Ready and waiting
City, state officials brace for winter storm
Oklahoma City is ramping up weather preparations as forecasters are calling f or dangerous wind chills throughout the weekend and a slight chance an impending snow storm will set a record in the metro area.
Meteorologist Jennifer Thompson with the National Weather Service in Norman said snow totals will be between 6 and 12 inches in the metro area, with 8 inches predicted to accumulate at Will Rogers World Airport on Sunday into Monday.
The record snow fall in Oklahoma City was 14.1 inches on Dec. 25, 2009. In Cleveland County, the record was set on the same day, with 12 inches of snow.
Thompson said the wind chill is expected to fall to minus -10 degrees early Saturday.
Oklahoman Gov. Kevin Stitt declared a weather state of emergency for all 77 counties ahead of the weekend snow.
Oklahoma City street crews have 25 trucks with snow plows on standby to clear snow routes. About 1,800“lane miles” of the city's 8,500 total lane miles are considered snow routes.
Neighborhood streets are not part of the snow routes and will not be treated.
Crews typically drive 200 miles in a 12-hour shift.
Four contractors with snow removal equipment are on call to help with plowing efforts if needed.
The Public Works Department has 11,000 tons of salt in stock. The city says this is more than needed to treat streets during the snowstorm.
Here is a look at preparations being made by other essential services:
Airport
Will Rogers World Airport crews are preparing to maintain airfields, roadways and walkways at the airport. The storm is expected to cause flight cancellation sand
possibly force flight operations to close temporarily.
Delays are already being experienced due to severe winter weather conditions. Airplane de-icing is taking additional time. Travelers should frequently check the status of their flight prior to coming to the airport.
EMBARK
EMBARK bus service has a contingency plan to run reduced service levels. The service levels will be equivalent to weekend service, which is one-hour frequency on most routes operating from 6: 30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
If the contingency plan is activated, customers will be advised by Sunday at 7 p.m. at embarkok.com and social media.
EMBARK bus transportation from the Willard Center and Homeless Alliance to the municipal warming center at Red Andrews Park will continue. Public Transit is free for any resident needing transportation to a warming center or shelter.
EM BARK Plus ADA Transportation and OKC Streetcar will maintain normal service.
Municipal courts
No court sessions are scheduled for Monday.
Residents who can not attend a scheduled court date at any time due to the road conditions or weather are encouraged to call 405-2973898 to reschedule.
Trash and recycling services
Trash, recycling and bulky collection services may be affected by weather conditions next week. If they are, check okc.gov/ice for a makeup schedule.
EMSA
EM SA is prepared to respond to heavy snow, but response times may increase due to road conditions.
Residents are encouraged to move vehicles involved in any weather-related accidents off the road so emergency vehicles can use arterial streets.
Abandoned vehicles often make roads impassable in significant winter storms.