Ice Alert: Slippery Roads, Power Outages, & Church Closings

Some Green Country residents woke up to a wintery blast on Sunday morning. Ice coated everything from trees to power lines to cars and roads. <br/><br/>The Tulsa Zoo closed Sunday and many churches canceled

Sunday, December 9th 2007, 8:21 am

By: News On 6

Some Green Country residents woke up to a wintery blast on Sunday morning. Ice coated everything from trees to power lines to cars and roads.

The Tulsa Zoo closed Sunday and many churches canceled their Sunday morning services. You can find a list of closings on kotv.com. Much of Northeast Oklahoma is under an ice storm warning until 6:00 p.m. Sunday evening. The Oklahoma Highway Patrol warns driving can be dangerous. Street and road crews have already spread salt and sand on bridges and overpasses, which freeze first.

Currently, all crews statewide, with the exception of southeastern Oklahoma, are out clearing roadways and consider them to be slick and hazardous. Conditions are continually being monitored as temperatures remain below freezing. As percipitation persists, crews will continue applying materials on all highways and interstates statewide.

In the Tulsa and Oklahoma City metro areas, crews are continuing the 24-hour clearing that begin late Satuday night as percipitation continued and temperatures dropped. Several slick spots are being reported in the Tulsa and Oklahoma City metro areas and drivers are encouraged to allow plenty of time if they must travel.

In Collinsville, city officials reported up to a half inch of ice accumulated on trees. City officials tell The News On 6 that two to three inch diameter trees are down across the city with a third of Collinsville without power.

Troopers are asking motorists to exercise caution during this time by abiding the following recommendations:

Use caution when near sand trucks; treat them as emergency vehicles

Stay behind 200 feet or more to avoid damage

Never pass sand/snow trucks

Decrease your speed and leave plenty of room to stop

Brake gently to avoid skidding

Be especially careful on bridges and overpasses as they will freeze first

Always drive with your lights on

Keep your lights and your windshield clean

Never use cruise control on icy roads

Four-wheel or front-wheel drive vehicles are not better at handling icy roads than others

Have water, blankets, and a fully charged cell phone in your vehicle

Get road conditions from ODOT before leaving your business/home

If you find yourself stranded or are in an accident, OHPâ€™s emergency number is *55. An OHP trooper will respond as soon as possible.

Drivers who must travel are advised to call the Oklahoma Department of Public Safetyâ€™s statewide road conditionâ€™s number at 1-888-425-2385 or visit www.dps.state.ok.us. For all local inquiries, ODOT advises calling local city or county offices.

For out of state road conditions: