Oklahoma, 2024

Ice Storm in Oklahoma, January 21 to 22, 2024

January 21 to 22, 2024 · NWS TSA · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

Arctic air was already in place across eastern Oklahoma as a strong upper level disturbance approached the area of the 21st. Precipitation spread into the area during the evening of the 21st, as warm and moist air was lifted over the shallow cold air near the surface, resulting in widespread freezing rain.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 1 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

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
2

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 TSA wrote it up.

Arctic air was already in place across eastern Oklahoma as a strong upper level disturbance approached the area of the 21st. Precipitation spread into the area during the evening of the 21st, as warm and moist air was lifted over the shallow cold air near the surface, resulting in widespread freezing rain. The freezing rain continued across the region into the afternoon of the 22nd, with surface temperatures slowly rising above 32 degrees. Some areas received 0.25 inches of ice accumulation. There were some power outages reported across the region, and roads became ice-covered and treacherous.

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 Tulsa, OK wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jan 21, 5:40 PM CST, 20 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 21, 5:40 PM CST, 20 minutes before
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The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 ice storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Ice Storm, Le Flore

When
January 21, 6:00 PM CST to January 22, 12:00 PM CST
Where
Le Flore forecast zone
Reported by
Official NWS Observations

Ice Storm, Tulsa

When
January 21, 6:00 PM CST to January 22, 12:00 PM CST
Where
Tulsa forecast zone
Reported by
Official NWS Observations
Coordinates
36.121, -95.941 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Ice Storm
Freezing rain accumulating a quarter inch or more of ice, or less where it caused significant damage.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Oklahoma in 2024Every state in 2024This day in weather historyWarnings in Oklahoma, January 2024

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: 1149805, 1149806.