Alans Winter Weather Briefing

No major updates are planned for this hour, but I will clear up some expiration times for some of the warning products.  The Winter Storm Warning for the Tulsa metro including most of the NE Ok actually expires Tuesday evening at 6pm.  The ICE Storm Warning will not expire until 6am Wednesday for portions of the I-40 corridor eastward into Western Arkansas. 

Light mist or drizzle is now being reported in the observation networks across the southern half of the state.  Radar data confirms this moisture is moving northward and will be approaching the Tulsa metro area sooner and not later.  We have been mentioning the NOON hour for some onset, but light mist or drizzle may occur between 10:30 and noon just south of the metro.  Mist and drizzle, while very light, would quickly create a glaze on elevated surfaces, with other roadways quickly following.

Model data confirms the shallow dome of cold air will be trapped with little room for improvement tonight or tomorrow.  Temperatures tomorrow may actually fall during the day as the system begins to exit the region.  Warm moist air advection is now occurring over this dome and will soon result in light precipitation developing to the surface.

We continue to highlight portions of east central OK into West Central Ark as an area for significant icing resulting in some power outages.  This area would include areas near McAlester to Sallisaw to Wilburton to Stigler to Ft Smith, basically along the I-40 corridor. Areas of extreme east central OK into NW Ark may receive anywhere from .50 to over 1 inch of ice. 

Areas near Tulsa may receive .25 to near .60 inches of a wintry mix including freezing rain and sleet. 

Areas from northern Tulsa County northward into southern Kansas may see a mixture of ice pellets and sleet resulting in one or more inches of accumulated mix by Tuesday morning. 

While significant power outages are not expected in the Tulsa metro area, some localized outages cannot be ruled out. 

If the expected band of significant icing shifts northward, or if wind speeds are stronger tonight than forecasted, some power outages may occur near or east of the Tulsa metro area.

While the above areas mentioned relate to our viewing and on air coverage area, it must be stressed that a wintry mix is possible over a large portion of the state, including the Oklahoma City Metro. The areas of extreme northwestern OK may only see very light snow or sleet and is currently not included in any winter warning or advisory.

Improving weather is expected by Wednesday morning, but accumulated ice or sleet may still be intact in areas through Thursday midmorning.

Dick will have updates and further information later this afternoon.