WINTER STORM NOW 12/08-11/2007: KS, OK, NE, MO, IA, CO, among others

[Jeff Piotrowski]

Ice Storm Tulsa

Thunder storms have already produced over a two inches of freezing rain about twenty miles north of the I-44 corridor.
The power is still on for now but HUGH big green power flashes out the window in Owasso.

 

[Andrew Francis]

I saw that too, actual thunder and lightning in the Clinton area. Oh and did I mention they're reporting 22 degrees!!!!! Amazing

Looks to be as if the band of ice/sleet in western is building south to set up a large band running from Lawton to OKC to Ponca City areas...

Conditions outside now are freezing drizzle in Stillwater. I walked outside and the sidewalks have a thin glaze over them. Also everycar in the parking lot is iced shut.

It's only going to go downhill from here - I hope you all are warm and safe!

 

[Mike Hollingshead]

The storm total rainfall(which has all been below freezing) on SGF's radar is sick(2.5 inches +)....and it continues! There's a flood warning for nw of Joplin where it's probably below 30. Reading their AFD is a bit scary, as I simply can't begin to imagine how bad it can look come Wednesday if indeed that area nw of I44 manages to hold below freezing. They may have some luck in that not all that pouring sticks, but if they are below 30 I imagine it's freezing pretty darn quick anyway. I'm pondering driving down there if I can see a window to do so, but I'm not sure I see it. Nothing is less fun than driving a long way on crap road conditions. Should just wait till it's all over, even if Monday warms some. I just don't gather it's going to be repeated anywhere else like it already has in that area. That's an impressive stripe of persistent very heavy freezing rain.

Jeff, did you see 2 inches of ice on things, or just talking about the radar totals?

 

[Mike Hollingshead]

http://kamala.cod.edu/offs/KSGF/0712091415.nwus53.html

Updated list of ice reports from SGF. Already sounds really bad down there, as expected.

 

[Jeff Piotrowski]

Owasso Update

The ice is from .25-.50 on trees power lines had some sleet mixed in with the thunderstorms. Trees limbs are breaking all over the city. The temp was 29 in Owasso during most of the heavy rain. I just returned from the store two miles north of my house the ice is thicker .50-.75" The electric is out to about a third of Owasso. The shopping centers on both sides of Hwy 169 have no power.
The new 12Z WRF/ETA/RUC has new convection this afternoon with additional QPF of .25-1.00 Inches over NE Oklahoma. It now seems likely that a very damaging ice storm is now starting in only going to get worse. I would expect the local or state to declare a state of emergency later today as more power grids come down.

 

[Andrew Francis]

Here in Stillwater, a clap of thunder just vibrated the window. Following that was a downpour of rain. Straight rain - it was sleeting earlier, but now is pure rain. Looking out the window I can see the glaze on everything. The trees have ice accum. As well as the roads. Especially here on campus (OSU) - roads arent traveled much if at all on Sunday mornings. The rain is now constant. This is getting bad... 28F

 

[Brett Adair]

This looks quite bad for the SGF/TSA/OUN areas.....and it seems to be getting more serious a little earlier than they expected. I hope they have enough in the way of emergency services available to assist those in need down there. It looks like another round is about to get underway as increasing radar returns and lightning strikes indicate convection is definitely working with the elevated instability in place just north of this front. Major isentrophic ascent seems to be assisting in the development as the LLJ crosses the boundary. Hopefully these guys will get a break a little later today.

 

[Brett Adair]

Hmmm....the CHK (Chickasha, OK METAR) site is reporting Light Thundersnow 27/27. That has to be bogus with this warm air aloft. I don't even think the heavier precip with the could bring freezing temps down all the way through the column even briefly.

 

[Patrick Martin]

Presently 14 degrees with 6 inches of snow sitting on top of a thin layer of ice from yesterday morning's freezing drizzle. Sunshine is beginning to break through although light snow still falling. Secondary roads in our area north of Denver very slick.

 

[Mark Farnik]

Woke up this morning to find a veritable winter wonderland outside our house. The snow total over the last 48 hours is just under 10 inches, per the measurement on the picnic table on our patio. Thankfully the wind with this storm was relatively light, so only minor blowing/drifting occurred. We also had some freezing fog earlier this morning, so all the trees are coated in rime ice. It's really quite beautiful, I'll go out later and take some pictures and post them sometime this afternoon/evening. Underneath all this is a lovely coating of ice from our freezing drizzle episode overnight Friday. I'm glad I don't have to go anywhere today - travelling would be a nightmare!
Since low level inversions are going to keep eastern Colorado well below freezing, no melting is going to occur today, and I have a sneaking suspicion the same will be true tomorrow. Thus said, I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they'll cancel school tomorrow due to what will certainly be abysmal road conditions - not likely, but one can always hope!

 

[Andrew Francis]

Precip in OK starting to turn to sleet/frz rain mix

Any chance this will go back to freezing rain? Or has the cold air moved far enough south that it will not retreat?

 

[Rocky Rascovich]

As of 1200cst, most of the precip. here at the farm (5mi. NW of Piedmont, OK) has been predominantly sleet... it seems that once again, we're dodging the bullet at least here in Piedmont. However, just south and east of the metro OKC area, a different story is unfolding with power lines and trees under considerable ice accum.

I'll be looking close at the latest data to see if our artic airmass has become deep enough to possibly preclude an all ZR event for today anyway....

 

[Billy Griffin]

The "lull" that was anticipated in this event doesn't seem to be happening. Per radar, Southwest Oklahoma is now becoming inundated with more ZR and the I-44 corridor just seems to be a training target at this point. The precip continues to be of convective mode, or at least it appears that way... riding just north of the frontal boundary. Here on the SE side of Norman, we're having continuous CG with heavy FZR !!!

 

[Brandon Lawson]

For whatever reason, the ground refuses to freeze in Norman. I'm wondering if that will change later tonight.

 

[Billy Griffin]

Not sure if you're referring to when you say "ground," Brandon, but here on the east side of Norman, we've got about 1/2" of ice on everything. Albiet, the streets are very spotty with ice. The grass, trees, almost everything is coated in a solid sheet of ice.