Watonga Braces for Winter Storm

WATONGA – Meteorologists are predicting with increasing certainty that Watonga and much of Oklahoma will be slammed with a significant winter storm by the middle of this week. The storm has locals mak

The storm has locals making preparations, with possible impacts to utilities, road conditions, schools and services. It also pushed up the publication of this week’s Watonga Republican; the paper is normally printed on Wednesdays but will be printed on Tuesday this week, in hopes to beat the storm.

As of Monday afternoon, the weather impacts are expected to begin on Tuesday night and last through Thursday. Oklahoma is bracing for widespread snow accumulations, with higher amounts in north Oklahoma. The region will also see ice accumulations, especially in the southeastern portion of the state, according to the National Weather Service.

Icy roads can cause slippery and dangerous driving conditions.

In Watonga, the National Weather Service anticipates a Wednesday snow accumulation of between 4 and 6 inches. In southern Blaine County and northern Caddo County, it is expecting 3 to 4 inches of snow.

The NWS is expecting trace amounts of ice to accumulate in Blaine County as well.

All of western Oklahoma is already under a Winter Storm Watch from Tuesday evening through Thursday afternoon. The NWS is warning of wind chills as low as 15 degrees below zero.

The temperature on Wednesday is expected to top out around 27 degrees Fahrenheit. On Thursday it will be about 16 degrees, with overnight lows approaching 0.

Watonga Public Schools Superintendent Kyle Hilterbran said parents will be notified via phone and email if the storm results in school delays or cancellations later this week. Other districts have similar notification systems and also generally post such news on social media.

The Watonga Republican will continue to monitor the storm and bring you the latest on social media. You can follow the paper at Facebook.com/watonganews and on Twitter @WatongaNews.

Other resources include the local National Weather Service webpage at weather.gov/norman, as well as local television news and smartphone weather apps.