No precedent in either Tulsa or Oklahoma City for an ice storm warning in October. Beats out the previous earliest issuance by six weeks. Amarillo could see record snowfall.
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26 Oct 2020 – Accompanying the recent record cold, heavy snow plastered parts of the High Plains and Rockies. Denver picked up just under three inches of snow. Boulder wound up with more than a foot.
Missoula logged its eighth-biggest snowstorm on record, with a hefty 13.8 inches in just two days.
Farther south, almost the entire state of New Mexico was under a winter storm warning Monday, with heavy snow of half a foot or more likely in most areas. Higher elevations in the mountains could see 12 to 18 inches.
Amarillo could see record snowfall
Thundersnow was reported across the Texas Panhandle on Monday morning with more on the way. Four to 10 inches could fall Tuesday into Wednesday. That may break the October record for Amarillo’s snowiest calendar day, which stands at 5.5 inches.
Wichita – Heaviest snow ever so early in the season
The snow came sweeping down the Plains, too. Wichita had accumulated 1.3 inches by lunchtime Monday, the heaviest snow it has experienced so early in a season. Every county in the state was under a winter weather advisory, a combination of snow, sleet and freezing rain making for slick travel.
Winter storm and ice storm warnings for most of Colorado, New Mexico, Texas Panhandle and Oklahoma
Winter storm and ice storm warnings were up for most of Colorado, New Mexico, the Texas Panhandle and Oklahoma, while winter weather advisories stretched northeast into Kansas City toward the Iowa border.
Meanwhile, much of central Oklahoma was under an ice storm warning, including the I-35 corridor north of Oklahoma City. Some parts of the state could see a half-inch to an inch of ice accretion by Wednesday.
No precedent in either Tulsa or Oklahoma City for an ice storm warning in October
It’s exceptionally early in the season to see an episode like this; in fact, there is no precedent for the Weather Service offices in either Tulsa or Oklahoma City issuing an ice storm warning in October. The warning issued Monday morning by the Tulsa office beats out the previous earliest issuance by six weeks.
Oklahoma City, Lawton-Fort Sill, Okla., and Wichita Falls, Tex., — all home to roughly 100,000 people or more — could see a half-inch to an inch of ice, making this a high-impact event. For some, the freezing rain could mix with or change to sleet for a time, which would limit ice accumulations on trees and power lines.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2020/10/26/snow-ice-storm-plains-rockies
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October 28, 2020 at 08:36AM