Thousands Lose Power in OKC, Roads Deteriorate

By Rusty Surette, NEWS 9

OKLAHOMA CITY -- More than 25,000 OG&E customers have lost power due to high winds and icy conditions in the metro. Travel conditions are also beginning to deteriorate.

Broadway Extension at Memorial Road has been closed due to downed power lines.

The Oklahoma Highway Patrol is reporting eastbound lanes of Interstate 40 near El Reno have been closed due to a jackknifed semi truck.

"The roads are becoming extremely slick in Northwest Oklahoma County," said NEWS 9 traffic reporter Andrew Harris.

Shortly after 8:00 Wednesday evening, the lights at the NEWS 9 studios began to flicker on and off. Moments after that, dozens of viewers called us to report power flashes and outages in several neighborhoods.

OG&E System Watch

Oklahoma City firefighters said several lines are down across Oklahoma City. A majority of the flashes and being reported in the Northwest sections of the city near Portland Avenue and Quail Springs.

At least 6,000 customers in the Piedmont area have lost power.

"It looks like a lightning storm in the sky," said one caller into the NEWS 9 newsroom. "I live on Northwest 164th and the sky continues to light up."

A spokesman for OG&E said its quickly working to restore electricity.

At this time no injuries or major traffic accidents have been reported due to the flashes and outages.