Record-Setting Low Temperatures Across Northern Oklahoma

Staff and Wire Reports

NOWATA, Oklahoma -- After a second winter storm brought heavy snow to Oklahoma on Wednesday, residents woke up Thursday to bitterly cold temperatures across northern Oklahoma.

The News On 6 WARN Team is reporting clear skies across the state Thursday morning and temperatures as low as 28 below zero in Bartlesville and 24 below in Ponca City. Stillwater is at 14 below while Enid is at 11 below.

The new state record, however, was set in Nowata with a temperature of minus 31 degrees. The temp was recorded by Mesonet, but the National Weather Service has agreed to honor it as the new state low.

The temperature in Tulsa was 5 below while Lawton reported 1 below and Oklahoma City was at 5 above zero.

The National Weather Service in Tulsa issued the following statement:

AN ALL TIME RECORD LOW TEMPERATURE OF 28 DEGREES BELOW ZERO WAS SET AT  BARTLESVILLE, OKLAHOMA THIS MORNING AT 7:19 AM. THE PREVIOUS ALL TIME RECORD LOW WAS 25 BELOW ZERO JANUARY 22ND 1930. THIS SMASHES THE PREVIOUS RECORD FOR THIS DATE OF 13 BELOW ZERO SET IN 1929.  THIS ALSO SETS THE ALL TIME RECORD LOW TEMPERATURE FOR THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA. THE PREVIOUS RECORD LOW WAS 27 DEGREES BELOW ZERO SET AT VINITA, OK IN 1905 AND AT WATTS, OK IN 1930.

News On 6 meteorologist Alan Crone says things will eventually warm up but these bitterly cold temperatures are impacting Thursday's wind chill factors too.

"The air mass remains very cold and morning readings have dropped below zero in many locations over the snow pack of northern Oklahoma, including the Tulsa metro," said Alan Crone. "Wind chill values will also be from 0 to -15 over the next few hours."

Read Alan Crone's blog.

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