NewsChannel 8 - StormWatch Blog

Record Rain

Mon, 16 Jun 2008 23:31:00 EST

Our weather continues to set records. The rain that fell on June 16th set a record for 24 hour rainfall on that date. The old record was 2.09" set in 2004 and we received 2.14". We have also received more rain at this point in the year (36") than ever before. This could be setting the stage for our wettest year since records begain in 1895.

More Storms and Heavy Rain on the Way!

Tue, 10 Jun 2008 22:32:00 EST

We've had so much storms and rain this year that we've almost matched or exceeded our yearly amount. In terms of tornadoes we have already passed the yearly average of 53. In terms of rain we are only 8 inches away from the yearly average of 40 inches. With that said, here comes another chance for severe storms and flooding rains. Thursday we will have a slight chance for severe thunderstorms packing large hail and damaging winds. That will be followed by a good chance for heavy rain on Friday that will fall on areas that simply can't take any more. At least 1 to 2 inches of rain are possible during the day Friday which will cause flash flooding and river flooding in areas that already received 2 to 6 inches of rain on Monday of this week. Many rivers still haven't falled below the flood stage. No doubt a flash flood watch will be issued soon for Friday. Don't forget that flooding is the number one thunderstorm related killer due to people who try to drive through a flooded road or kids playing near flooded rivers. Turn around, don't drown. Keep tuned to NewsChannel 8 for the latest. As always, we'll keep you covered. Frank Mitchell

Results from May 31st/June 1st Storms

Mon, 02 Jun 2008 23:22:00 EST

Results from the May 31st/June 1st Storms: The National Weather Service in Tulsa has determined that the damage that occurred to the Town West Shopping Center in West Tulsa on Saturday morning, May 31st, was the result of downburst winds. Downburst winds can be just as strong as a weak to moderate tornado. They result from air that rushes to the ground either due to heavy rain or a collapsing storm fanning out affecting a small area which is why it is sometimes called a microburst. In this case, heavy rain caused winds to blow towards the ground and fan out at high speeds causing wind damage. The weather service has made this determination after surveying the damage and reviewing the radar signatures. Then 2 tornadoes occurred that night up in Osage County. They were from a different set of storms. The first one touched down at 6:45pm 3 miles east of Burbank. It was a brief touchdown that hit near Highway 18 and Highway 60 in an open area with no known damage. The 2nd tornado touched down at 7:07pm in Pawhuska briefly at Williams Park. Again no known damage was found at this time. We are now above normal in terms of tornadoes in Oklahoma this year with most of those occurring right here in eastern Oklahoma. The is the most we've had since the big outbreaks of 1999! On Sunday morning, June 1st, a severe storm moved across the Tulsa metro area resulting in up to tennis ball sized hail in Mannford. A second storm brought damaging winds from 70 to 90 miles per hour which tore apart trees, fences and rooftops. This storm mainly affected Osage, Creek and Tulsa counties. All told there were 42 reports of large hail and 54 reports of high winds and wind damage. Of course we had you covered with our fleet of storm chasers, meteorologists, news crews, technology and if you had it, WeatherCall. Here's to a quiet rest of the year! Frank Mitchell

FRANK'S TORNADO MYTHS

Tue, 20 May 2008 23:10:00 EST

This is shaping up to be one of the deadliest years on record nationwide in terms of tornado related deaths. That's why it's more important than ever to do the right thing when you're under a tornado warning. Here is the list of Tornado Myths that I recently presented on NewsChannel 8: 1. THE NORTHEAST CORNER OF YOUR HOUSE IS THE SAFEST PLACE TO TAKE SHELTER. MYTH! Originally people were told to take cover in the southwest corner of their house in order to avoid being hit by the flying debris which would be blown into the northeastern corner if a tornado hit your house from the west or south. Then they were told to hide in the northeast corner in order to avoid a direct hit. Now we know that the center of the house (lowest floor, smallest room) is the safest and usually the last standing. Tornadoes can hit your home from any direction so by hiding in the center you are putting as many walls between you and the outside as possible. 2. YOU CAN OUTRUN A TORNADO IN YOUR VEHICLE. MYTH! People used to be told to leave their homes and take off in their cars when a tornado warning is issued. But now we know how dangerous and ineffective a car can be. While trying to outrun a tornado, your car is confined to the streets, while a tornado can travel just as fast while skipping over blocks at a time. Also, a home can withstand a weak tornado (which is what majority of our tornadoes are) but your car can be turned over by the same weak twister. Stronger tornadoes can throw vehicles great distances, and flying debris can crash through the vehicle harming anyone inside. 3. MOUNTAINS AND HILLS WILL PROTECT YOU FROM A TORNADO. MYTH! Tornadoes have traveled up, over, and down some of our nation's tallest mountains. They can also reform on either side of a hill or mountain. The tornado that hit Picher on May 10th blew into the huge chat piles and still destroyed the neighborhoods on the other side. 4. OPENING WINDOWS WILL MINIMIZE DESTRUCTION. MYTH!

Years ago people were told to open their windows to equalize the air pressure in order to keep their home from exploding under the low pressure of a tornado. But we now know that homes are damaged by the winds, not the pressure. Windows are the most fragile part of your house and are the first to break, letting in high winds and flying debris. It won’t make any difference to a tornado if your windows are opened or closed. Don’t waste time opening them. The tornado will do that for you. It’s better to use those precious seconds to take cover.

5. WHEN TRAVELING BY CAR SEEK SHELTER UNDER AN OVERPASS. MYTH!

This is currently the #1 priority in tornado safety. Overpasses are actually the most dangerous places to hide.

They can actually squeeze the winds from a tornado and make them faster, plus they don’t protect you from flying debris. They can even put you in a position to be sucked into the tornado. Being above the ground is dangerous. However getting lower than the ground such as in a ditch is safer if no shelter is available. Just make sure the ditch isn’t near any vehicles. If you have plenty of time and the tornado is not coming towards you, turn around and drive the other way.

6. TORNADOES DON’T CROSS RIVERS. MYTH!

The tornado that struck Picher on May 10^th crossed 2 rivers: the Neosho and the Spring Rivers.

Tornadoes can easily cross rivers and lakes without any effect to the tornado. Several have crossed our nation’s largest river, the mighty Mississippi. Land features like rivers are not enough to slow down a violent twister. The same day that the tornado struck Picher, a tornado touched down on Lake Eufaula. So even lakes aren't safe.

My Visit To Picher

Wed, 14 May 2008 23:43:00 EST

I've surveyed one too many tornado disasters, and it's always shocking and heartbreaking to see in person. TV doesn't relay the enormity of the scene as well as the sounds, smells and all around feeling of being in a place where homes have been blown away and lives lost. 7 people died as a result of a tornado that struck in and near Picher. It was an EF-4 which is 2nd to the most powerful tornado. That was easy to tell by the damage. I was there the day after it struck. West of the giant chat piles, it looked like a bomb had gone off. I know that term has been used a thousand times, but I can't think of one any better. There simply wasn't anything resembling a home. You can make out what used to be a vehicle although it looked like it was stepped on, and the trees were stripped of bark, leaves and most branches, but there wasn't anything close to the remnants of a home. The tornado slammed into the chat piles east of that neighborhood and blew nearly half of that gravel into the neighborhood on the east side of the piles. You can tell the chat pile must have reduced the tornado's winds just a little because the parts of the homes on the other side of the piles were still standing. I saw the usual bizarre things like a fork stuck in a telephone pole, a silver dollar bent in half, a pickup truck that was squished to the size of a compact car, a bed mattress high in a tree, and it goes on and on. Everywhere you looked were residents, family and friends picking through the ruble in search for something to hold onto. Tornado victims are always willing to talk, and each one has a fascinating story. The first person I ran into was a man who put his family in their car and literally drove across the tornado's path before it struck. He was one of the very lucky ones. The next person I talked to was the woman I did my first story on. Holly also escaped the tornado in a car. When she returned her home had been crushed by a giant tree that the twister blew down. After crying out that everything she owned was gone, she began to cry out for her dog Ziggy. She left her 1 year old dog in the home when the tornado struck. After wards there was no sign of Ziggy. I was so touched that after holding in my own tears I began to help her look for her dog. I didn't say so, but inside I had a feeling we would find it, but it wouldn't be alive. One thing people don't realize is how dangerous it is to navigate through a home destroyed by a tornado. There are nails, glass, shards of metal, giant splinters of wood, wires and all kinds of things that can hurt you pointing in all directions. In fact Holly bloodied her knee looking for Ziggy. My photographer Rob and I had to leave to do more stories. So the last that we saw of Holly that day she was still looking for her Ziggy. The next person I ran into is the brother of a member of Rascal Flatts. Their childhood home was damaged by the tornado. He told me his brother would be in town the next day to do whatever he can to help his hometown. The next day we returned to Picher. Right away we went over to see if Holly found Ziggy. We were almost as happy as she was when she told us that she did find Ziggy. When the house collapsed under the weight of the tree, Ziggy was trapped under some boards, but had room to move and breath. The dog was under our feet the entire time we were looking for her, but she didn't make a sound. Holly said when she lifted the boards, there was Ziggy, wet, but without a scratch! Holly lost everything, except Ziggy!! I couldn't wait to report that story on the air. It was the most watched story up to that time on our website. I know it's not much, but in disasters like these, it feels so good to find a bright spot. Who would have guessed that bright spot was a little brown dog named Ziggy. Ziggy survived a killer tornado. If only the dog could talk, what stories she could tell. Other scenes and impressions from that day: A lot of people were out enjoying the warm Saturday when the tornado struck, but those on the east side of the chat piles didn't see it coming until it came over the piles and was moving so fast that they had very little time to react and take cover. We passed a street that had a lot of emergency vehicles around a house. It turned out to be the last tornado victim, a woman who lost power and died from breathing in the exhaust from a generator she was using in her garage. After the sun goes down there aren't any lights, only shadows and sounds in the distant of people still looking for their stuff. Very eerie. I didn't see the faces of the people who died until a day later. Suddenly it becomes even sadder when you see the photos and hear the stories of their lives. That really puts thing into perspective. And it makes me want to try even harder to help get the warnings out when tornadoes are developing. I get a lot of grief from viewers who aren't near the storms and would prefer to watch their programs. They call me all kinds of things, and accuse me of being on TV just to hear my voice. I've been doing this for more than 20 years so I'm long past doing this to hear my voice. People don't realize that often I'm missing seeing my wife and kids, missing dinner, and sometimes missing my days off, but what if I tossed back to the programs and that's when someone under a warning turns on the TV to find out what's going on? What if those are the precious moments when that person could be taking cover to save their lives? If I'm on until the tornado warning expires then I know that anyone who turns on Ch. 8 while they are under a warning will get the latest information and know right away if they need to take cover or not. I repeat myself so that whatever time someone turns on the TV, they won't have to wait long to hear the warning. I do that for towns like Picher. So there will be less lives lost. So people like Holly will always be able to take care of those she loves, like Ziggy.

6 CONFIRMED TORNADOES MAY 1st!

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 22:55:00 EST

THURSDAY

Its official, we had 6 confirmed tornadoes the night of May 1st and morning of May 2nd. 2 touched down in Pawnee county, 2 in Osage county, 1 in Creek county and 1 on the Rogers/Mays county line. The tornadoes were reported to be EF0 to EF1. The tornado caused tree, power line and home damage. 2 people were injured, and 1 person died (in Siloam Springs, Arkansas). This is why when tornadoes are issued we stay on the air so that anyone in the path of the deadly storm will get the warning and take cover.

It was our 1st major tornado outbreak of the year. As we forecasted, we had 2 rounds of severe weather. The first round hit around 7pm as a series of supercell thunderstorms moved southwest to northeast across areas west of Tulsa. There were tornado warnings for each storm. Not only were the tornadoes detected by our Enhanced Doppler 8000, Live Doppler 8000, and Viper Tornado Tracker, but our storm chasers in their mobile storm centers confirmed tornadoes on the ground with their phone reports and videos. We were the first station to confirm those tornadoes as we stayed on the air to warn thousands of our viewers of those life threatening storms. Many reported taking cover after watching NewsChannel 8. These storms also packed up to baseball sized hail and wind gusts over 60 miles per hour.

The second round came through early Friday morning. This round was a unbroken line of severe storms moving west to east. Winds ahead and along the line were up to 70 miles per hour. The line was also producing brief tornado touchdowns. Once the tornado warnings were issued we stayed on the air to make sure people knew to take cover. Tornadoes touched down west and north of Pryor and in Siloam Springs where one person died. This was the most dangerous time for tornadoes because it's dark and most people are asleep. That's another reason to get our exclusive WeatherCall service. After coming to work at 2pm Thursday, I didn't go home until 5am Friday for the 3rd time this year. That just goes to show how much severe weather we've had already.

May is our biggest month for tornadoes. So it's already off to a bad start! Hopefully things will quiet down. Our storm chaser video of the tornadoes are posted on our website and have been running on many of the television network news and programs. I surveyed the tornado damage from Ranger 8. You could easily see where the tornadoes cut a path through trees and across fields as well as through rural home and barns.

We had our entire First Alert Storm Team covering these storms. Myself and the rest of our meteorologists were in the storm center while our storm chasers were out in their mobile storm centers. Ranger 8 was up, and our entire news team were ready. Don't forget that KTUL.COM is always on while our 24 hour local weather channel, First Alert Weather 24/7, always has the latest forecast.

Before our next round of wicked weather, this is a good time to sign up for our exclusive WeatherCall so that you will be getting any severe weather warnings that are issued for your house straight through your telephones. You won't have to worry unless your phone rings when you will be told exactly what warning your home is under and what action you should take. Just go to KTUL.COM and look for the Frank's WeatherCall link. It takes less than 5 minutes to sign up and only costs $6 per year. Well worth it if its a phone call that could save your life. As always, rely on NewsChannel 8 to keep you covered.

Playing DJ!

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 22:10:00 EST

Monday morning I had the honor of being a guest DJ on rock radio station Z 104.5 FM The Edge. Although I was required to wake up at 5:30am, it was well worth it. I got to sit in with Greg while Chuck was on vacation. I did the 6am to 10am shift. It was so much fun listening to all that music and talking on and off the air with Greg about Frank's WeatherCall, severe weather, my personal and professional background and family. But most of all, I enjoyed talking music, music and more music! One part about radio I really like is that you don't have to worry about how you look! And at 5:30am who wants to do that! Of course I did the morning show for 10 years here at NewsChannel 8 when I had to wake up at 3am and get all cleaned up and dressed up. By the way, my infamous proposal to Teri is now on our main website page (KTUL.COM). So if you haven't seen it in the last 13 years, here's your chance. Anyway, Greg is a westsider like those of us who work at NewsChannel 8 and I've known him for years. I met him at one of the original Edgefests, and from time to time he still hooks me up with some backstage passes. He's a lot of fun to talk to because he's a weather buff and I'm a music buff so we can trade a lot of great stories. We even called my wife Teri live on the air after she had taken our kids to school and interviewed her on the air. I also liked talking to the callers who phoned in to win prizes that Greg wouldn't let them have until they can prove they were paying attention to our conversations! As always, Greg made sure I went home with some brand new cds. He always turns me on to brand new music which is hard to come by these days. You can still hear me every morning on The Edge and their sister station The Sound when they air my weather forecasts! Thanks Greg!!!!

WHY YOUR WEATHERCALLS MIGHT HAVE BEEN LATE

Fri, 18 Apr 2008 22:10:00 EST

Frank's WeatherCall is such a hit and so many of you have been signing up for it, that some of you have been receiving your warning calls a little late. Therefore, additional computer power had to be put into place. The response has been tremendous across Green Country, so much so that it has been tough to keep up with the demand. Since we launched the program a few weeks ago, we have pushed the computers that send out the warnings a bit beyond their optimum workload, and it didn't help that we've had so many stormy days. Each one of those days included hundreds of phone calls that were sent to addresses that were within warning areas. Therefore, to make sure that phone calls go out as quickly as possible, the hardware has been doubled. These are the computers that push the messages out to you hundreds at a time. We are confident that the warnings will be delivered much faster from now on. Frank's WeatherCall remains an exclusively new cutting edge technology, and we are thankful for your feedback, your understanding, and your continued support. Our goal is to make this a superior program you can depend on to help save your life.

MORE FRANK'S WEATHERCALL ANSWERS

Fri, 11 Apr 2008 23:13:00 EST

Thousands of you have signed up for Frank's Weathercall, and with all the severe weather we've had there's a good chance that some of you may have received a phone call from me to take cover. At the same time, some of you may have questions regarding why you may not have received a call even though a warning was issued for your county or the sirens were going off near you. Remember, what makes this system so unique and valueable is because it only warns you when your address is in the path of the severe storm. The National Weather Service now uses a polygon system for warnings and not counties. Therefore, if a storm is on the othe side of the county from where you live, you will NOT receive a call because at the time you will NOT be in the path of the storm. However, if your address falls within the warning polygon, then a Weathercall will be placed to you. Some counties sound the sirens when a warning is issued anywhere in the county, but just because you hear the sirens doesn't mean the storm is headed towards you. The sirens are there tell you that a warning is issued for somewhere in your county, but a Weathercall will be placed to the phone numbers you have chosen only if you are in the part of the county where the storm is located. Also, Weathercalls are placed for warnings only, not watches. Watches are issued to alert you to the possibility of severe weather, warnings are when it is already occurring. But don't worry, we always have all watches and warnings on Newschannel 8. If you get your first call you must say something when you answer it in order to activate the message. If you pick it up and wait for a warning without saying something the system won't be activated for your address. All addresses receive Weathercalls even if you live in a rural area or the corner of a county, however p.o. boxes don't count. If you know someone who wants Weathercall, but doesn't have a computer, you can have them contact us via voicemail and we will send them an application and address to sign up. Only the telephone numbers and warnings that you chose will receive Weathercalls. There must be a severe thunderstorm, tornado warning or flash flood warning for your address in order to receive a call. You may hear thunder, heavy rain, gusty winds and even small hail, but unless there is a threat to your life or property as in a severe storm, tornado or flooding, you will not receive a call. What makes this service so unique is it's precision. You will have peace of mind and maybe even a good night's sleep in knowning that your phone will ring ONLY if you have severe weather headed towards your home. I hope this answers some of your questions.

FRANK'S WEATHERCALL'S FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 23:13:00 EST

How often am I called?
You are called whenever the National Weather Service issues a Tornado Alert, A Severe Thunderstorm Warning or a Flash Flood Warning that includes your registered street address. This could be anytime of the day or night. You may choose to receive alerts for only Tornado Warnings or only Severe Storms or only Flash Floods or any combination.

How quickly will I be called?
The system will begin notifying within 1 minute of receiving the alert from NWS. However, if several thousand people need to be notified it could be as long 5 minutes before everyone is called.

What if my phone is busy?
If your phone is busy, the system will attempt to call you again, one minute later. The system will make 3 attempts to reach you.

What if my phone is not answered?
If your phone is not answered, the system will attempt to call you again, one minute later. The system will make 3 attempts to reach you.

What does the service cost?
The price of the service is $6.00 per year, for each street address you register in the system. Click here Sign Up to begin registration.

Is my private information safe?
Your credit card information used to purchased the service is stored on a very secure system operated by Ebay. Your name, address and phone numbers are maintained on the Weather Call Servers as they are needed to determine your location and method of contact for alerts. Weather Call maintains its servers at very secure facilities. Our privacy policy may be reviewed at Privacy Policy. We do not share or rent or otherise distribute your private information to another organization. Your information is only used to provide the Weather Call Service.

Will Weather Call notify a pager?
Yes, using email. Contact your paging carrier for the email address of your pager. Then login to your Weather Call account and register the pager's email address.

How do I set up SMS Text Messaging to my mobile phone?
Weather Call will send SMS Text Messaging Alerts to your mobile phone by using the email address provided by your carrier. Contact your mobile carrier for the specific email address for your mobile phone.

May I register more than one street address?
Yes, but there is an additional fee of $6.00 per location. By registering additional locations you may extend the Weather Call protection to your office, elderly parent or your child's school.

May I register a location in another city?
Yes, Weather Call is operational through out the United States, including Hawaii and Alaska. Do you know that a simple phone call could save your life? That's what Frank's Weathercall is all about. I am so excited to be part of bringing this brand new technology designed to save lives in times of severe weather. News Channel 8 is the only tv station in Green Country to offer this service. Here's how it works: when you sign-up at KTUL.COM, you indicate what address of yours you'd like to be included in our warning system. It can be your work, home or loved one's address, or all 3 if you'd like to register 3 times. Then you indicate what phone numbers and email addresses you'd like to receive the warnings to. You can include your cell phone, home phone, work phone, etc.. Finally you indicate which warnings you'd like to receive besides Tornado. The others include Severe T-Storm Warning and Flash Flood Warning. And that's it! This way you'll know about life theatening weather when you are asleep, not home, or out of electricity. We've made it very affordable. It's only $6 per year which amounts to about 50 cents per month. It's clearly worth saving your life for. You will go into our system and start receiving the warnings you asked for to the numbers and email addresses you inserted for the address you included. In other words, your phone will ring anytime your address is within the severe weather warning. My messages to you will let you know what warning you are under and tips on how to stay safe. We've already had more than 2000 people sign up for this great one of a kind service just in time for our recent rounds of severe weather. Thousand of phone calls went out to those who signed up warning them of tornados, severe thunderstorms and flash floods. Before our next severe weather outbreak, go to KTUL.COM, look for the Weathercall link and sign up for the phone call that could save your life!!!

For those without a computer, we do have an application that will be mailed. The service is only $6.00 per year, per address. Anyone in the United States can sign up for this. For example: You live in Tulsa, your child is going to college in Texas and your elderly parents live in Hawaii. You can sign up all three addresses for only $18.00 a year.

What you get for the $6.00 fee is notification via telephone or email (your choice) when a Tornado Warning - Severe Thunderstorm Warning - Flash Flood Warning is issued by the National Weather Service for your address. You may choose 1 - 2 or all 3 of the notifications for the same price.

5 Chances for Rain!

Wed, 26 Mar 2008 23:24:00 EST

You can tell it's spring when we have chances for rain on 5 out of the next 8 days. However except for two day, most chances are slight. We have a 30% to 20% chance for showers and storms Thursday through Sunday. Then the chance jumps to 50% on Monday which includes the chance for heavy rainfall. Besides that it will be warm and windy with streaming clouds and higher humidity. Yep, spring is here!

SPRING IS HERE!

Wed, 19 Mar 2008 23:27:00 EST

Spring is officially here! At 12:48am Thursday morning the season began. It's known as the vernal equinox. That's when the sun will be directly overhead at a point on the equator. Over the next three months, the direct rays of the sun will migrate northward, reaching the Tropic of Cancer on the first day of summer.

Of course, we all know that the start of spring is based on the Earth's position relative to the sun and has little to do with temperature normals. This is most notable across the northern half of the United States, where winter is very reluctant to take leave in late March and April.

The sun's heat is being applied in ever increasing doses, however, and that means the thawing process of the Northern Hemisphere is well underway. Although winter is known for cold weather and snow, our winter contained tornadoes, record highs, a historic ice storm, record rain, floods and yes, some snow! As I always say, that's Oklahoma weather!

WET BEGINNING TO SPRING BREAK

Mon, 17 Mar 2008 19:48:00 EST

Spring break is here, but so is the chance for severe storms, heavy rain and dangerous flooding! A slow moving storm system, lots of warm and humid gulf moisture and a cold front followed by a chilly pocket of air will combine to bring us severe thunderstorms packing damaging winds, large hail, isolated tornadoes and cloud to ground lightning. The greatest threat for severe weather will be in southern Oklahoma, western Arkansas and north Texas. Increasing gulf moisture will help increase the chance for heavy rain. 1 to 7 inches of rain is possible from north to south respectively across Green Country. The soaking rain and saturated ground will result in rivers running high and flooding of small streams. There may even be cases of major river flooding. Keep your umbrella handy, don't drive through flooded areas and tune to News Channel 8 for the latest.

A TASTE OF SPRING

Mon, 10 Mar 2008 23:12:00 EST

Hard to imagine we had snow in the area as recent as last Friday and Saturday. Our winter weather roller coaster ride continues this week as springlike weather moves in and sticks around! Highs will be running in the 60s and 70s while morning lows will rise above freezing. We will also have plenty of sunshine and increasing winds as well. Those winds will lead to a high fire danger as we are now below normal in precipitation for the month and the year, and with vegetation still dormant, gusty winds can help fires spread easily. All of this will lead to chances for showers and storms which will also remind us of spring. By the way, spring officially begins on March 20th. Here's an interesting item that I discovered, so far this month we have had more snow in the southern half of the U.S. than the northern half. Cities that are normally very snowy this time of year like Omaha, Bismark, Minneapolis, and Green Bay have had less than 2 inches this March. While cities such as Tulsa, Dallas, Little Rock, Memphis and Louisville have had anywhere from 2 inches to 11 inches of snow! March is our wildest month when it comes to rain, sleet, ice and snow, so don't put away those snow shovels just yet!

ARCTIC AIR FOR A COUPLE OF DAYS

Fri, 07 Mar 2008 00:34:00 EST

With snow chances going down, chances for cold weather is going up! An arctic cold front will move through and stick around until Sunday. The cold air may squeeze out a few snow flakes, but it will be mostly known for passing clouds, cold north winds, and highs well below normal and lows well below freezing. How does highs in the 30s and 40s along with lows in the 20s and teens sound? Sounds cold to me! We lose an hour of sleep Sunday morning as we spring forward and begin Daylight Saving Time. That may be the signal for spring weather as the weather will warm up on Sunday and continue into next week.