Ticker for November 18, 2015

                
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November 18, 2015  November 18, 2015  November 18, 2015  November 18, 2015


It has snowed in Oklahoma!




We posted the image yesterday of the expected snowfall in the Panhandle from the
Amarillo NWS office, but apparently, they got more than they bargained for in
Boise City. Here was that forecast image.



But looking at the storm reports from yesterday, as well as information from
the Cimarron County NRCS office, I'd say they had a good old time slipping and
sliding out that way.

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AMARILLO TX
316 AM CST WED NOV 18 2015

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..

0202 PM     SNOW             BOISE CITY              36.73N 102.51W
11/17/2015  E2.0 INCH        CIMARRON           OK   TRAINED SPOTTER

BLOWING SNOW IS REDUCING VISIBILITIES IN TOWN TO LESS
THAN 1/8 MILE.

0802 PM     SNOW             BOISE CITY              36.73N 102.51W
11/17/2015  E5.0 INCH        CIMARRON           OK   LAW ENFORCEMENT

NEAR WHITE OUT CONDITIONS IN BLOWING SNOW.

1055 PM     SNOW             BOISE CITY              36.73N 102.51W
11/17/2015  E6.0 INCH        CIMARRON           OK   LAW ENFORCEMENT

Boise City ended officially with 6 inches on the ground, and as you can see
from the reports above, "near white out conditions in blowing snow."

In other words, a blizzard. The Mesonet meteogram from Boise City and the wind
gust map from yesterday shows that winds were gusting to over 50 mph as late
as 8pm before calming down to a mere 10-20 mph, and the wind chill bottomed
out into the single digits.




You should also notice that the temperature has rebounded quite nicely back into
the mid-40s, so that snow is not long for this world (if it's even still there).

The only other snow report I can find is a trace from Guymon, so it must not
have spread too far east. But the gates to winter are open now. Let the snow
begin. Long range forecasts are showing some type of "event" for next week
into Thanksgiving, but whether that means rain or some other type of precip,
simply too far out to tell. But those forecasting folks will know more as we
get closer. Looks to me to be closer to 70 degrees than 30 degrees right now,
but that can change in a hurry.

We're still well past our average date of the first fall freeze for quite a few
stations scattered through the state.




It looks like that might end for most of those stations this weekend as well.



BRRRRR indeed!

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