Winter brings icy weather to county
Dec. 22—Emergency management officials were urging people to stay home and off the roads, as weather conditions continued to worsen on Thursday, Dec. 22.
According to the Oklahoma Department of Transportation, all major roadways in Cherokee County were severely impacted and travel was discouraged. Anyone who needed to get out and about was advised to use caution, reduce speed, and stay 200 feet from snow-removal equipment.
City of Tahlequah/Cherokee County Emergency Management Deputy Director Scott Pettus said the frigid temperatures won't thaw any of the snow and ice, so refreezing wouldn't be an issue between Thursday night and Friday morning.
"Light snow will end from west-to-east early [Thursday] afternoon, with less than a half inch in Cherokee County. Dangerous wind chills will remain the biggest hazard into Saturday, Dec. 24," Pettus said Thursday afternoon.
First responders were dispatched to some vehicle crashes in the city limits and throughout the county Thursday.
"Roadways are slick in spots and those who must travel Thursday or Friday should be very cautious. Light traffic today [Thursday, Dec. 22] has helped with only a few accidents reported in the city and county," Pettus said.
The Oklahoma Highway Patrol reported several single-vehicle crashes throughout the state. A Loomis truck flipped on its top on U.S. Highway 412. No injuries were reported and there were 247 non-injury crashes just before noon on Thursday. The OHP responded to 54 crashes wherein injuries were sustained; 66 motorist assists; five abandoned vehicles; and two fatalities.
Several places of business have closed its doors due to the inclement weather. The Cherokee County Courthouse closed Thursday morning and will remained closed until Wednesday, Dec. 28.
Tahlequah Public Works Authority closed at noon on Thursday, Dec. 22, and customers were asked to report any outages to 918-456-2564.
"Customers can still make payments online or put payments in the drop box at our drive-thru," TPWA's Kim Dorr said.
The Northeast Oklahoma Public Facilities Authority closed at noon as well, and will reopen Tuesday, Dec. 27. In the event of an emergency, customers can call 918-456-5621.
Tahlequah Solid Waste shut down at 10 a.m., and scales and routes will be down until Tuesday, Dec. 27.
"We are finishing up residential and the main street businesses. We are not happy about this choice but we have to keep the community and staff safe. We will have overflow dumpsters out as soon as possible," said Superintendent Chris Armstrong on Thursday.
Lake Region Electric Cooperative reported about 70 outages in the area of Wagoner, but no issues had been seen in Cherokee County as of Thursday afternoon.
Crews with the Tahlequah Street Department disbursed sand on the roadways early Thursday morning to help ease the burden for those who were still having to travel.
The National Weather Service predicted air temperatures to dip as low as negative 5 degrees for Thursday and Friday, and because the northerly winds of 25-35 mph, wind chills were expected to feel like 20 degrees below zero. Pettus said those conditions could last up to 100 hours, into the weekend.
"Better days are ahead. The latest forecast calls for temperatures to rise above freezing Sunday, Dec. 25 with improving conditions next week. In fact, we may have highs near 60 next weekend," Pettus said.
