Ticker for February 16, 2015

                
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February 16, 2015  February 16, 2015  February 16, 2015  February 16, 2015


ICE-POCALYPSE 2015!



You know, it's not really the famine or the pestilence that bothers me with the
frozen wasteland known as Oklahoma, I can deal with that. It's the cold that bugs
me. How much longer can we survive this onslaught? It's been nearly a day and a
half in some areas. Imagine poor Mt. Herman down in SE OK having to endure 4
hours of 32 degrees or below.



Much like the Dust Bowl social upheaval of the 1930s, there was a mass migration
of people to Waurika yesterday, searching not for jobs, but 70 degree temperatures.



Alas, even that area of the state could not withstand the onslaught of arctic air
that doomed us to these hours/days of winter's icy grip.



We don't have a good measure of the wind chill right now, obviously, since
most of our anemometers lay beneath a coating of ice, as evidenced by the
Mesonet wind and wind chill maps.




Where there ARE measurements, it is COLD, however. At least the precipitation
is beginning to end across the area, allowing us to assess the situation,
gather our supplies and start the march to warmer climes. Might I suggest
Brownsville, or Miami?



When oh when will it be our time to see temperatures above freezing? It's been
such a long time, I dare to hope at all. If you can hold out for just a few
more hours, if you can survive the marauding hordes and not-really-that-cold-for-
February-when-you-really-think-about-it-and-realize-we've-been-lucky-thus-far
temperatures, we should see melting later today.




For those of you in NE OK, hold on for just one more day (and things will go
your way?? This forecast brought to you buy Wilson-Phillips).



In all (or partial) seriousness, however, there will still be a chance for
some light precipitation across the NE half of the state for a bit longer, and
all care should be taken if travel is absolutely necessary.








We have received some decent moisture thus far, at least according to radar
estimates, and there is possibly more headed this way for the weekend.




Lots of uncertainty about the upcoming forecast later this week, and even what
to expect with next week. Be advised, Mother Nature might have done gone all
February on us after all.

Gary McManus
State Climatologist
Oklahoma Mesonet
Oklahoma Climatological Survey
(405) 325-2253
gmcmanus@mesonet.org