Power Outage in Guymon, OK

The Clawson Ranch Command wildfire began about four miles north of Hitchland Oklahoma in Texas County around 1321CST in CRP grass and open pasture land. The wildfire consumed a measured eight hundred and fifty-eight according to the Oklahoma Forestry Services and was caused by electrical arcing off power line. There was one home and one other structure that were threatened but were saved. There were no reports of any homes or other structures that were damaged or lost from the wildfire, however one engine was badly burned due to extreme wildfire behavior as the fire went under the engine. The engine was able to be driven away and parked. There were no reports of any injuries or fatalities. The Hardesty Volunteer Fire Department, the Guymon Fire Department along with the Hooker, Optima, Tyrone, Baker, Adams, Goodwell, Beaver, Turpin, Balko, Slapout, and Gruver, Texas fire departments responded to the wildfire. A Type 3 Strike team was called to assist with the wildfire out of Beaver County and the wildfire was finally contained around 2000CST.

In Guymon, a power pole was knocked down south of the court house near the railroad crossing at Main Street.

Several power poles leaning over near mile 38 and road M north of Optima.

The tornado destroyed two out buildings, a silo and snapped a power pole. Based on damage only on central and northeast portion of farmhouse complex damaged, the tornado likely touched down in the complex and continued into open country from there. The tornado was rated EF-1 with estimated peak wind of 104 mph.

Very minimal damage was noted in a farmhouse complex. Damage included a metal roof partially peeled back, a broken power pole and tractor trailer rolled onto its side. This tornado was rated EF-0 with estimated peak wind of 80 mph.

A cluster of thunderstorms moved out of southeastern Colorado and southwestern Kansas and into the Oklahoma Panhandle during the evening hours of the 30th. As this cluster of thunderstorms moved over the town of Guymon (Texas County), the Emergency Manager reported an estimated 60 mph downburst wind which blew down several trees and caused power outages for the town of Goodwell (Texas County). After producing this downburst the cluster of thunderstorms continued to move to the southeast.

A cluster of thunderstorms moved out of southeastern Colorado and southwestern Kansas and into the Oklahoma Panhandle during the evening hours of the 30th. As this cluster of thunderstorms moved over the town of Guymon (Texas County), the Tri-County Electric Cooperative reported nearly 200 power poles had been knocked down by downburst winds. This resulted in nearly 5,000 meters without power.

The Texas County Emergency Manager reported power outages due to the strong thunderstorm wind gusts just north of Guymon and also on the northeast side of Guymon...just outside the city limits. Two power poles were reported blown down in Guymon.

The Texas County Emergency Manager reported that high winds from a thunderstorm blew down a power pole in Guymon. No injuries were reported.

Trained spotter estimated between sixty to seventy mile an hour gusts and reported trees blown down...entire fences blown down...and trash cans rolling down streets. There was also power outages in Hardesty Oklahoma. No injuries were reported.

The Guymon ASOS station two miles west of Guymon Oklahoma reported a second thunderstorm wind gust. Power poles were reported blown down on the northeast edge of Guymon...however no injuries were reported.

Eighteen wheelers reportedly blown over by the high winds...there was no power in the town of Texhoma...telephone poles were blown down...and the town of Hooker Police Department reported windows blown out. The new metal roof of the Hooker City Hall was peeled back and the glass front door was blown out but not broken. A satellite dish was also thrown off of the police station in Hooker and some interior damage occurred. A windmill was completely destroyed...along with a shed and a fence...northeast of Hooker and a horse barn was picked up and dropped on its roof. No injuries were reported.

One inch of ice accumulation wqas estimated from freezing rain in Guymon along with two inches of snow. Widespread minor damage from trees coming down along with power lines down and power poles broken.

Just under a half of an inch of ice accumulation estimated from freezing rain caused power lines to come down along with large tree branches to come down on cars and roofs causing considerable damage in Guymon.

Several power poles reportedly snapped off due to the high winds.

High winds blew over power lines and telephone poles down in and around Guymon. A fifty-four knot wind gust was estimated eleven miles east of Guymon and a fifty-two knot wind gusts was measured at both the Hooker Oklahoma Mesonet located one mile west of Hooker and also at the Goodwell Oklahoma Mesonet located two miles east of Goodwell.

No injuries were reported from the tornado...however a roof at the local YMCA sustained damage and shingles were blown off...power poles were knocked down...and tree limbs were broken.

Power lines and power poles reported blown down.

During the evening of the 15th a line of storms, of which contained supercells, formed over portions of southwest Kansas and extend south through Beaver County, OK into the northeastern portions of the Texas Panhandle. The supercell furthest south dropped a tornado on Perryton, TX killing three people and leaving a path of distruction over 6 miles. Several other landspout tornadoes spun up further south of Perryton along the flanking line of the tornadic supercell. One of these landpouts took out some power poles, but remained mostly in grasslands. These tornadic supercells also produced large hail between 1 and 2.5 in diameter.

A potent storm system raced across Colorado and Kansas through the day, causing strong to extreme southwest to west winds across the area, but especially across the northern Texas and Oklahoma Panhandles. By mid-morning, winds were already gusting to well over 60 mph across the northwest half of the Panhandles. Wind gusts were measured at 70 to 90 mph by observation sites during the peak of the wind event which occurred between 11 am and 3 pm. Sustained winds ranged from 40 to 50 mph during this period and some site briefly measured sustained winds close to 60 mph. These winds led to damage to trees, powerlines, and roofs in areas where the strongest winds occurred. In addition, there were several reports of semi trucks being overturned across the area. Blowing dust caused widespread visibility reductions down to 1 to 3 miles and there were reports of localized areas where visibility dropped to less than a 1/4 mile leading to several major accidents and road closures. Three of the fires in the Panhandles were classified as significant wildfires as they raced uncontrolled across the landscape.

Strong southwesterly winds occurred across the Panhandles during the day on Friday, December 10th. The surface cyclone developed in southeast Colorado the morning of the 10th, before moving east into southwest Kansas and deepening further. Deep mixing occurred under mostly clear skies further enhancing winds in the area. With the position of the surface low in southeast Kansas by the afternoon hours, highest wind gusts mainly occurred in the central Panhandles during the early afternoon hours. A few gusts reported at or over 70 mph were achieved. Strong winds caused sporadic power outages. Persistent blowing dusts produced widespread conditions of limited visibility for drivers across the Panhandles which did lead to some accidents. US 287 was closed in both directions for several hours between FM 1912 and FM 2373 due to low visibility with traffic detoured to I-40. A cold front moved south through the Panhandles starting around 3-4 PM on the 10th. In the wake of the cold front, cooler and more stable conditions led to diminishing winds going into the evening hours.

A slow moving upper level storm system contributed to development of severe storms for a third consecutive day as it moved east to the Four Corners region by May 17th. With the system drawing nearer, wind shear and instability increased from what occurred with the previous days events and so did storm organization and strength. A line of thunderstorms that developed near a surface trough in New Mexico moved into the Oklahoma and Texas Panhandles in the late afternoon and evening hours. Several storms produced severe hail and wind especially across the southern Texas Panhandle. A few very powerful storms produced hail in excess of 2 inches in diameter and there was also a breif, weak tornado reported in open country across the southwest Texas Pahandle. Impacts reported in the Oklahoma Panhandle were mainly due to severe wind gusts with storms in the area.

A dynamic storm system brought high winds and a heavy wet snow on the 17th of March 2021. This combination led to blizzard conditions in some areas and near blizzard conditions in others. Travel was impacted area wide and isolated power outages were reported. Some areas got well above 6 inches of snow with drifts of one to two feet. The day prior this same system produced severe thunderstorms capable of one inch diameter hail and wind gusts well over 60 mph in the eastern Texas Panhandle.

A historic outbreak of arctic air resulted in record breaking cold temperatures during an extreme cold spell that lasted almost two weeks for some locations across the combined Texas and Oklahoma Panhandles. The cold air moved over the northeastern combined Panhandles as early as Feb 8th, and spread southwest through Feb 12th, engulfing most of the southern plains by Feb 13th. The northeast Panhandles remained below freezing for 12 days straight while the southwest Panhandles were below freezing for a full week or more. Periods of flurries and freezing fog also occurred mainly in the overnight and morning periods almost each day Feb 8th through Feb 18th. In addition, two storm systems interacted with the arctic air to produce several inches of snow, not only across the Panhandles but across most of the Great Plains, including almost the entire state of Texas and surrounding states. ||The frigid arctic air would put a strain on area power grids, resulting in rotating blackouts for some locations (this was much worse for other portions of Texas due to a state wide power crises felt most on the ERCOT power grid). The extreme cold also caused multiple indirect fatalities in the Texas Panhandle and led to school closings due to winter weather and/or the Texas energy crises that required measures to strongly limit energy consumption. The cold also halted plant operations due to issues with natural gas fuel, killed some livestock and also caused localized damage to residences and schools due to freezing water pipes. There were isolated reports of private water wells freezing up across the area. In addition, several municipal water wells in the southeast Texas Panhandle froze up and sustained damage (Donley County) during this time. There was also reported damage to water treatment facilities in Oldham County.||While local impacts in the Panhandle were less than the rest of Texas because the region's infrastructure is more built to handle major cold outbreaks, losses in the state of Texas were estimated to be well into the billions. Impacts from the power disruptions and natural gas fuel issues caused by the cold were certainly felt well outside of the worst hit areas and this included the Texas and Oklahoma Panhandles. For example, local dairy production was halted for a period of time because the processing plants located outside the Panhandles were without power and unable to operate. Farmers were forced to dispose of milk produced during this timeframe. Damage outside the Panhandles to the southeast was extensive due to power interruptions within the ERCOT power grid which led to numerous broken pipes and damages down state in Texas. These greater disruptions impacted the far southeast Texas Panhandle, which was the only area that was included on the ERCOT power grid at the time.

An upper level low over eastern New Mexico within a deep neutral tilted trough with a 80-110 kt. 250 hPa jet streak providing upper level divergence over our region gave us good favorable upper level dynamics. In-conjunction with strong 850-700 hPa cold air advection as the 700 hPa and surface based low pressure systems moved into north central OK/south central KS by early AM on the 30th, this has helped to set up good frontogenetic snow at times across the far western Panhandles where a sharp low level temp gradient was established. This provided heavy snowfall rates at times, especially when the surface low began to occlude over KS the morning on the 30th. After warning criteria snow fell in the northwestern Panhandles and at the aforementioned time, winds began to increase as isobar gradient steepened further providing Blizzard conditions for several hours. Tri County Electric COOP reported the outage count peaked somewhere close to 18,000 meters off during mid-morning on Sunday the 30th with also about 500 downed powerlines across the coverage area.

A powerful storm system brought significant severe weather to the region. Tornadoes, damaging winds, and large hail accompanied thunderstorms that formed during the afternoon hours and persisted into the evening. This was a very unusual event for late fall in the Central High Plains. One significant factor in this anomalous event was the presence of an unusual amount of moisture for mid-November, contributing to relatively high values of instability. Only one tornado had previously been documented in the Oklahoma Panhandle during the month of November.

Between the evening hours of February 24 and the afternoon hours of February 25th, widespread snowfall totals of 1 to 15 inches of snow were reported across the Oklahoma Panhandle. This snowfall crippled the Panhandle in ways not seen since the 1957 and 1934 blizzards. | |The 6 PM CST upper air analysis on February 24th reviled a closed mid-level low pressure system diving south-southeastward from the Four Corners Region. This positioning put the Oklahoma Panhandle under the front right quadrant of a 90 mph to 120 mph upper level jet streak, and caused a transition of a surface stationary front draped across the Southern Texas Panhandle into a cold front. The large scale forcing provided by the aforementioned factors coupled with low level moisture advection to initiate snow showers over eastern New Mexico. These snow showers quickly expanded into the western Oklahoma Panhandles. The surface cold front surged southward in advance of the snow showers, which ensured any precipitation reaching the ground would be in a frozen state. A few embedded lightning strikes were evident as snow showers taped into very steep mid-level temperature lapse rates and weak elevated instability while moving further into the Panhandle. Snowfall rates of 1 inch to 2 inches per hour were observed, but higher snow fall rates of 2 inches to 3 inches per hour were possible given the weakly convective nature of some of the storms. ||By midnight of the 25th, the mid-level closed low had progressed into southeastern New Mexico. This placed the Panhandles squarely in the ���comma head��� of the system. As a result, bands of heavy snow developed from Hereford, Texas (Deaf Smith County) to Slapout, Oklahoma (Beaver County). Weak instability continued to produce isolated lightning strikes within these snow bands. Sustained surface winds across the Panhandle had built into the 30 to 40 mph range in response to the strong post-frontal surface pressure gradient and occasional 55 to 65 mph winds gusts were reported within the heavier snow bands. These blizzard conditions caused visibilities to drop as low as 50 feet, and produced multiple inches of snow over several hours. ||By 6 AM CST, the mid-level closed low was positioned near Sweetwater, Texas, and heavy bands of snow were still evident on radar along a Hereford, TX (Deaf Smith County) to Slapout, Oklahoma (Beaver County) line. Snow amount reports averaged between 4 to 10 inches along and to either side this line with Beaver (Beaver County) measuring eight inches. Blizzard conditions continued throughout the morning hours.||By 12 PM CST, the mid-level closed low had progressed into north central Texas allowing a clearing line to approach the New Mexico/Oklahoma state line. This further east position of the low also had a diminishing effect on the heaviest snow bands as the upper level forcing had lessen. Snowfall rates dropped to below 1 inch per hour, and the surface pressure gradient was slowly weakening to allow slower sustained surface winds. However, near zero visibilities were still reported in locations where snow had ended due to blowing snow. The clearing line was positioned from Amarillo, Texas (Randall and Potter County) to Guymon, Oklahoma (Texas County) by 3 PM CST, and distinct snow bands were no longer evident on radar. Surface winds had also dropped below 35 mph sustained to bring an end to blizzard conditions across the Panhandles. Snow showers continued to diminish before coming to an end just before 10 PM CST. ||The following is a listing of the highest snow amounts per county: 15.0 inches in Slapout (Beaver County); 5 inches in Guymon (Texas County); and trace of snow in Boise City (Cimarron County).| |While the total economic losses due to the blizzard remains largely undocumented, the blizzard cost cattle farmers across the Texas and Oklahoma Panhandle $10.24 million in cattle losses. The 5 to 15 inch swath of snow across the central and eastern Oklahoma Panhandle paralyzed traffic, and the Oklahoma Department of Transportation (OKDOT) to close all roads and highways across the region. Numerous motorists became stranded during and after the blizzard. | |The blizzard forced businesses to shut down, caused temporary power outages, and limited the supply of goods by paralyzing delivery methods. Toot-n-Totum closed 52 of their 62 locations across the panhandles, which was the first time in 62 years of operations that so many locations were closed. The remaining 10 locations were reported to have been visited by 11,000 customers with lines of 40 to 50 people deep according to security camera estimates.||Economic losses per county estimated from known cattle losses, estimated department of transportation costs, and estimated vehicle repairs.

A large wildfire began six miles southwest of Guymon Oklahoma in Texas County around 1500 CST. The wildfire consumed a measured five hundred and one acres, destroyed three homes, three to four businesses and also numerous outbuildings. There were twelve people injured, including four to five firefighters. The firefighters sustained eye injuries. Also, more than five hundred homes had to be evacuated and the wildfire knocked out power to more than one thousand and five hundred customers. U.S. Highway 54 was closed southwest of Guymon for more than six hours. The Elks Addition, Sunset Area, and the Prairie Village Trailer Park and the Corral RV Park were evacuated. Guymon city officials estimate that over two point nine million dollars in damage was caused by the wildfire with over twenty thousand dollar damage to Tri County Electric and over forty thousand dollars in damages to PTCI phone company. The wildfire started near an irrigation pump and was contained around 1830 CST.

A vigorous low pressure system in the upper atmosphere moved just south of the Oklahoma and Texas Panhandles and produced widespread heavy snow...strong and gusty winds...and low visibilities. As much as two feet of snow fell across the central Oklahoma Panhandle during this blizzard along with snow drifts as high as eight to ten feet. Residents lost power in the Oklahoma Panhandle and the blizzard caused several vehicular accidents...however no injuries or fatalities were reported. Thousands of cattle were reported killed by the blizzard.

A large wildfire began around 1440 CST about eleven miles northwest of Guymon in Texas County...or about two miles north of U.S. Highway 64. The wildfire quickly spread from southwest to northeast on southwesterly winds of twenty to thirty miles an hour with gusts greater than forty miles an hour. The wildfire was aided by extremely dry conditions...hot temperatures...low relative humidities...and rough terrain. The wildfire spread from County Road O and Mile 22...about three miles north of U.S. Highway 64...with five to six foot flame lengths. A cold front pushed the wildfire due south between Mile 22 and Mile 25. Four homes north of U.S. Highway 64 were evacuated and several structures were threatened...however no injuries were reported. A few head of cattle were killed and multiple power lines along with twenty-five miles of barbed wire fencing were destroyed. The wildfire burned approximately fifty-two hundred acres. The flame lengths at one point were reported to be twenty to thirty feet and the wildfire was one to two miles wide. A total of ten different fire departments out of Oklahoma...Texas and Kansas responded to the wildfire. The cause of the wildfire was determined to be the result of downed power lines from an oilfield chemical truck which struck a power pole guide-wire. The wildfire was contained at 0100 CST on June 12...although units arrived back on the scene at 0645 CST until 1100 CST to control hot spots.

A large fire in the central Oklahoma Panhandle was caused by two individuals using a cutting torch. The wildfire caused damage to several power poles and fencing. Flame lengths were reported to be five to ten feet in heavy brush. No homes or other structures were reported damaged or lost and no injuries were reported. The wildfire started at 1058 CST and burned approximately one thousand acres. The wildfire began four miles west of Eva Oklahoma or 3 miles south and 6 miles west of Yarborough Oklahoma on County Road L. The wildfire was finally contained at 1540 CST���however fire departments were called out again to extinguish hot spots at 1600 CST on the northeast edge of the fire.

A thunderstorm during the early morning hours produced lightning which knocked out power. No other damage and no injuries were reported.

Severe thunderstorms in the central and eastern Oklahoma Panhandle produced wind damage and hail along with isolated flash flooding during the early evening hours. The high winds caused power outages across the Tri-County Electric Cooperative service area with approximately one thousand and seven hundred members without power during the storms. Downed power poles caused the longest outages in Turpin Oklahoma and on the northeast edge of Guymon Oklahoma. No injuries were reported.

A strong and vigorous upper low moved across the Rockies and brought strong winds and heavy snow to the Oklahoma panhandle. No fatalities were reported...however one woman was injured in Cimarron county when she became stranded in her home and had to be transported to a hospital in Boise City. State of Emergencies were issued for both Cimarron and Texas counties. The worst hit area was near the Oklahoma and Colorado state line in the vicinity of State Highway 287 where twenty familes were stranded in four feet of snow and snow drifts of twenty feet! Western Cimarron county was hard hit as rescue teams were able to dig five families out of the snow around the Wheeless area and rescue drivers whose car batteries would not start. The Oklahoma National Guard assisted in hay drops for cattle that were stranded by the heavy snow. The Oklahoma Association of Electric Cooperatives reported about twenty thousand customers were without power.

A strong upper low moved from southern California into eastern New Mexico and southeastern Colorado. This system produced snow...sleet and freezing rain across the Oklahoma panhandle. A State of Emergency was declared for Texas county where nearly one million dollars in damage were attributed to the winter storm. Roughly fifty thousand cubic yards of downed trees and tree limbs were removed in Texas county. Seven thousand customers were without power according to officials at the Tri-County Electric Cooperative with damage estimated at four hundred thousand dollars. Another forty-seven thousand dollars in damage was reported by the Panhandle Telephone Cooperative with about one hundred Oklahoma panhandle residents without telephone service in the Guymon area. No injuries were reported.

Severe thunderstorms across the central Oklahoma panhandle during the early evening hours produced damaging winds and damaging hail in and around Guymon. High winds knocked down several power lines while hail defoliated vegetable plants. No injuries were reported.

A surface low pressure system in Kansas deepened during the afternoon and evening hours resulting in strong gradient winds across the Oklahoma panhandle at the Kenton Oklahoma Mesonet located five miles southeast of Kenton...at the Goodwell Oklahoma Mesonet located two miles east of Goodwell...and at the Beaver Oklahoma Mesonet located one mile south southwest of Beaver. A street light blew over onto a parked vehicle in Guymon and three power poles blew over with one damaging a vehicle in Guymon.

A wildfire six miles east of Hardesty burned six hundred acres and destroyed fences. Also...power poles were singed. There were no reports of structural damage or injuries.

Severe thunderstorms with damaging winds moved across the central and eastern Oklahoma panhandle during the evening hours. Damage from the high winds were mainly confined to trees being blown down...outbuildings...a law enforcement patrol vehicle when a tree fell onto it...and power poles snapped by the high winds. No injuries were reported from the severe weather.

High winds across the central Oklahoma panhandle caused damage to power lines and telephone poles during the evening hours.

Severe thunderstorms across the Oklahoma panhandle produced large hail and numerous tornadoes during the late afternoon and evening hours. The tornadoes caused no injuries and were mostly over open country. The tornadoes destroyed a barn and damaged barns and roofs along with knocking down power poles and tree limbs. High winds in the eastern Oklahoma panhandle did cause damage to powerlines and cars...however no injuries occurred.

A deepening surface low pressure system moved east across southern Kansas producing a strong pressure gradient over the Oklahoma panhandle. This resulted in strong west winds during the afternoon and early evening hours. A cold front then moved through the Oklahoma panhandle during the evening hours causing strong north winds. Thirty-six knot sustained winds were interpolated at Boise City and also at Guymon. Fifty-two knot wind gusts were interpolated at Beaver where the high winds caused damage to a crossarm on a power pole about two miles south of Beaver. This resulted in a four hour power outage which affected more than eleven hundred customers.

Severe thunderstorms with large hail...damaging winds...and tornadoes affected much of the Oklahoma panhandle during the evening hours. A total of one hundred and twenty-two power poles were blown down due to the wind and tornadoes in Beaver county alone.