Topic: Fall/Winter 2024-25

[hofpwx]

What strong westerly winds do to the temperature here. Rather dramatic.

[Bunty]

It was so cold in Stillwater on Tuesday that the garbage and recycle trucks didn't run. Also, USPS couldn't deliver my package, due to "No Access to Delivery Location".  Lots of freezing drizzle and light snow slicked streets up.  Well, I have no trouble to retrieving my uncollected garbage cans, though they were so heavy I only got in one at a time.

If you want to see how bad the streets were and have FB, you can see a Stillwater Emergency Managment Service official take you on a tour of the streets here: https://www.facebook.com/search/top?q=city%20of%20stillwater%20emergency%20management%20sema

An all time record high low will be made on Wednesday, set to be 16 after a low of 3.  Climate change seems to be just as much or more about freaky winter weather happening.

[ValentineWeather]

This Arctic high is pretty cold. Pressure is 30.68" on altimeter now. Think the airport here, which was once manned NWS station before they downsized, has set a record low for the date also. Still waiting for conformation -26f. The Coop thermometer I report daily was -26 this morning. The Davis sensor with the modified electrical fan aspiration -27.

[ValentineWeather]

Another record breaker, -31f so far. Still several hours before sunrise.

[chief-david]

Isnt it amazing it was not even close to that cold in MPLS

[ValentineWeather]

Isnt it amazing it was not even close to that cold in MPLS

I know, was talking with the meteorologist down at North Platte, he said the arctic high was planted over us. Ended up being -33 f at the airport ASOS.  Recorded -31.4 f here before the ISS transmitter went dead. I blame myself though because normally I change out all the lithium Surefire 3 volt batteries before winter starts. This year I didn't and had 2 of the transmitters die almost at the same time. It was -27 below the night before, and we've had 9 negative days now for February. Looks like winter is over, thankfully. 60s in the forecast ahead.

[ocala]

At one time, a long time ago I could handle temps like that. Now, no freakin way.
That's insane Randy.

[Notsorusty]

Report from the Chicago Sun-Times, Saturday Edition:

Chicago sees lowest winter snowfall in 88 years
BY VIOLET MILLER, STAFF REPORTER
Saturday marked the first day of meteorological spring, meaning that winter has come to a close — even if it doesn’t feel like it. The winter snow total, measured from the beginning of December to the end of February, was 11.9 inches, the lowest since the winter of 1936- 37 and the 10th least snowy winter since the late 1880s, according to the National Weather Service. It’s the only 21st-century winter season in Chicago to break into the top 10 years of low snowfall.
Southern Illinois and parts of Missouri saw above-average snowfalls, according to Kevin Birke, the NWS meteorologist who put together the agency’s winter review.

[ValentineWeather]

Not much here either, 13.7" includes fall. Big snows did hit south through Kansas this year. We were cold this winter, both January and February had mean temperatures sub 20f.   The NWS just issued our first "Winter Storm Warning" of the season and comes in March.

[ocala]

Been very dry here too. Just 5 inches of rain since early October. Hopefully things will pick up before fire season begins.

[JesseLikesWeather]

This winter was wild for Florida, we nearly got a foot of snow in a day, that easily broke the state record. I lived through history.

[chief-david]

Good snow here. Some areas had 8 inches. Most in two years.

Cleaned out a few driveways and the sun has been out much of the day!!!!!

[ValentineWeather]

We ended up with 8" of snowfall. Miller Field ASOS got tagged this morning with a Quality Control due to the 3f temperature this morning. Deep snowpack and a clear sky will do that.

[Bunty]

TV weathermen warned it would get bad with fires in Oklahoma on Friday from high gusting winds seldom seen.  Shown are evacuation zones affecting west Stillwater as of 7:30 pm.  Smoke very thick in those areas.  Channel 4 reported how thick it was at the corner of W. 6th and Country Club area. Evacuation included Walmart and hotels.  Didn't look huge but channel 4 reported fire was burning in the cross timbers near 19th south of there.  The smell of smoke is probably everywhere in Stillwater.



Fire shown in the distance in southwest Stillwater at 26th St. earlier this afternoon.  West of there the Nottingham addition, outside the city limits, needed to be evacuated.  Don't know if the high dollar homes there made it.   In north Stillwater, not far from the high school, residents had to successfully fight a fire that popped up in a front yard.  We'll all know how well everybody fared in the morning.  For now, it unsurprisingly smells like smoke.   May God bless the firefighters and keep everybody safe.



The Friday run of the MidSouth was abruptly cancelled in the middle of the afternoon due to fear runners could get hurt.  Hopefully, the bicycle gravel race, which ventures up to 105 miles in the countryside will still be on for Sat. morning.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-9NmXjIMl4U&ab_channel=TheMidSouth

[Bunty]

For a video, KWTV storm spotters Val Castor and his wife Amy went on 3-hour long tour spotting wildfires in rural southwest Stillwater Tuesday night and sure found some, letting orange glows guide them. At one dramatic point near 44th and Range Rd, at 20.00, he came upon a huge fire shooting up flames up to 150 ft. from trees and undergrowth. But far more tragic were the homes he later saw that had burnt down or were on fire.  He made it to the Nottingham addition and noticed as many as 14 homes destroyed there with at least two homes with flames in progress. At about 1:20 at one burning house, someone's ammunition stash started wildly going off, estimated at 5000 rounds.  At least one hit the side of his truck.   Before leaving, the horror of Nottingham, Val was glad to see his friend's home was still standing but concerned about embers and burning trees nearby.     Val estimates as many as 60 houses were lost, maybe more. Pecan Hill is another addition in Stillwater believed to be hard hit.

As unusual of a weather situation this is, I won't be surprised of more fires and bad tornadoes affecting states to the east in coming days.

https://www.facebook.com/NEWS9/videos/1352130085939341/

[ValentineWeather]

It is a rather strong system, the altimeter pressure dipped to 29.01. Lowest I've experienced. All we ended up with was high winds 60 mph and a little rain and light snow.

[ocala]

Bunty that is horrible news about the fires.
My heart goes out to those who lost everything.
Also the tornado threat today is concerning.
My brother lives very close to the northern edge of the high potential  in Alabama  today.
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[ValentineWeather]

Tornado emergency. This guy does a good job, Ryan’yall on YouTube.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDuYNgWJG7M

[Bunty]

Stillwater places 50 homes destroyed with possibly more to be counted. As noted, before, Nottingham was one of the additions hardest hit. You go in there and for a while everything looks just fine but once further into the interior suddenly there is destruction to the left as well as to the right. Some smoke was still coming from the ruins. Nottingham is locally famous to drive through for its fall colors. Homes with a lot of trees around them probably increased odds of fire. I was surprised the sightseeing traffic at Nottingham was light and would not have gone in there had it appeared there was a lot of traffic going in and out. To avoid upsetting anybody I didn't take any pictures, though, not many people were around. I chose to stay out of another hard-hit neighborhood over a mile to the north, figuring traffic would be worse from it being a much more compact neighborhood with more people not appreciating it.

Just across the road from Nottingham is Woodlake, a newer addition with smaller lots. The streets there were empty of gawkers. No wonder why. Thankfully, it appeared not one home was touched by fire. I bet residents there underwent a lot of stress for a while. A short distance north of there, at least a couple of houses were burned. No doubt, though, the actions of the firefighters and others saved 100s of homes. It was a good thing it rained around an inch and a half in Stillwater earlier in the month, or else, it probably would have been worse.

Unfortunately, Monday and Tuesday look like more bad fire days.

Saturday's Mid-South bicycle gravel race was canceled.

Arial photo of neighborhood I chose to stay out of.  Interesting how it looks like a tornado went through.

[Bunty]

As pictured fire rekindles southwest of Stillwater Sunday afternoon.   It was being worked on by multiple fire departments and the Oklahoma forestry service.  Gawkers are asked to stay away.  I hate to see the Cross Timbers go up in smoke, since that kind of forested land is fairly rare in the Great Plains.  Hopefully, firefighters can protect homes.  I was thankful I didn't smell any smoke when I stepped out of my home tonight.

 

[Bunty]

This fire has easily been the worst disaster in terms of property destruction ever experienced in Stillwater since the tornado of May 15, 1990.   Fortunately, unlike in 1990 not one death. But even then, the tornado didn't wipe out houses clear down to the ground level. I tend to doubt OKC TV media have done the fire justice, but Reuters was on the scene in the middle of it during that long night with awful photos: https://www.reuters.com/pictures/pictures-raging-wildfires-rip-across-oklahoma-2025-03-16/

Statement issued from Stillwater Mayor Will Joyce:

Grief and Gratitude:
Preliminary counts indicate that at least 74 homes in Stillwater and the immediate vicinity have been totally destroyed by fire. Several more are damaged and likely uninhabitable. It’s hard to describe the extent of the loss for these families; in most cases there is nothing but ashes remaining of almost everything they own. We thank God that no lives have been lost, or serious injuries reported. But the road to recovery will be long and difficult, and our collective grief for our neighbors is profound.

In the midst of this tragedy, we have witnessed the heights of bravery, selflessness, determination, and sacrifice from the men and women of Stillwater Fire Department and the numerous outside agencies that have come to our aid. They have faced hellish conditions and have pushed through to save hundreds of homes and businesses. Our dispatchers answered more than 2,000 calls for service between Friday afternoon and early Saturday morning, and diligently worked to get help for as many people as possible, against insurmountable odds. The brave officers of Stillwater Police Department evacuated hundreds of people, transported vulnerable residents to safety, extinguished hotspots, and maintained order in a high-pressure crisis situation. Our emergency management teams have directed responses among multiple competing priorities, ensured our personnel had as much support and assistance as possible, and along with the City’s fantastic communications team, kept the public informed.

I cannot fully express the gratitude and appreciation I have for Stillwater’s first responders. They embody the spirit of #StillwaterStrong and the #OklahomaStandard.

So many others, too, have gone to extraordinary lengths to help others during this difficult time: City employees, Payne County/state officials, neighbors with garden hoses, local restaurants, event organizers, and lots more. I will try over the next few days to publicly say thank you to as many of these heroes as I can, but for tonight I invite you to join me in thoughts and prayers of comfort for the displaced and of thanksgiving for the helpers.

Photo from March 14 by Reuters/Nick Oxford.  Many more at:  https://www.reuters.com/pictures/pictures-raging-wildfires-rip-across-oklahoma-2025-03-16/

[Bunty]

On Sunday and Monday Stillwater firefighters were kept busy in southwest Stillwater, answering calls to make sure no fires were rekindling.  Over 100 calls were received Sunday and over 50 Monday.

On Monday, lower wind speeds allowed firefighting from the air. Helicopters with buckets and Super Scooper planes.  The later would fly over Arcadia lake, northeast of Oklahoma City, to scoop up water.  The worst fires Monday were in Logan County, which is located between Stillwater and Oklahoma City.

Super Scoopers making a splash in Logan County:  https://kfor.com/news/local/super-scooper-aerial-firefighting-planes-prepared-to-battle-wildfires-in-oklahoma/

The Oklahoma Mesonet weather station at Blackwell Lake about 9 miles west of Stillwater got burnt up. It's last reported temperature was 173. https://www.kten.com/weather/fire-burns-through-oklahoma-mesonet-station/article_6ee0332c-01f4-11f0-b647-8b4e3510763d.html