WATONGA – Watonga residents lost power overnight into last Wednesday morning, Feb. 2, but regained it before the onset of a prolonged winter storm that dumped inches of snow across the state and kept kids out of the classroom for three days.
The snow began falling after noon on Feb. 2 and picked up the pace the following day, Feb. 3. The precipitation had stopped by Friday, but accumulations and treacherous conditions persisted through the weekend as the temperature didn’t top the freezing mark again until Saturday, Feb. 5.
The National Weather Service estimates that all of Blaine County received between 4 and 6 inches of snow.
Electric company OG&E told the Watonga Republican that the power outage in Watonga was caused by “galloping power lines and significant damage to multiple cross arms and other equipment.”
“High wind gusts in certain patterns can lead to wires that move up and down in an oscillating motion known as galloping, which can cause issues for electrical equipment and power lines,” OG&E said in an emailed statement. “As part of restoring the outages in Watonga, we replaced damaged cross arms and repaired power lines in the area.”
The utility said 4,000 total personnel worked “around the clock” to restore power throughout the state during the storm. “We understand the inconvenience and challenges that any disruption in service may cause, particularly in colder weather and during a pandemic, while many are working and learning from home,” it added. “We always appreciate our customers’ patience while our crews work in difficult conditions.”
In Watonga, students stayed home for a virtual learning day on Wednesday and Thursday before classes were canceled outright on Friday, Feb. 4. Geary canceled classes for all three days.
The weather also closed many businesses and public spaces like the county courthouse and the health department.
The Oklahoma Highway Patrol reported that it worked more than 500 collisions across the state between Wednesday morning and Friday morning, including 72 injury collisions. The OHP said that a jackknifed commercial vehicle temporarily closed eastbound I-40 near Hydro, but otherwise reported no traffic impacts in Blaine County.
The weather improved considerably coming into this week, with highs broaching the 50s by Monday and warming up to over 60 degrees on Tuesday.
The storm brought muchneeded precipitation to Blaine County, but barely put a dent in the region’s ongoing drought. On Monday, county commissioners voted to extend the Blaine County burn ban despite the snow.
There is no more precipitation in the forecast for at least the next several days. The snowstorm interrupted an unusually mild winter throughout the Sooner State, including the warmest December ever recorded.
The previous winter of 2020-2021 saw two bitter ice storms that downed tree limbs and disrupted power throughout Blaine County, leaving locals on edge before the storm. Fortunately, last week’s event proved much more manageable than last winter’s worst.