Ticker for February 8, 2011

                
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February 8, 2011   February 8, 2011   February 8, 2011   February 8, 2011


SnowMania

Before the snowldrums set in again, there is still time to let your inner child
out and get excited about the snow. Records are poised to be broken across the
state, although a few are going to remain safe for the time being. Here are a few
that may fall by the wayside.

But first, a message from our sponsors, the Cimarron County Tourism Bureau: "If
you don't like the weather out here, wait 10 minutes and then leave, wimp."

The frigid air is upon our state as evident from the latest air temperature
and wind chill maps from the Oklahoma Mesonet. As one of my favorite old-time
meteorologists, Fred Norman, used to say ... "preview of coming attractions."
Temperatures are approaching zero already in Cimarron County with wind chills
below -20 degrees:




With that setting the scene, let's talk records. Oklahoma City and Tulsa are both
threatening to break some of their all-time snow records with this next storm,
and there's still a good two months of the snow season (September-May) left.
Here are a few of the threatened and already-broken records.

Tulsa (thanks Nicole):

Snow received so far this season: 20.4"
Seasonal record: 25.6" (1923-24)
Max in 24 hours: 14" (January 31 - February 1, 2011)
Max in one storm: 14" (January 31-February 1, 2011)
Max depth: 14" (February 2, 2011)

OKC:

Snow received so far this season: 13.7"
Seasonal record: 25.2" (1947-48)
Max in 24 hours: 13.5" (December 24, 2009)
Max in one storm: 13.5" (December 24, 2009)

So Tulsa needs 5.3" to break their seasonal record and Oklahoma City needs
11.6". Two records that appear safe for now:

Greatest Seasonal Snowfall: 87.3 inches (Beaver, 1911-12)
Greatest Storm Total Snowfall: 36 inches (Buffalo, February 1971)

The 24-hour state record snowfall of 26" was set in  the late-March 2009
blizzard at both Freedom and Woodward.

So there you have it. We need the moisture, especially in western Oklahoma. I'd
take a nice gentle rain myself, but my inner child says "let it snow." Sometime
about Friday or so, I'm betting my inner child is in time-out.

Gary McManus
Associate State Snowman
Oklahoma Climatological Survey
(405) 325-2253