TULSA — While some predictions of a fifteen-inch snowfall have alarmed people on social media, the actual forecast is alarming enough for an area of the country unused to heavy snowfall.
Late Friday afternoon, the National Weather Service Office in Tulsa issued a Winter Storm Warning which goes into effect at midnight Saturday night into Sunday morning, and continues through 6:00 p.m. Monday.
Governor Kevin Stitt has issued a “State of Emergency” declaration for all 77 counties.
NWS Forecaster Tyler Snider told KRMG Friday afternoon the current models predict 4-6″ of snow in the metro on Sunday into Monday morning.
In a statement sent to KRMG Friday, the governor wrote in part: “The State of Oklahoma is prepared and ready to respond to this storm... I encourage all Oklahomans to pay attention to the weather, check on your neighbors and use the Drive Oklahoma app to monitor travel conditions throughout the weekend.”
He said it will begin as a light snow as the sun comes up Sunday, and continue through the day.
“The heavier snow looks like it’s going to move in Sunday evening into Sunday night, and into early Monday morning,” Snider said.
He said more snow is expected mid-week, but the models diverge on just how much the area can expect.
“Some models are indicating not much snow, and others are indicating much more significant snow. So, we’re still watching that and monitoring it as the time gets closer.”
He said the second round of snow will likely dump a couple more inches on Tuesday night into Wednesday morning.
The KRMG Storm Center team will be on the air, and on the streets, for the duration of the event.