#4789 Postby Texas Snowman » Fri May 03, 2013 11:08 pm
Official Tulsa NWS statement on the historic May snow/cold event in eastern Oklahoma and NW Arkansas:
May 2-3, 2013: Snow Event
Strong upper-level highs over the Pacific Northwest and the northwest Atlantic funneled cold Canadian air southward into the Southern Plains on May 2, 2013. The cold front associated with this cold air moved through eastern Oklahoma and northwest Arkansas on May 2, with precipitation occurring along and behind the front.
The unusually cold temperatures for May allowed for sleet and snow to mix in with the rain across northeast OK during the afternoon and evening hours of May 2. Snowflakes were first observed at the NWS Tulsa office at 1:40pm CDT, making May 2, 2013 the latest observed snow in Tulsa since records began in 1900. The previous latest observed snow in Tulsa was on April 18, 1953. This also marks the first time snow has fallen in Tulsa in the month of May. As the precipitation continued to move east overnight, heavier snow developed over far northeast Oklahoma, the higher elevations of southeast Oklahoma, and northwest Arkansas, where snowfall totals of 1" to 2" were common by the morning of May 3. The highest totals of 3"-5" occurred in Adair County, OK and Benton County, AR. This is the first time snow has fallen in the state of Arkansas during the month of May. Ironically, this latest snow on record follows the hottest year (2012) on record across eastern Oklahoma and northwest Arkansas.
The upper-level low associated with this system will slowly move out of southeast Kansas and into northeast Oklahoma and northwest Arkansas during the evening of the 3rd. Precipitation will likely wrap around this upper-level circulation overnight, with rain or snow possible once agin. There is a chance for additional snow accumulations tonight across far northeast Oklahoma and northwest Arkansas. Continue to monitor the NWS Tulsa forecast for the latest information. Be sure to send us your snowfall reports too.
Last updated: 2:30pm 05/03/2013
0 likes
The above post and any post by Texas Snowman is NOT an official forecast and should not be used as such. It is just the opinion of the poster and may or may not be backed by sound meteorological data. It is NOT endorsed by any professional institution including storm2k.org. For official information, please refer to NWS products.