LIVE BLOG: Winter Storm Warning for Green Country

TULSA, Okla. — This article will be updated in real-time with weather advisories, official announcements, road conditions and breaking news during the winter storm.

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Local News

RESOURCES: What to know when winter weather hits in Green Country

Jennifer Maupin

FEB. 19

9 a.m.

The City of Tulsa shared this update about the roads:

Overnight and continuing through this morning, City of Tulsa street crews have switched to group snow plowing. Underneath the snow is black ice, which is why the City will also be out today applying salt after the main roads have been cleared.

When it comes to sidewalks, pedestrians are urged to practice caution, as many untreated sidewalks are iced over.

The City's snow and ice routes, in addition to the resources the City has to treat Tulsa's roads, can be found online here.

City of Tulsa closures:

• City Hall - Cashier stations on the main floor at City Hall and at the Permit Center on 4th floor are closed today. Additionally, the Clerk’s Office will be closed Wednesday and the regular meeting for the Tulsa Metropolitan Area Planning Commission (TMPAC) is canceled on Wednesday.
• Tulsa Municipal Court – Tulsa Municipal Court is closed again today and cases scheduled for Feb. 18 and Feb. 19 will be automatically rescheduled for April 3.
• Tulsa Animal Services – The Tulsa Animal Services shelter at 3031 N. Erie Ave. is closed through Wednesday for public adoptions. Lost pet adoptions and return-to-owner services will remain unaffected.  
• Development Services Inspections – Inspections from the City’s Development Services department are canceled and will resume when neighborhood street conditions improve. We will be doing emergency gas meter inspections (pending weather severity). To schedule an inspection for critical utility repairs, contact Stephen Scott at (918) 519-8769 for Plumbing and Mechanical, Curtis Blevins at (918) 857-4004 for Building, or Steve Malugani at (918) 519-8746 for Electrical.

Tulsa Parks Closures

• All Tulsa Parks Recreation Centers will be closed through Wednesday, including Centennial, Oxley Nature Center and Tulsa Garden Center.
• Mohawk and Page Belcher Golf Courses will be closed until at least Friday. Re-opening will be determined by course conditions.
• The Williams Crossing Pedestrian Bridge and unheated restrooms will be closed until at least Thursday. Trails will not be plowed until after snowfall has ceased so trails may be hazardous.
• The Tulsa Zoo will be closed through Thursday.
• The Tulsa Performing Arts Center, BOK event center, and Convention Center will be closed to the public through Wednesday. At this point, public events scheduled for this weekend will go on as planned.

FEB. 18

Snow accumulating in Owasso

Warming shelters open due to extreme cold

Watch our live coverage at 10 p.m.:

The Tulsa Fire Department said that as of 9 p.m. Tuesday, they had responded to more than three dozen motor vehicle accidents across the city and seven heat and cold exposure incidents due to weather.

EMSA winter weather response:

As of 7:30 p.m., EMSA said Paramedics and EMTs have responded to 7 cold exposure calls and transported three patients to local Tulsa hospitals. Crews have also responded to 39 traffic accidents and transported 16 patients to the hospital, which is three times the normal rate.

8:00 p.m.

ODOT sent this update on highway conditions:

Oklahoma Department of Transportation and Oklahoma Turnpike Authority crews will continue winter weather operations overnight as the winter storm makes it way out of state early Wednesday. Crews are treating slick and hazardous conditions in north-central, northeast, central, eastern, southern, and southwestern Oklahoma, including the Oklahoma City and Tulsa metro areas. Highways remain slick in spots in northwest, western and southeast Oklahoma, especially on elevated surfaces such as bridges and overpasses. Drivers should avoid travel if possible. If travel is unavoidable, slow down and drive for conditions.

Oklahoma Turnpike Authority crews are treating and plowing all turnpikes and will continue to treat as necessary and as weather moves farther south. The Cherokee, Cimarron, Creek, Muskogee and I-44/Will Rogers Turnpikes in northern and northeastern Oklahoma are snow covered and considered slick. All other turnpikes remain slick in spots. Crews will switch from a mixture of salt/sand to strictly sand to assist with traction overnight.

6:30 p.m.

The City of Tulsa provided this update about city operations:

Streets

City of Tulsa street crews are continuing with plowing operations as snow continues to fall. This evening and overnight, crews will switch to group snow plowing. Early morning operations will focus on salt application.

As background, the City of Tulsa is responsible for clearing snow and ice from all arterial (main) streets, but not from most major highways that pass through. The only highways the City treats are the Gilcrease Expressway (except for the Turnpike extension), and the L.L. Tisdale Expressway. All other highway segments in Tulsa (i.e. I-44, I-244, Broken Arrow Expressway, the Creek Turnpike, Highway 169, etc.) are the responsibility of the Oklahoma Department of Transportation.

The City's snow and ice routes, in addition to the resources the City has to treat Tulsa's roads, can be found online at here.

Reporting an Accident

Due to hazardous road conditions and the amount of accidents the City’s public safety departments responded to today, travel is ill-advised.

If you must be out and find yourself in a traffic accident, please use the following guidelines:

• Fender bender, no injuries - Be aware of your surroundings; pull over somewhere safe and don't stop in the middle of a slick road or highway; exchange information; safely leave the scene; make reports online [tulsapolice.org] when you’re somewhere safe.
• Inoperable/stuck vehicle - Call Tulsa Police Non-Emergency at (918) 596-9222
• Injury crash/life-threatening emergency - Call 911

Getting People Inside

Outreach teams from A Way Home for Tulsa agencies are continuing to work to ensure those experiencing homelessness have knowledge of safe and warm spaces available to them. While all area shelters currently have the space to meet needs, the City and its partners are continuing to monitor capacity/occupancy and will make adjustments to the plan if additional space is warranted.

To see the complete list of area shelters, in addition to needed donation items and how you can report someone in need of shelter, visit Housing Solutions' Winter Weather Resources page. [housingsolutionstulsa.org]

City Service Impacts for Wednesday, Feb. 19

• City Hall - Cashier stations on the main floor at City Hall and at the Permit Center on 4th floor will be closed through Wednesday. Additionally, the Clerk’s Office will be closed Wednesday and the regular meeting for the Tulsa Metropolitan Area Planning Commission (TMPAC) is canceled on Wednesday.
• Tulsa Municipal Court – Tulsa Municipal Court will close again Wednesday and cases scheduled for Feb. 18 and Feb. 19 will be automatically rescheduled for April 3.
• Tulsa Animal Services – The Tulsa Animal Services shelter at 3031 N. Erie Ave. will be closed through Wednesday for public adoptions. Lost pet adoptions and return-to-owner services will remain unaffected.  
• Development Services Inspections – Inspections from the City’s Development Services department will be canceled through Wednesday and resume when neighborhood street conditions improve. We will be doing emergency gas meter inspections (pending weather severity). To schedule an inspection for critical utility repairs, contact Stephen Scott at (918) 519-8769 for Plumbing and Mechanical, Curtis Blevins at (918) 857-4004 for Building, or Steve Malugani at (918) 519-8746 for Electrical.

Tulsa Parks Closures

• All Tulsa Parks Recreation Centers will be closed through Wednesday, including Centennial, Oxley Nature Center and Tulsa Garden Center.
• Mohawk and Page Belcher Golf Courses will be closed until at least Friday. Re-opening will be determined by course conditions.
• The Williams Crossing Pedestrian Bridge and unheated restrooms will be closed until at least Thursday. Trails will not be plowed until after snowfall has ceased so trails may be hazardous.
• The Tulsa Zoo will be closed through Thursday.
• The Tulsa Performing Arts Center, BOK event center, and Convention Center will be closed to the public through Wednesday. At this point, public events scheduled for this weekend will go on as planned.

While in-person services are closed, most City business can be conducted online or over the phone:

• Pay an online utility bill [cityoftulsacitizens.munisselfservice.com]
• Pay a traffic ticket online [cityoftulsa.org]
• Use the online Permit Portal [cityoftulsa.org]
• File a 311 request or question
  
  • Call 311 during business hours, or (918) 596-2100
  • Visit www.tulsa311.com [tulsa311.com] or use the 311 app
  • Email tulsa311@cityoftulsa.org

Trash & Recycling

For the safety of trash crews, trash service has been suspended at least through Thursday due to extreme temperatures and neighborhood street conditions. Tulsans are asked to leave carts at the curb and crews will resume collection as soon as conditions allow.

As a reminder, recycling has been canceled for the remainder of the week. Tulsa utility customers will be able to put out overflow recyclables in a recyclable container on their regular service day next week.

6 p.m.

WATCH our live coverage at 6 p.m.:

The Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management shared this update about statewide conditions:

INJURIES

According to the Oklahoma State Department of Health, 30 injuries have been reported by area hospitals Tuesday:

• 22 falls
• 8 transportation related 

TRAVEL DISCOURAGED DURING WINTER STORM

The Governor has authorized the deployment of Oklahoma National Guard to join Stranded Motorist Recovery Teams in north and northeastern Oklahoma. 

Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT) crews continue to plow and treat highways and interstates as a winter storm moves through the region. Highways in most of north central, northeast, central, southwest, south central and eastern Oklahoma are considered slick and hazardous.

Drivers should avoid travel if possible. If travel is unavoidable, slow down and drive for conditions. Stay 200 feet behind road clearing equipment.

DIAL 211

For Oklahoma residents seeking non-emergency disaster or health and human service information, please contact your local 2-1-1. Services are available 24 hours a day by dialing 2-1-1 from your home or cellular telephone. Please only call 9-1-1 for emergencies.

5 p.m.

WATCH our live coverage at 5 p.m.:

4 p.m.

MetroLink Tulsa announced all services on Wednesday, Feb. 19 will be suspended. This includes Denver Avenue Station, it will be closed and not host the warming station tomorrow.

Here's an update from the Oklahoma Department of Transportation on road conditions:

3:30 p.m.

Highway 75 between Okmulgee and Tulsa is back open after several wrecks. Only minor injuries were reported.

As of 3:30 p.m., EMSA Paramedics and EMTs have responded to 5 cold exposure calls and transported two patients to local hospitals. Crews have also responded to 30 traffic accidents and transported eight patients to local hospitals, which is three times more than normal.

12:00 p.m.

WATCH our live coverage at noon:

11 a.m.

Highway 75 from Tulsa to Okmulgee is shut down due to the number of stuck vehicles and semis. Troopers are working to salt the road, but the roads will be slick for a significant amount of time.

10:30 a.m.

EMSA reports responding to 20 traffic accidents and transporting six of those to local hospitals. This is five times the normal amount for this time of day.

MetroLink Tulsa is suspending bus service due to road conditions. If you are relying on the bus, click here for updates.

10 a.m.

Tulsa County Commissioners signed an emergency proclamation, which will allow the county to request resources for those affected by the storm. It will also implement the Tulsa County Emergency Operation Plan.

“The impending winter storm has the potential for threatening lives and property,” stated Commission Chair Lonnie Sims. “An emergency declaration allows us to not only be better prepared for potential needs but really helps speed along the process if additional assistance is required.”

8:30 a.m.

Wrecks are being reported across Green Country. Road conditions are more icy to the south.

7 a.m.

Tulsa is on Operation Slick Streets. Travel is heavily discouraged.

FEB. 17:

4 p.m.

Mayor Monroe Nichols signed an emergency disaster declaration, which allows the city to mobilize budgetary and emergency management resources for the snow and frigid weather. This expires Feb. 24.

• Municipal Court Canceled Feb. 18 & 19: Court dates for those days have been automatically rescheduled for April 3.
• City Hall Closures: Cashiers and clerks will not be available at City Hall on Feb. 18 & 19. The City of Tulsa advises people to pay online.

Outreach teams from A Way Home for Tulsa agencies are working to ensure those experiencing homelessness have knowledge of safe and warm spaces available to them.

Broken Arrow officials are preparing.

Employees of the Streets and Stormwater Department will begin shifts at 2 a.m. Tuesday, pretreating the city’s nearly 600 lane miles of arterial streets and bridges. The department will transition from pretreatment to removal operations as the snow begins to fall.

These operations will continue until the precipitation passes and the arterials are clear. Because of the extremely low temperatures, brine and salt treatment of the roadways are not expected to be as effective as past events, which will likely require more time to clear the roadways.

Motorists are advised to drive only if necessary, reduce speed, leave enough room between your vehicle and the vehicle ahead of you, and be alert to the road conditions as you travel. The Streets and Stormwater Department is prepared with:

• 14 dump trucks equipped with plows and spreaders
• 5 trucks with plows and brine tanks
• Approximately 2,400 tons of salt available
• Approximately 10,000 gallons of brine available

10:45 a.m.

MetroLink Tulsa announced they are offering free fares and a warming station to the public.

From Tuesday, February 18, through Thursday, February 20, there will be free fare to ensure safe travel during extreme weather conditions.

Denver Avenue Station is serving as an official warming station where individuals can seek shelter from the cold without requiring a ticket or destination.

FEB. 16:

3 p.m.

2 News Chief Meteorologist Michael Seger has the latest update on what the storm ahead of us will bring:

The National Weather Service issued a Winter Storm Watch for most of Green Country until Feb. 19 at 6 a.m. An Extreme Cold Watch was also issued for all of Green Country from 6 p.m. Tuesday until Thursday at noon.

FEB. 15:

9:20 p.m.

The City of Tulsa street crews are preparing brine trucks to go out overnight and treat elevated surfaces with brine (salt/water mixture) to prevent snowmelt from freezing. Currently, road temperatures and traffic have been enough to keep all of Tulsa’s main roads passable.

As background, the City of Tulsa is responsible for clearing snow and ice from all arterial (main) streets, but not from most major highways that pass through. The only highways the City treats are the Gilcrease Expressway (except for the Turnpike extension), and the L.L. Tisdale Expressway.

All other highway segments in Tulsa (i.e. I-44, I-244, Broken Arrow Expressway, the Creek Turnpike, Highway 169, etc.) are the responsibility of the Oklahoma Department of Transportation.

The city's snow and ice routes and the resources it has to treat Tulsa's roads can be found here.

6 p.m.
Snow started falling across Green Country in the evening, leaving anything from a dusting to some accumulation- depending on where you are in Green Country.

2 News Oklahoma Meteorologist Brandon Wholey tracked conditions:

Weather

Some snow across the area Saturday night

Brandon Wholey

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