Near-surface sub-freezing temperatures combined with moisture across western Oklahoma to produce a narrow area of ice accumulations around a quarter inch on the 17th.
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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.
Near-surface sub-freezing temperatures combined with moisture across western Oklahoma to produce a narrow area of ice accumulations around a quarter inch on the 17th.
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 17, 2:53 AM CST, 1 hour 7 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Norman OK
253 AM CST Fri Jan 17 2020
.DISCUSSION...
&&
.LONG TERM...
After a cold frontal passage early Saturday morning, the
temperatures and dew points will lower to more typical values for
the next several days. North winds will become light as the center
of the air mass passes over the southern plains on Sunday. Another,
colder air mass will move from the northern plains into the mid-
Mississippi valley on Monday taking most of its colder air to the
east of Oklahoma, with only slightly cooler conditions mainly east
of I-35. This surface high pressure moves into the Tennessee valley
while a short-wave trough moves thorugh the southern Rockies on
Tuesday. The resultant lee surface trough will increase south winds,
temperature, and humidity. A chance for rain comes wtih this Tuesday
and Wednesday. A larger-scale upper wave is expected to either
develop an upper low over the southern high plains or continue as an
open wave approaching the same area on Thursday. With two days of
south surface winds and moisture advection, showers and
thunderstorms are expected Thursday followed by a cold front late.
&&
.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
Oklahoma City OK 48 40 49 30 / 90 30 0 0
Hobart OK 46 36 51 27 / 70 10 0 0
Wichita Falls TX 50 41 54 29 / 90 20 0 0
Gage OK 49 31 48 27 / 50 0 0 0
Ponca City OK 45 36 47 29 / 100 20 0 0
Durant OK 54 46 54 32 / 80 90 0 0
&&
.OUN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
OK...Winter Weather Advisory until 6 AM CST early this morning for
OKZ004>012-014>018-021>024-033>036.
TX...Winter Weather Advisory until 6 AM CST early this morning for
TXZ083>085-087.
&&
23/09Hazardous Weather Outlook...UPDATED National Weather Service Norman OK 1203 PM CST Thu Jan 16 2020 OKZ004>048-050>052-TXZ083>090-171815- 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- 1203 PM CST Thu Jan 16 2020 This hazardous weather outlook is for portions of northern... western...central...and southern Oklahoma...and western north Texas. .DAY ONE...Through Tonight... .Winter Precipitation... Freezing rain will be possible across portions of northern, western, and central Oklahoma, and a small portion of western north Texas Thursday mid afternoon through early Friday morning. Ice accumulations will be possible, especially on elevated surfaces. Some locations across northwestern Oklahoma will receive a combination of accumulating sleet and freezing rain. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Friday through Wednesday... .Winter Precipitation... Light freezing rain will briefly be possible across portions of western and northwestern Oklahoma early Friday morning. Melting will then occur throughout the day. .Thunderstorms... Isolated thunderstorms will be possible mainly across eastern and southeastern Oklahoma late Friday night. Get graphics and more details at weather.gov/norman...and follow our weather forecast office on Twitter and Facebook.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
2 ice storm. Local standard time, as filed.
Ice accumulation up to a quarter inch in Erick and Elk City.
Ice accumulation up to a quarter inch in Clinton.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Oklahoma in 2020Every state in 2020This day in weather historyWarnings in Oklahoma, January 2020
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: 868903, 868904.