Winter Storm in Muskogee, Oklahoma

An arctic cold front moved into northeastern Oklahoma during the late evening hours of the 11th and had finally passed through the southeastern portion of the state by the evening of the 12th. A strong upper level low pressure system moved into the southern Rockies and several disturbances translated across the Southern Plains bringing periods of heavy sleet and freezing rain to the region. The initial precipitation began around daybreak on the 12th and the final round occurred on the 14th.

A devastating swath of one to three inch ice amounts fell in an estimated 60 to 80 mile wide band from roughly Atoka to McAlester to Muskogee to Grove. An estimated 120,000 electric customers were without power due to downed power poles and power lines within this swath, some of which were without power for more than two weeks. West of the heavy ice, one to three inches of sleet occurred with lesser amounts of freezing rain, generally between 1/4 to 1/2 inch. The worst damage to the public infrastructure from the storm in eastern Oklahoma occurred in Muskogee County ($10.5 million), Pittsburg County ($7.5 million), McIntosh County ($6 million), Haskell County ($5 million), Delaware County ($3 million), Wagoner County ($2 million), Mayes County ($1.5 million), and Cherokee County ($1 million).