McALESTER —
According to the National Weather Service, the temperature in and around McAlester at approximately 8 a.m. was 17 degrees. Wind was blowing north at seven miles per hour and there was a wind chill of 7 degrees.
The forecast for today is mostly sunny with high temperatures at 31 degrees. Tonight is expected to be mostly cloudy with low temperatures at 17 degrees.
McAlester City Manager Pete Stasiak said city road crews were called in to work yesterday at about 1:30 p.m. “They started salting the roads,” Stasiak said. “Crews have been out all night and are still out today.”
Stasiak said city road crews are clearing the top layer of snow off roadways and then placing salt on the ice, to melt it. “I’m sure the sun is going to help us out a lot today too,” Stasiak said.
The city manager said that road crews are working to clear snow and ice from the most heavily traveled roadways first.
The National Weather Service shows winter weather potential for our area on both Thursday and Friday. No hazardous weather is expected on Saturday and Sunday. There is also winter weather potential forecasted for Monday and Tuesday.
The National weather service issued the following statement for today:
“Blustery north to northwest winds of 10 to 15 miles an hour with a few gusts to 25 miles an hour will combine with temperatures of 10 to 20 degrees to produce windchill equivalent temperatures of -5 to 10 (degrees) early this morning. Coldest windchill readings will be northwest of Interstate 44 ... as well as the higher terrain locations of Southeast Oklahoma and Northwest Arkansas where winds are strongest. Conditions will improve as temperatures rise and the wind subsides today.”
The National Weather Forecast expects the following for our area:
Thursday: Partly sunny with high temperatures at 36 degrees.
Thursday night: Mostly Cloudy with low temperatures at 27 degrees.
Friday: Wintry mix with a 30 percent chance of precipitation and high temperatures at 40 degrees.
Friday night: Partly cloudy with low temperatures at 21 degrees.
Saturday: Sunny with high temperatures at 39 degrees.
Saturday night: Mostly clear with low temperatures at 20 degrees.
Sunday: Mostly sunny with high temperatures at 50 degrees.
For more National Weather Service information, go to www.weather.gov.
The National Weather Service also issued the following statement for later in the week:
“An upper level disturbance will swing through the southern plains Thursday night and Friday. There will not be much moisture available with that system. However, there will be a chance of light snow sleet or freezing rain from about midnight Thursday night until noon Friday. Northern areas will be most vulnerable. Another system could impact our region Monday or Tuesday.”
Contact Rachel Petersen at rpetersen@mcalesternews.com.
For more on this story, see the print or electronic editions of the McAlester News-Capital. Click here for print edition home delivery or click here to see the Smart Edition for your computer, tablet, e-reader or smart phone.
Raw: Aerials Show Path of Oklahoma Destruction
Raw: Widespread Destruction in Moore, Okla.
Raw: Massive Funnel Clouds in Oklahoma
Raw: Japan's WWII Atrocities Under Fire in Seoul
Voters Could Elect LA's First Female Mayor
Raw: Rescuers Pull Tornado Survivors to Safety
Oklahoma Gov: 'Hearts Are Broken' After Tornado
Raw: Walking in a Flattened Okla. Neighborhood
Raw: Rescue Workers Search Oklahoma School
Raw: Witness Describes Scene After Okla. Tornado
Raw: Aftermath of Massive Tornado in Oklahoma
Raw: House Burns After Massive Oklahoma Tornado
Raw: Tornado on the Ground in Oklahoma
Split-second Choice Ended With NY Student Dead
White House Backs 'Shield Law' for Media
Wave of Attacks Kills Scores in Iraq
Pug Life on Display at Wisconsin Festival
Company Promises to Make All Snail Mail Digital
Analyst: Tumblr Fills Void in Yahoo's Offerings
IWitness Look at Moore, OK Tornado
Trailer: 'The Last Stand' Available on Blu-ray Disc, DVD, Digital Download
Okla. tornado survivor finds dog buried alive under rubble
Pickler's Dance Moves Cause A Stir
Reporter Cries Over Devastation
Sneak Peek: 'Modern Family' Says Good Bye
RAW: Moore, OK tornado touches down near school
Robert Pattinson Moves Out
RAW: Russian dash cam catches car 20 feet in the air
Oklahoma tornado survivor: "Everything is gone"
Khloe Lashes Out at Kim Kardashian's Critics
Couple Argues As Woman's Lover Crawls Out Window
RAW: Brad Paisley Forgets Lyrics To His Own Song
Justin Bieber Gets Booed
RAW: TV Staff Take Cover From Tornado
New 'Anchorman 2' Trailer, Drake Joins List of Rumored Cameos
Eva Longoria's Wardrobe Malfunction
Heat Star Dwyane Wade Surprises Coral Gables Teen At Prom
Steak n' Shake waitress scores huge tip
Singer Miguel Accidentally Lands on Fan At Billboard Music Awards
