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Comparing storms

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Yogi Berra wasn’t talking about the weather, but he nailed it anyway with this gem: “It’s like deja vu all over again.”

Think back. Ten years and a handful of days. The Blizzard of February 2011.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Centers for Environmental Information recorded it thus:

“On February 1st–3rd a large and powerful winter storm, dubbed the ‘Groundhog Day Blizzard,’ hit the central and northern regions of the United States from New Mexico northward to Wisconsin, and eastward to New England. 

“The storm stretched for thousands of miles, leaving behind at least five inches of snow in 22 states. The multi-faceted storm also brought an inch of ice to portions of the Ohio River Valley. “

And that was just the beginning.

“Winds gusting upwards of 70 mph created widespread blizzard conditions, and snow drifts were reported as high as 10 feet. Numerous highways were forced to close and thousands of flights were cancelled nationwide. The storm began across the Southern Plains on the 1st, where it dropped 1 to 2 feet of snow across Texas, Oklahoma and Missouri.” 

As the storm then moved into the Northeast on the 3rd, it dumped a foot of new snow. Buildings in Connecticut and Massachusetts collapsed under the weight.

Weather scientists faulted the extensive track on the ongoing La Niña across the equatorial Pacific.

That wasn’t all.

On February 8 and 9  another powerful winter storm hit the Southern Plains states, leaving behind 20 inches or more of snow in Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Kansas. 

Oklahoma City received six inches of snow, boosting the month’s total to 18.9 inches. It came within 1.8 inches of tying the monthly snowfall when 20.7 inches fell on  the city.

A whopping 27 inches of snow fell at Spavinaw in a 24-hour period on the 8th and 9th,  setting a new state record.

And it wasn’t just the snow.

Extreme cold came with the front which pushed through Oklahoma on February 10, 2011.

In fact, the coldest temperature ever recorded in Oklahoma was -31 at Nowata. 

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