Ice brings wrecks, school closures
What started as waves of thunderstorms Wednesday night quickly turned into a winter weather event for central Oklahoma on Thursday as temperatures dropped below freezing.
Much of central Oklahoma was covered in a glaze of ice Thursday morning from rounds of freezing rain and sleet, which led to dozens of wrecks and school closures.
Forecasters with the National Weather Service on Wednesday had warned of hail and strong winds, with thunderstorms pushing through the state during the afternoon. A few hours later, the weather service issued winter weather advisories for much of central Oklahoma as temperatures dropped and frozen precipitation began to fall.
From late Wednesday through Thursday morning, Oklahoma Highway Patrol troopers responded to 83 noninjury wrecks and 12 wrecks with injuries along central Oklahoma roads.
In Oklahoma City, paramedics with the Emergency Medical Services Authority responded to 36 wrecks across Oklahoma City on Thursday morning, with 12 people being taken to local hospitals. Oklahoma City firefighters responded to 28 injury accidents between midnight and 9 a.m. Thursday, officials said.
Paramedics also responded to five calls of people falling and seven calls of hypothermia, EMSA officials reported.
Oklahoma City, Putnam
City, Edmond and Deer Creek schools were all closed Thursday due to the winter weather.
Classes were also canceled Thursday at the University of Central Oklahoma and Oklahoma State University. The University of Oklahoma remained open Thursday.
Classes will not be held for Oklahoma City Public Schools on Friday, as parent-teacher conferences are scheduled throughout the day, officials said.
Other school districts in the metro area said they would be monitoring weather conditions throughout the night and would later decide whether classes will be held.
Erin Maxwell, meteorologist for the weather service in Norman, said ice totals were light but enough to put a “good glaze” on roadways across much of the state. Parts of northwest Oklahoma dealt with freezing drizzle and freezing fog for much of Wednesday before the storms began to fire off, Maxwell said.
Snow flurries, with little to no accumulation, were reported in the Oklahoma City metro area during Thursday morning and afternoon.
Abundant sunshine and strong winds helped dry things out along streets and highways Thursday afternoon, but Maxwell said she expected some slick spots to remain across the state into Friday.
Temperatures are expected to climb above freezing in Oklahoma City for Friday, with a forecast high about 34 degrees. Overnight temperatures are expected to drop to the low 20s.
Forecasters are calling for highs in the mid-40s for Saturday, with a low about 35 degrees.