A deep arctic airmass had settled into the Southern Plains region in the wake of a strong cold front. As a belt of strong upper level westerlies developed atop this deep cold airmass, widespread snow affected Oklahoma.
Every event with a place to put it; 16 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.
A deep arctic airmass had settled into the Southern Plains region in the wake of a strong cold front. As a belt of strong upper level westerlies developed atop this deep cold airmass, widespread snow affected Oklahoma. Snow showers came in two waves--one light wave early on the 22nd and then a heavier wave through the 23rd. By the time the snow ended, many areas across Oklahoma received accumulations.
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 Feb 21, 11:05 PM CST, 55 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORMAN OK
1105 PM CST SAT FEB 21 2015
.DISCUSSION...
22/06Z AVIATION DISCUSSION BELOW.
&&
.AVIATION...
22/06Z TAFS...PRIMARILY MVFR FORECAST FOR MOST TERMINALS WITH IFR
POSSIBLE IN HEAVIER SNOW/PL BANDS NORTHWEST OKLAHOMA TERMINALS AND
NEAR KSPS. HEAVIEST PRECIPITATION EXPECTED OVER NORTHWEST OKLAHOMA
09Z TO 18Z AND THEN DOWN AROUND KSPS BETWEEN 18Z AND 00Z. STRONG
NORTH-NORTHEAST WINDS WILL SPREAD OVER ALL TERMINALS BY 12Z.
&&
.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
OKLAHOMA CITY OK 28 28 19 23 / 20 60 40 60
HOBART OK 27 28 17 20 / 20 60 60 70
WICHITA FALLS TX 35 35 20 22 / 10 70 60 80
GAGE OK 20 24 12 21 / 90 80 60 50
PONCA CITY OK 24 25 13 23 / 30 60 10 30
DURANT OK 36 37 25 27 / 10 80 60 80
&&
.OUN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
OK...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 6 AM CST MONDAY FOR OKZ005-006-011-
014>017.
WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL 6 AM CST MONDAY FOR OKZ004-009-010.
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM NOON SUNDAY TO 6 PM CST MONDAY FOR
OKZ021>025-027>048-050>052.
TX...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM NOON SUNDAY TO 6 PM CST MONDAY FOR
TXZ083>090.
&&
84/11HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORMAN OK 600 PM CST SAT FEB 21 2015 OKZ004>048-050>052-TXZ083>090-221800- 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- 600 PM CST SAT FEB 21 2015 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHERN... WESTERN...CENTRAL...AND SOUTHERN OKLAHOMA...AND WESTERN NORTH TEXAS. .DAY ONE...THROUGH TONIGHT... .WINTRY WEATHER... LIGHT TO MODERATE SNOW IS EXPECTED ACROSS PORTIONS OF NORTHERN AND WESTERN OKLAHOMA MAINLY AFTER MIDNIGHT TONIGHT...CONTINUING INTO THE MORNING HOURS SUNDAY. SNOW ACCUMULATIONS OF 1 TO 3 INCHES WILL BE LIKELY ALONG AND NORTH OF A LINE FROM CHEYENNE...TO ENID...TO PONCA CITY...WITH GREATER ACCUMULATIONS ACROSS FAR NORTHWESTERN OKLAHOMA INTO THE TEXAS AND OKLAHOMA PANHANDLES. ROADS WILL LIKELY BECOME SLICK AND HAZARDOUS BY EARLY SUNDAY MORNING. TRAVEL SHOULD BE AVOIDED IN THESE AREAS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY... .WINTRY WEATHER... WINTER PRECIPITATION WILL BE POSSIBLE THROUGHOUT THE DAY ON SUNDAY BUT THERE MAY BE A BRIEF LULL BETWEEN THE OCCURRENCES OF HEAVIER PRECIPITATION WITH MAINLY JUST SOME LIGHT SNOW OR RAIN. ANOTHER ROUND OF WINTER WEATHER WILL BEGIN LATE SUNDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING THEN CONTINUE INTO MONDAY. NORTHERN AND CENTRAL OKLAHOMA WILL MAINLY SEE SNOW WHILE PARTS OF SOUTHERN OKLAHOMA AND WESTERN NORTH TEXAS COULD SEE A WINTRY MIX OF SNOW... SLEET... AND POSSIBLY FREEZING RAIN. BY MONDAY... SNOW AND SLEET ACCUMULATIONS OF SEVERAL INCHES WILL BE POSSIBLE IN PARTS OF WESTERN AND SOUTHERN OKLAHOMA... AND WESTERN NORTH TEXAS. THIS WILL LIKELY IMPACT TRAVEL ACROSS THE AREA...AND ROADS IN SOME AREAS MAY BECOME VERY DIFFICULT TO NAVIGATE. THERE ARE STILL UNCERTAINTIES REGARDING HOW MUCH SNOW AND SLEET WILL FALL...AND WHERE. STAY TUNED FOR UPDATES AS THIS WINTER WEATHER SITUATION EVOLVES...AND PREPARE NOW FOR POSSIBLE IMPACTS TO TRAVEL SUNDAY AND MONDAY. WINTRY WEATHER MAY RETURN WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY...WITH ADDITIONAL SNOW ACCUMULATIONS. .DANGEROUS COLD... WIND CHILLS WILL DROP TO THE SINGLE DIGITS IN MANY PLACES MONDAY MORNING. BE SURE AND BUNDLE UP IF YOU PLAN ON BEING OUTSIDE. GET GRAPHICS AND MORE DETAILS AT WEATHER.GOV/NORMAN...AND FOLLOW OUR WEATHER FORECAST OFFICE ON TWITTER AND FACEBOOK. MBS/EM/AUSTIN
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
13 winter weather, 3 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
Total snowfall measurements for this event were around 3.5 inches at Woodward.
Total Snowfall measurements were around 4 inches at Deer Creek.
Total Snowfall measurements ranged from 2 inches near Clinton to 2.5 inches near Weatherford.
Total Snowfall measurements ranged from 2 inches at Will Rogers Airport to 4.5 inches in Edmond.
Total Snowfall measurements ranged from around 2.5 inches at Mustang to 4 inches near Piedmont.
Total Snowfall measurements ranged from 0.5 inches near Norman to 1.5 inches near Moore.
Total Snowfall measurements were around 1.5 inches at Stillwater.
Total Snowfall measurements were around 3.5 inches near Carney.
Total snowfall measurements for this event were around 1.2 inches at Enid.
Freezing rain totals around 0.1 inches were reported at Comanche.
Total Snowfall measurements were around 1 inch at Wanette.
Total Snowfall measurements were around 2 inches near Elmore City.
Total Snowfall measurements were around 3 inches near Ada.
Total Snowfall measurements were around 2 inches near Holdenville.
Total sleet measurements for this event were around 0.25 inches near Lehigh.
Total Snowfall measurements were around 1 inch near Lawton.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Oklahoma in 2015Every state in 2015This day in weather historyWarnings in Oklahoma, February 2015
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: 559251, 559256, 559347, 559255, 559258, 559340, 559348, 559350, 559252, 559337, 559338, 559342, 559343, 559344, 559253, 559341.