From STAFF REPORTS, Northwestern News
Sub-freezing temperatures are expected to subside Saturday, ending a two-week bout with historically cold and inclement weather across most of the Midwest that shut down roads and strained the region’s power supply.
The National Weather Service in Norman on Tuesday predicted that temperatures in northwest Oklahoma will climb to a high of 40 degrees Saturday and increase through the beginning of next week, reaching a high of 57 degrees Feb. 23.
For the past two weeks, ice and snow have covered portions of the state. On Monday, temperatures in Alva dropped to -6 degrees, with a wind chill of -29 degrees.
As of 10:30 a.m. Monday, Oklahoma City had received the most snow, with 8.4 inches. Boise City got the least amount of snow, with 1.3 inches. Alva got 4 inches of snow on Valentine’s Day.
The past few snowstorms have been uncommon for the state. The Panhandle and northwest Oklahoma usually have an average of one or two snow events each year, and southwest Oklahoma usually has a heavy snowstorm once every three or four years. February’s snowstorm broke numerous records for snowfall and temperatures.
ROLLING BLACKOUTS USED TO CONSERVE POWER SUPPLY IN MIDWEST AMID FRIGID TEMPERATURES
Electrical service providers across the Midwest asked residents to conserve energy usage during the week, as the region’s available power supply was almost exhausted.
The Southwest Power Pool, which oversees much of the electrical grid serving the Midwest, told utility providers to use a series of rolling power blackouts to conserve power across the region.
“The grid operator declared an Energy Emergency Alert Level 3 at 10:08 a.m. Central time on Feb. 15, when it was forced to begin relying on required reserve energy,” power pool officials said in a news release.
This is the first time in history the grid operator has had to institute power outages, officials said.
“In our history as a grid operator, this is an unprecedented event and marks the first time SPP has ever had to call for controlled interruptions of service,” Lanny Nickell, the organization’s executive vice president, said.
“It’s a last resort that we understand puts a burden on our member utilities and the customers they serve, but it’s a step we’re consciously taking to prevent circumstances from getting worse, which could result in uncontrolled outages of an even greater magnitude.”
Dozens of wrecks were reported across the state on Valentine’s Day, with one fiery wreck on the Turner Turnpike shutting the highway for hours.
The Oklahoma Highway Patrol reported that several semis and passenger vehicles were involved in a wreck Sunday afternoon around Mile Marker 141. Traffic was diverted off the turnpike, officials said.
Before that wreck, the highway patrol reported working 14 injury collisions, 19 non-injury collisions and 46 motorist assists.
— Ovell Patterson and Jordan Green contributed to this report.