, with snow drifts reaching three to five foot depths. Temperatures plummeted into the single digits and lower teens, and wind chills fell well below zero. In fact, wind chill values fell below -25 degrees over parts of northwestern Oklahoma!
Several days before the event, one would have thought that these were the final days of winter and that spring would soon begin. Record high temperatures were common over a large area on the 28th and 29th of January, with readings well into the 70s.
Unfortunately, these warm, mild days came to an abrupt end as a strong cold front moved southward over the southern Great Plains on January 30th, reducing high temperatures to 30 to 40 degrees cooler than the previous day. Max temperatures only reached the 20s across northern Oklahoma, with highs in the 30s prevailing across the southern two-thirds of Oklahoma and into north Texas.
Late on January 29th, a strong storm system finally moved onshore over southern California. At the same time, an arctic cold front began its trek south through the northern Great Plains, with a strong surface high pressure building in behind it.
The freezing line at the surface slowly moved south during the day on the January 31st, lying across the northwest half of Oklahoma by sunset and then advancing quickly southeast. At the same time, the storm system was moving through New Mexico with increasing lift out ahead of it.
Thunderstorms, some containing heavy sleet, developed over parts of west Texas and moved northeast over northern Texas. By this time, some of precipitation was developing and moving over sub-freezing surface temperatures. The precipitation coverage expanded through the evening hours toward Lawton and Oklahoma City. Periods of heavy thunder-sleet, occasionally mixed with freezing rain and heavy snow, were reported up and down I-44 toward Oklahoma City by 10 pm, with a light glaze of ice developing on elevated surfaces, and sleet accumulations of 1 to 2 inches over some areas of central Oklahoma. By 1 AM, temperatures were at or below freezing over all but far southeast Oklahoma.
With the cold air deepening above the surface, the precipitation was falling as snow across western and northwest Oklahoma, with a mixture of sleet and snow over southwest and central Oklahoma, and northern Texas, and freezing rain and sleet over southern Oklahoma. By 4 AM, all but southeast Oklahoma was reporting snow, with moderate to heavy snow bands setting up over western and central Oklahoma. The temperatures also continued to fall, with temperatures ranging from near 10 degrees over northern Oklahoma, to the lower to middle 20s over southeast Oklahoma, and the teens in between.
The snowfall was moderate to heavy at times, with some areas from central into northeast Oklahoma reporting snowfall rates of 2-3 inches per hour. By sunrise, around 6 inches of snow had fallen from Norman and Oklahoma City northeast toward Shawnee and Chandler, and the heavy snow continued to fall in parts of central Oklahoma.
In addition to the snow, the winds gusted at 35 to 45 mph, and temperatures fell into the single digits and lower teens. Rush hour traffic was very slow going. Visibilities with the heavy snow and strong winds were falling below mile, resulting in numerous accidents and stalled automobiles. The wind chills became just as big an issue by this time, with wind chill values falling below -15 degrees.
By mid morning, the heaviest snow bands had pivoted into eastern Oklahoma, but areas of moderate snowfall were still moving east through western and central Oklahoma. These bands still produced snowfall rates of 1 inch per hour over central Oklahoma. The snow finally ended from west to east by early afternoon, but the wind speeds remained strong with frequent gusts over 40 mph still occurring. Even after the snowfall had ended, near blizzard conditions continued through the afternoon, which hindered snow removal on roadways, and slowed rescues from stalled cars and accidents.
Unfortunately, four deaths were reported as a result of the winter storm, with one death occurring in Moore, and three in Miami, OK. The Oklahoma Highway Patrol reported over 150 automobile accidents statewide, ten of which resulted in injuries. There were also over 460 motorist-related calls, mainly from people that had become stranded in their vehicles. The situation could have been worse, but schools and businesses had closed prior to the beginning of the winter storm, which kept traffic at a minimum for much of the day on February 1st. In addition, the winter storm mainly produced snow and sleet, and freezing rain was less widespread and fell in shorter durations. As a result, ice accumulations were kept at a minimum, reducing the number of power outages across Oklahoma.
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 Norman, OK wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jan 31, 11:45 PM CST, 15 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORMAN OK
1145 PM CST MON JAN 31 2011
.AVIATION...
CONDITIONS WILL CONTINUE TO DETERIORATE RAPIDLY OVERNIGHT AS A
WINTER STORM SYSTEM MOVES INTO TEXAS AND OKLAHOMA. MAXIMUM LIFT
LOOKS LIKE IT WILL OCCUR BETWEEN 06Z AND 12Z AT MOST SITES...
WHICH SHOULD CORRESPOND TO THE HEAVIEST SNOWFALL. STRONG NORTH
WINDS WILL CAUSE EXTREMELY LOW VISIBILITIES AND CEILINGS IN
BLOWING SNOW. THE SNOW SHOULD TAPER OFF TOWARD 1800Z TOMORROW...
BUT WINDS WILL CONTINUE... AND CONDITIONS WILL BE MVFR AT THE VERY
BEST DURING THE AFTERNOON. WINDS SHOULD SUBSIDE SOMEWHAT AFTER
0000Z TOMORROW EVENING... REDUCING THE BLOWING SNOW... AND
RESULTING IN... WE HOPE... VFR OR HIGH-END MVFR CONDITIONS AT
MOST SITES. IT APPEARS THE KOKC AND KOUN WILL TAKE THE BRUNT OF
THE SNOWFALL... AND THEREFORE THE BLSN. WE HAVE INCLUDED A ZERO
VSBY AT KOUN DURING THE EXPECTED HEIGHT OF THE STORM... AS
SNOWFALL RATES ARE EXPECTED TO BE EXTREMELY HIGH FOR A COUPLE OF
HOURS.
&&
.PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 533 PM CST MON JAN 31 2011/
AVIATION...
A NARROW BAND OF VFR CONDITIONS AFFECTING KLAW AND KSPS WILL FILL
IN THIS EVENING. ALSO... A SMALL AREA OF CONVECTION IS LIKELY TO
REACH KSPS BEFORE WEAKENING. TEMPERATURE PROFILES SUGGEST SOME PL
WILL MIX WITH RAIN IN THE STORMS. CONDITIONS WILL DETERIORATE
RAPIDLY OVERNIGHT... FROM WEST TO EAST... MOSTLY AFTER 04Z THIS
EVENING. EXPECT EXTREMELY POOR CONDITIONS IN SN/BLSN AT KOKC...
KOUN... AND KPNC TOMORROW MORNING... AND POOR CONDITIONS
ELSEWHERE. ALTHOUGH THE SNOWFALL SHOULD TAPER OFF SIGNIFICANTLY IN
THE AFTERNOON... STRONG WINDS WILL CONTINUE... AND BLSN IS
EXPECTED TO DIMINISH SLOWLY WITH TIME.
PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 346 PM CST MON JAN 31 2011/
DISCUSSION...
.BLIZZARD AND OTHER DANGEROUS WINTER WEATHER TUESDAY...
AN UPPER TROUGH WILL SWING INTO A NEGATIVELY TILTED CONFIGURATION AS
IT IS KICKED OUT OF THE DESERT SOUTHWEST TOWARD CENTRAL OKLAHOMA
TUESDAY MORNING. THE TROUGH WILL ENCOUNTER A TIGHTENING FRONTAL ZONE
SEPARATING HUMID MARITIME POLAR AIR FROM MID WINTER ARCTIC. DEEP
CYCLOGENESIS WILL OCCUR OVER OKLAHOMA AND NORTH TEXAS. LIFTING IS
TYPICALLY MOST INTENSE DURING THIS TYPE OF DEEPENING...MEANING
WIDESPREAD PRECIPITATION...RELATIVELY HEAVY FOR MID WINTER.
DURING THE EVENING...MOST SHOWERS CONFINED TO THE RED RIVER AREA.
PRECIP WILL INCREASE AFTER MIDNIGHT...AND AS THE CYCLONE DEVELOPS
THERE WILL BE A TRANSITION OF PRECIP TYPE. A WARM NOSE IN THE
SOUNDINGS...LEFT OVER FROM OUR ANOMALOUSLY WARM WEEKEND...WILL LEAD
TO A PERIOD OF RAIN...FREEZING RAIN...AND SLEET FROM CENTRAL
OKLAHOMA SOUTHWESTWARD. THIS CREATES SOME CONFUSION... AS THE NAM
SNOW ALGORITHM KICKS OUT HEAVY SNOW IN A BAND ACROSS NORTH TEXAS AND
SOUTHERN OKLAHOMA TONIGHT. GIVEN A STRONG 3-5 DEGREE CELSIUS WARM
NOSE...ATOP INCREASING SURFACE COLD ADVECTION...THIS BAND WILL
LIKELY CONSIST OF FREEZING RAIN AND SLEET. THUNDER IS ALSO LIKELY
FROM CENTRAL OKLAHOMA SOUTHWESTWARD. WE INCREASED ICE ACCUMULATION
UP TO ONE QUARTER INCH...AND THIS IS ONE REASON OUR SNOW TOTALS
DECREASE TOWARD THE SOUTH...ESPECIALLY SINCE THE STRONG LIFT WILL
SHIFT UP INTO CENTRAL AND NORTHERN OKLAHOMA BY THE TIME TEMPERATURES
ARE SUPPORTIVE OF ALL SNOW. AN EARLIER CHANGEOVER...THOUGH...WOULD
MEAN MORE SNOW...POSSIBLY HEAVY...INTO SOUTH CENTRAL AND EAST
CENTRAL OKLAHOMA. LATER SHIFTS WILL NEED TO WATCH THIS CLOSELY.
BY MORNING...THE MID LEVEL TROUGH WILL CLOSE OFF...AND MODELS ARE
FAIRLY CONSISTENT IN PLACEMENT OF THE 700 MB LOW NEAR OR JUST EAST
OF OKLAHOMA CITY BY 9 AM TO NOON. FORECAST SOUNDINGS SHOW STEEP
UPPER LEVEL LAPSE RATES AND STRONG...DEEP ASCENT...CAPABLE OF
PRODUCING HEAVY SNOW AND EVEN ISOLATED THUNDER. THIS IS REFLECTED IN
THE SNOW GRIDS FROM THE NAM AND SREF...WHICH PRODUCE IMPRESSIVE SNOW
RATES...MORE THAN ONE INCH PER HOUR...DURING THE MORNING. ALSO ON
TUESDAY...THE GRADIENT BETWEEN A 1052 MB ARCTIC HIGH AND ROUGHLY 995
MB LOW WILL DRIVE A DANGEROUS NORTHWESTERLY WIND DURING AND
FOLLOWING THE STORM. THE MOS CAME UP CLOSER TO WHAT WE WOULD EXPECT
WITH THIS GRADIENT...FORECASTING 35 MPH SUSTAINED WINDS. GUSTS OVER
45 MPH SHOULD BE COMMON. FOR THIS REASON...WE UPGRADED TO BLIZZARD
WARNING IN THE AREA WHERE HEAVY SNOW RATES ARE MOST CERTAIN. NEAR
BLIZZARD CONDITIONS ARE LIKELY TO EXIST ELSEWHERE AS WELL...AND IT
WILL GENERALLY BE AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS DAY TO BE TRAVELING. EVEN
PEDESTRIANS IN FAMILIAR AREAS MAY BECOME DISORIENTED. WIND CHILL
TEMPERATURES WILL BE COLDER THAN MANY OKLAHOMANS AND TEXANS HAVE
EXPERIENCED IN MORE THAN TEN YEARS.
BECAUSE A WIND CHILL WATCH HAD BEEN IN EFFECT IN THE NORTHWEST...WE
UPGRADED TO WARNING THERE THROUGH WEDNESDAY MORNING. OTHER AREAS
WILL NEED A WIND CHILL ADVISORY BY TUESDAY EVENING...BUT FOR NOW WE
HAVE WRAPPED THE WIND CHILL MESSAGE INTO THE BLIZZARD AND WINTER
STORM WARNING PRODUCTS.
&&
.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
OKLAHOMA CITY OK 16 17 5 12 / 100 100 20 10
HOBART OK 13 16 2 12 / 90 70 0 0
WICHITA FALLS TX 19 23 8 15 / 100 70 0 10
GAGE OK 9 13 -3 14 / 80 60 10 10
PONCA CITY OK 15 19 1 13 / 100 100 20 10
DURANT OK 28 30 12 17 / 100 100 20 10
&&
.OUN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
OK...BLIZZARD WARNING UNTIL 6 PM CST TUESDAY FOR OKZ008-012-013-
018>020-024>026-029-030.
WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL 6 PM CST TUESDAY FOR OKZ004>007-
009>011-014>017-021>023-027-028-031>047-050-051.
WIND CHILL WARNING FROM 6 PM TUESDAY TO NOON CST WEDNESDAY FOR
OKZ004-005-009-010-014.
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 6 PM CST TUESDAY FOR OKZ048-052.
TX...WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL 6 PM CST TUESDAY FOR TXZ083>090.
&&
32/23/23HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORMAN OK
1200 PM CST MON JAN 31 2011
OKZ004>048-050>052-TXZ083>090-011000-
HARPER-WOODS-ALFALFA-GRANT-KAY-ELLIS-WOODWARD-MAJOR-GARFIELD-NOBLE-
ROGER MILLS-DEWEY-CUSTER-BLAINE-KINGFISHER-LOGAN-PAYNE-BECKHAM-
WASHITA-CADDO-CANADIAN-OKLAHOMA-LINCOLN-GRADY-MCCLAIN-CLEVELAND-
POTTAWATOMIE-SEMINOLE-HUGHES-HARMON-GREER-KIOWA-JACKSON-TILLMAN-
COMANCHE-STEPHENS-GARVIN-MURRAY-PONTOTOC-COAL-COTTON-JEFFERSON-
CARTER-JOHNSTON-ATOKA-LOVE-MARSHALL-BRYAN-HARDEMAN-FOARD-WILBARGER-
WICHITA-KNOX-BAYLOR-ARCHER-CLAY-
1200 PM CST MON JAN 31 2011
THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK COVERS NORTHERN...WESTERN...
CENTRAL...AND SOUTHERN OKLAHOMA...AND WESTERN NORTH TEXAS.
.DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT...
THUNDERSTORM OUTLOOK...
ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE ACROSS SOUTHERN OKLAHOMA AND
NORTHERN TEXAS LATE TONIGHT. SEVERE STORMS ARE NOT EXPECTED.
DISCUSSION...
A STRONG STORM SYSTEM WILL APPROACH THE SOUTHERN PLAINS FROM THE
WEST THROUGH TONIGHT. PRECIPITATION IS EXPECTED TO START IN THE FORM
OF RAIN ACROSS SOUTHERN OKLAHOMA AND NORTHERN TEXAS THIS EVENING AND
CHANGE TO FREEZING RAIN AND SLEET... AND THEN SNOW... BY MORNING.
ELEVATED THUNDERSTORMS MAY DEVELOP TONIGHT WITH SOME OF THE
PRECIPITATION... ESPECIALLY ACROSS SOUTHEAST OKLAHOMA.
PROBABILITY TABLE...
VALID THROUGH 700 AM CST TUESDAY FEB 1.
PROBABILITY OF THUNDERSTORMS OCCURRING IN THE
NWS NORMAN COUNTY WARNING AREA...30 PERCENT.
PROBABILITY OF SEVERE STORMS IF STORMS OCCUR...10 PERCENT
OTHER HAZARDOUS WEATHER...
SNOW...SLEET AND FREEZING RAIN WILL BEGIN TO FALL THIS EVENING AND
OVERNIGHT. HEAVY SNOW AND BLIZZARD CONDITIONS MAY EXIST IN SOME
AREAS BY DAYBREAK TUESDAY MORNING. PLEASE SEE THE LATEST WINTER
STORM WARNINGS AND ADVISORIES FOR DETAILS.
.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY...
THUNDERSTORM OUTLOOK...
THUNDER WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH THE SNOW AND SLEET TUESDAY MORNING.
OTHERWISE THUNDERSTORMS ARE NOT EXPECTED THROUGH SUNDAY.
OTHER HAZARDOUS WEATHER...
A MAJOR WINTER STORM WILL CONTINUE TO IMPACT THE AREA ON TUESDAY WITH
THE COMBINATION OF VERY COLD TEMPERATURES... STRONG WINDS... AND
SNOW. BITTER COLD WILL PERSIST WELL INTO THE LATTER PART OF THE
WEEK. PLEASE REFER TO THE LATEST WINTER STORM WARNINGS AND
ADVISORIES FOR DETAILS.
THE NEXT SCHEDULED HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK WILL BE ISSUED AT 5 AM
TUESDAY.The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
46 winter storm, 2 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.
Around 3 inches of snow was measured at the Great Salt Plains Dam and one mile south-southeast of Helena. Wind gusts over 40 mph also created considerable blowing and drifting of the snow.fall The event began during the evening hours of 1/31.
Around 2 inches of snow was measured two mile south-southwest of Buffalo. Wind gusts over 40 mph also created considerable blowing and drifting of the snowfall across the county. The event began during the evening hours of 1/31.
Four inches of snow was measured one mile west of Alva. Also, two inches of snow was measured at Freedom and Waynoka. Wind gusts over 45 mph created considerable blowing and drifting of the snowfall across the county. The event began during the evening hours of 1/31.
Two to three inches of snow was measured across the county. Wind gusts over 40 mph also created considerable blowing and drifting of the snowfall. The event began during the evening hours of 1/31.
Two inches of snow was measured three miles northeast of Arnett. Wind gusts over 40 mph also created considerable blowing and drifting of the snowfall. The event began during the evening hours of 1/31.
Up to two inches of snow accumulated across the county. Wind gusts over 45 mph also created considerable blowing and drifting of the snowfall, which reduced visibilities. The event began during the evening hours of 1/31.
Two inches of snow was measured at Orienta, with higher amounts over the eastern portion of the county. Wind gusts over 40 mph also created considerable blowing and drifting of the snowfall, which reduced visibilities. The event began during the evening hours of 1/31.
Two inches of snow was measured at Taloga. Two inches of snow was also measured by the emergency manager at Leedey. Wind gusts of 45 to 50 mph also created considerable blowing and drifting of the snowfall, which reduced visibilities. The event began during the evening hours of 1/31.
Four inches of snow was measured at Weatherford, with slightly lower amounts farther west. Wind gusts of 45 to 50 mph also created considerable blowing and drifting of the snowfall, which reduced visibilities. The event began during the evening hours of 1/31.
Three inches of snow was measured at Colony. A CoCoRaHS observer measured two inches near Burns Flat. Wind gusts over 50 mph also created considerable blowing and drifting of the snowfall, which reduced visibilities. The event began during the evening hours of 1/31.
Three inches of snow was measured two miles north-northeast of Moravia and one mile northeast of Sayre. Other CoCoRaHS and COOP observers measured lesser amounts of one to two inches across county. Wind gusts over 45 mph also created considerable blowing and drifting of the snowfall, which reduced visibilities. The event began during the evening hours of 1/31.
Two inches of snow was measured at Mangum. Wind gusts over 40 mph also created considerable blowing and drifting of the snowfall, which reduced visibilities. The event began during the evening hours of 1/31.
Up to two inches of snow was measured five miles east of Hollis. Wind gusts over 45 mph also created considerable blowing and drifting of the snowfall, which reduced visibilities. The event began during the evening hours of 1/31.
Three inches of snow was measured near Altus. Wind gusts over 45 mph also created considerable blowing and drifting of the snowfall, which reduced visibilities. The event began during the evening hours of 1/31.
Four inches of snow was measured at Headrick. A CoCoRaHS observer also measured three inches six miles south-southwest of Frederick. Wind gusts over 45 mph also created considerable blowing and drifting of the snowfall, which reduced visibilities. The event began during the evening hours of 1/31.
Three inches of snow was measured at Roosevelt and Sedan. Wind gusts over 50 mph also created considerable blowing and drifting of the snowfall, which reduced visibilities. The event began during the evening hours of 1/31.
Up to three inches of snow was measured one mile north of Watonga. A CoCoRaHS observer measured 3.8 inches 10 miles west-northwest of Geary. Wind gusts over 40 mph also created considerable blowing and drifting of the snowfall, which reduced visibilities. The event began during the evening hours of 1/31.
An observer located 4 miles east of Anadarko measured 6.5 inches of snow. Another observer located near Apache measured 5.9 inches. Wind gusts over 45 mph also created considerable blowing and drifting of the snowfall, which reduced visibilities. The event began during the evening hours of 1/31.
Five inches of snow was measured at the Wichita Mountain Wildlife Refuge. The observer at Chattanooga measured 4.4 inches. Around six inches was reported near Lawton. Wind gusts of 50 to occasionally 60 mph also created considerable blowing and drifting of the snowfall, which reduced visibilities. The event began during the evening hours of 1/31.
Four inches of snow was measured at Walters. A CoCoRaHS observer located 6 miles north-northwest of Cookietown measured 4.2 inches. Wind gusts up to 45 mph also created considerable blowing and drifting of the snowfall, which reduced visibilities. The event began during the evening hours of 1/31.
Seven inches of snow was measured at Loco, with lesser amounts across the rest of the county. Wind gusts over 35 mph also created considerable blowing and drifting of the snowfall, which reduced visibilities. The event began during the evening hours of 1/31.
Five to six inches of snow was measured around Duncan. Marlow measured five inches, and the CoCoRaHS observer measured 8.1 inches. Wind gusts over 40 mph also created considerable blowing and drifting of the snowfall, which reduced visibilities. The event began during the evening hours of 1/31.
The observer located 2 miles southwest of Blanchard measured 5.5 inches. Wind gusts over 45 mph also created considerable blowing and drifting of the snowfall, which reduced visibilities. The event began during the evening hours of 1/31.
Eight inches of snow was measured in and around Yukon. A trained observer also measured seven inches at Okarche, and a CoCoRaHS observer measured 5.5 inches west of Mustang. Wind gusts over 45 mph also created considerable blowing and drifting of the snowfall, which reduced visibilities. The event began during the evening hours of 1/31.
Seven inches of snow was measured at Kingfisher, with three inches measured at Hennessey. Wind gusts over 40 mph also created considerable blowing and drifting of the snowfall, which reduced visibilities. The event began during the evening hours of 1/31.
Three to five inches of snow was around the county, including Enid. Wind gusts occasionally over 50 mph also created considerable blowing and drifting of the snowfall, which reduced visibilities. The event began during the evening hours of 1/31.
Four inches of snow was measured at Lamont, with two inches measured at both Jefferson and Medford. Wind gusts over 45 mph also created considerable blowing and drifting of the snowfall, which reduced visibilities. The event began during the evening hours of 1/31.
Eight inches of snow was measured at Braman and near Ponca City. Seven inches was measured at Blackwell and Newkirk. Wind gusts over 45 mph also created considerable blowing and drifting of the snowfall, which reduced visibilities. The event began during the evening hours of 1/31.
Five inches of snow was measured at Billings. Wind gusts over 45 mph also created considerable blowing and drifting of the snowfall, which reduced visibilities. The event began during the evening hours of 1/31.
Nine inches of snow was measured at Cushing, with 8.4 inches measured two miles west of Stillwater and 5.7 inches measured at Ingalls. Wind gusts over 45 mph also created considerable blowing and drifting of the snowfall, which reduced visibilities. The event began during the evening hours of 1/31.
Five to seven inches of snow was measured around Guthrie. Seven inches was measured five miles west-southwest of Crescent, and around four inches was measured at Mulhall and Marshall. Wind gusts over 40 mph also created considerable blowing and drifting of the snowfall, which reduced visibilities. The event began during the evening hours of 1/31.
Twelve inches of snow was measured at Will Rogers World Airport in Oklahoma City. CoCoRaHS observers measured anywhere between eight and ten inches near and west of Edmond, and at Bethany. Wind gusts occasionally over 50 mph also created considerable blowing and drifting of the snowfall, which reduced visibilities. The event began during the evening hours of 1/31.
Four inches of snow was measured four miles west of Meeker. Considerably more snowfall, perhaps up to a foot of snow was likely over parts of Lincoln county. Wind gusts over 40 mph also created considerable blowing and drifting of the snowfall, which reduced visibilities. The event began during the evening hours of 1/31.
Several COOP and CoCoRaHS observers measured between five and eight inches of snow across the county. Wind gusts over 45 mph also created considerable blowing and drifting of the snowfall, which reduced visibilities. Unfortunately, one fatality occurred in Moore as a result of a sledding accident. The event began during the evening hours of 1/31.
Nine inches of snow was measured two miles northeast of Shawnee. Wind gusts over 45 mph also created considerable blowing and drifting of the snowfall, which reduced visibilities. The event began during the evening hours of 1/31.
Eight inches of snow was measured at Seminole. Wind gusts over 40 mph also created considerable blowing and drifting of the snowfall, which reduced visibilities. The event began during the evening hours of 1/31.
Six inches of snow was measured three miles southwest of Holdenville. Wind gusts over 35 mph also created considerable blowing and drifting of the snowfall, which reduced visibilities. The event began during the evening hours of 1/31.
Over seven inches of snow was measured two miles south-southwest of Blanchard. A CoCoRaHS observer measured six inches 7 miles west of Purcell. Wind gusts over 45 mph also created considerable blowing and drifting of the snowfall, which reduced visibilities. The event began during the evening hours of 1/31.
Eight inches of snow was measured one mile north of Elmore City. Wind gusts over 40 mph also created considerable blowing and drifting of the snowfall, which reduced visibilities. The event began during the evening hours of 1/31.
Nine inches of snow was measured at Ada. Frequent wind gusts near 30 mph also created considerable blowing and drifting of the snowfall, which reduced visibilities. The event began during the evening hours of 1/31.
Three inches of snow was measured at Healdton. Wind gusts over 35 mph also created considerable blowing and drifting of the snowfall, which reduced visibilities. The event began during the evening hours of 1/31.
Eight inches of snow was measured one mile south of Sulphur. Wind gusts over 35 mph also created considerable blowing and drifting of the snowfall, which reduced visibilities. The event began during the evening hours of 1/31.
Six inches of snow was measured two miles east-southeast of Centrahoma. Wind gusts over 30 mph also created considerable blowing and drifting of the snowfall, which reduced visibilities. The event began during the evening hours of 1/31.
Snowfall totals averaged over four inches across the county. Frequent wind gusts over 30 mph also created considerable blowing and drifting of the snowfall, which reduced visibilities. The event began during the evening hours of 1/31.
Four inches of snow was measured at Madill. Frequent wind gusts over 35 mph also created considerable blowing and drifting of the snowfall, which reduced visibilities. The event began during the evening hours of 1/31.
One to two inches of snow was measured across the county. Frequent wind gusts over 35 mph created considerable blowing and drifting of the snowfall, which reduced visibilities.
One to two inches of snow was measured across the county. Frequent wind gusts over 35 mph created considerable blowing and drifting of the snowfall, which reduced visibilities.
Three to four inches of snow was measured at Atoka. Frequent wind gusts over 35 mph also created considerable blowing and drifting of the snowfall, which reduced visibilities. The event began during the evening hours of 1/31.
As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.
| Event | Date | Age | Sex | Where | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winter Storm, Cleveland | 2011-02-01 | 20 | Female | Outside/Open Areas | Indirect |
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Oklahoma in 2011Every state in 2011This day in weather historyWarnings in Oklahoma, February 2011
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: 277210, 277215, 277237, 277240, 277242, 277244, 277247, 277248, 277250, 277251, 277253, 277254, 277255, 277256, 277257, 277258, 277259, 277260, 277262, 277264, 277265, 277266, 277267, 277268, 277269, 277270, 277271, 277272, 277273, 277274, 277275, 277276, 277277, 277279, 277280, 277281, 277282, 277283, 277284, 277285, and more.