Extreme cold to remain a problem Wednesday after snowfall’s departure

By Tim Stanley

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    TULSA, Oklahoma (Tulsa World) — With a winter storm moving through the area Tuesday, Tulsans were bracing for a Wednesday morning of single-digit temperatures and dangerous wind chills on top of 3-4 inches of snow accumulation.

While the snowfall was expected to finish early Wednesday, an extreme cold warning will remain in effect for much of northeastern Oklahoma through noon Thursday.

As on Tuesday, area school districts are either canceling classes Wednesday or pivoting to distance-learning.

Broken Arrow, Kiefer, Sand Springs, Tulsa and Union public schools are among those that have announced closures Wednesday, using a traditional snow day.

Bartlesville, Berryhill, Bixby, Collinsville, Coweta, Glenpool, Jenks, Okmulgee, Sapulpa, Skiatook, Sperry and Wagoner public schools plan to use Wednesday as a distance-learning day.

The low temperature Tuesday into Wednesday was expected to be around 3 degrees, with winds gusting up to 25 mph and minus-15 degree wind chills. The high Wednesday will be around 15 degrees, with wind chills as low as 16 degrees below zero.

An emergency declaration signed Monday by Mayor Monroe Nichols is in effect for the city of Tulsa to ensure a swift response.

City of Tulsa street crews began reporting at 2 a.m. Tuesday and will be working around the clock to clear all arterial roads, officials said. Residents are advised to stay home if possible.

Preceded by a light freezing mist that created slick roadways, snow began falling in the Tulsa area about 12:30 p.m. Tuesday.

Reports of weather-related traffic accidents began to add up through the morning, including one involving six vehicles on the east leg of the Inner Dispersal Loop.

Through Tuesday morning, EMSA had responded to 20 traffic accidents, with six patients hospitalized.

Police said that with so many crashes, they would not be able to respond to non-injury accidents as the storm continued Tuesday.

Some isolated power outages occurred Tuesday, with one affecting about 525 customers in an area southeast of LaFortune Park starting around 3:30 p.m., according to Public Service Company of Oklahoma. Another affected about 230 customers in a small area of east Tulsa, according to PSO. Crews were able to restore power within less than an hour to that area southeast of U.S. 169 and Interstate 44.

Outreach teams from Housing Solutions Tulsa are working to ensure that those who are homeless have knowledge of safe and warm spaces where they can go.

Public shelters include:

• Salvation Army Center of Hope, 102 N. Denver Ave. — open 24/7

• Tulsa Day Center, 415 W. Archer St. — open 24/7, pet-friendly (limited capacity)

• John 3:16 Mission, 506 N. Cheyenne Ave. — open 24/7

• Youth Services of Tulsa, 311 S. Madison Ave. (serving youth in need of shelter; ‘The Station’ warming center open for 16-24 year-olds, and emergency shelter open for 12-16 year-olds)

Two overflow shelters are also in operation:

• One Hope Tulsa/Rose Bowl, 7419 E. 11th St. (operating as an overflow shelter for adults)

• Tulsa Dream Center, 4122 W. 55th Place (serving as an overflow shelter for adults; pet-friendly)

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