Power Outage in Laverne, OK

This tornado moved into Harper County from Beaver County OK (see report from the Oklahoma panhandle from NWS Amarillo). At the Beaver County-Harper County line, the tornado caused roof damage to a home as well as tree damage. It continued to damage trees and power poles as the tornado moved to just northeast of Laverne. A barn was damaged along US-283 just north of Laverne before the tornado dissipated. In addition to the tornado, a large area of wind damage was observed south of the tornado creating areas of wind damage in the town of Laverne.

This tornado developed in Lipscomb County Texas and moved through Beaver and Ellis Counties in Oklahoma before moving into southwestern Harper County. The tornado broke numerous power poles and damaged trees as it moved northeast, crossing US Highway 412/State Highway 3, and dissipated about one mile north of the highway to the southwest of Laverne.

Power poles blown down west of Buffalo and south of Highway 64.

Reports of 0.5 inches of ice accumulation. Tree limbs up to 12 inches in diameter broken. Electric cooperatives reported 1891 power outages, with damages in excess of $4088K.

This tornado moved from Ellis County into Harper County to the west of Fort Supply. Four electrical transmission poles were broken as well as several trees 4 miles west of Fort Supply. Outbuildings were heavily damaged north of Fort Supply as the tornado continued northeast, and more power poles were broken east of Buffalo near the end of the tornado's path.

A power pole was snapped near County Road 198 and Highway 64. Monetary damages were estimated.

Snowfall totals of 23 inches were reported two miles south of Buffalo, with 24 inches in Laverne. Some of the snow drifts were well over six feet deep. The weight of the snowfall on roofs caused roofs of some buildings to collapse in the Laverne and Buffalo areas. Although much of the damage was reported to outbuildings and barns, a partial roof collapse of the Grace Living Center nursing occurred. No injuries were reported at the nursing home. Power was knocked out for several hours. A few power poles were knocked down by winds that gusted well over 40 mph for several hours. Visibilities were less than a quarter of a mile for several hours, with some areas reporting near zero visibility due to the blowing snow. Roads were closed across the county, as road crews struggled to keep up with the one to two inch an hour snowfall rates. Accidents were few, as most residents stayed off the roadways. However, there was one injury in an automobile accident. Monetary damages were estimated for the entire county.

Tree limbs and power lines were blown down by the strong winds. Monetary damages were estimated.

Temperatures reached triple digits across the area starting in mid-July and continued through the end of the month. Many locations at times reached 105 degrees of greater with higher heat index values. Overnight lows remained warm for much of this time also with most location only falling to 75 degrees or higher. The heat caused 10 fatalities across the area during this time period. Many fatalities occurred in homes that did not have fans or working air conditioners. Two men and three women died in the Oklahoma City metro area. One man was found dead on the northeast side of the city in his home where the air conditioner was broken. Another man died mowing his lawn at his home in the town of Harrah. A woman in The Village was found dead in her house where the A/C was not turned on. Another women was found dead in her home on the southwest side of the city. Her home did not have an air conditioner or fans. A third woman died at her home where the air conditioner was broken. In Mooreland in Woodward county, a woman died outside when she went to check on the water levels at a pond on her property. The woman fell and broke her hip which kept her from getting back to her home. Two people in Chickasha in Grady county died. The man was found dead in his home that did not have any air conditioning. A women had spent the day outside with friends. She then collapsed at her home which did not have air conditioning. In Lindsay in Garvin county, two people also died. One woman died in her home where the air conditioner was not running. A second woman was found dead on a dirt road near her home. She was walking from one home to another when she collapsed and eventually died. The paramedic services also made numerous calls for heat-related illnesses during this time.The heat also caused a portion of Interstate 44, on the west side of Oklahoma City, to buckle. The heat also caused a strain on several power grids causing local authorities to ask for people to minimize the consumption of power during the hottest parts of the day to prevent brown outs.

Despite some rainfall across portions of Oklahoma, the drought across the area persisted and actually worsened from a severe (D2) drought to an extreme (D3) drought across most of the area by the end of the month. The drought conditions continued to cause an increased wildfire potential, especially during the first part of the month, with many wildfires occurring across the western half of Oklahoma. One of the worst days for wildfires for the month was on April 6, 2006 due to strong winds, warm temperatures, and dry conditions. A fire near Cement in Caddo county caused the evacuation of the town and burned at least 7 homes. Another fire near Newcastle in McLain county caused an evacuation of some residents and also burned 7 homes. This fire also caused the closure of portions of Interstate 44 and Highways 37 and 76 during rush hour. The roads were all back open by 2100 CST. Several fires also burned homes and structures in Kingfisher and Oklahoma counties, with several other fires burning many acres across the area. However, the largest fire on April 6th occurred in Roger Mills county where approximately 30,000-50,000 acres were scorched. This fire began just west of the Oklahoma-Texas state line in the Texas Panhandle. The strong west winds caused the fire to quickly spread east into Roger Mills county. The fire burned an area between about 4 miles south of Reydon to 6 miles north of Sweetwater to within about 5 miles or less of Cheyenne. Despite the size of the fire, only three vacant homes were destroyed, a few head of livestock were lost, and no injuries or deaths occurred. Firefighters from 45 different departments in Oklahoma and Texas along with fire fighting aircraft were used to fight this fire. Many of the wildfires that occurred on April 6 were believed to have been started by sparks from power lines blowing together in the strong winds.The dry conditions and strong winds also caused blowing dust on April 6 that reduced visibilities across parts of western and central Oklahoma. In parts of western Oklahoma visibilities were reduced to less than a half a mile. These low visibilities also hampered firefighting activities on the large fire in Roger Mills county.The drought conditions along with above normal temperatures (several days above 90 degrees) had also continued to impact other groups across the area. The persistent drought continued to cause problems for farmers and ranchers by causing farm ponds to dry up and available food for livestock to decrease. The decrease in water for livestock has led to programs to assist farmers and ranchers in building new wells. However, due to the low water and shortage in hay or pasture from the fires, some people have been forced to sell some or all of their herd. Being the month before the winter wheat harvest begins, farmers and agriculture professionals were predicting the worst wheat crop since 1957 in many areas. As of April many fields of crops had already been declared disasters. The agriculture community was not the only area feeling the affects of the drought. The recreation industry has been affected due to low lake levels with some piers or docks unusable. Some towns were also beginning to institute volunteer water rationing programs.

Drought conditions continued throughout the month of February. The severe to exceptional drought conditions (D2-D4) ranged from D2 in northwest portions to D4 in southeast parts of the area. However, the exceptional (D4) drought area had diminished slightly across southeast Oklahoma due to some rainfall, but the extreme (D3) drought area had expanded further northwest across the area. The drought conditions continued to exacerbate the wildfire conditions across the area. Numerous wildfires occurred throughout the month burning more than 50,000 acres. On February 12 around 15:30 CST, a grass fire just north of Pauls Valley caused the southbound lanes of Interstate 35 to be closed and traffic diverted. The interstate was reopened around 18:00 CST. Several fires also occurred across the area on February 27. One fire near Woodward, OK threatened an iodine plant. The fire burned approximately 1,200 acres. Another fire near McLoud in northwestern Pottawatomie county destroyed an unoccupied mobile home. A fire in east Noble in Cleveland county threatened many homes and businesses. A nursing home and day care were immediately evacuated as a precaution. This fire burned at least 50 large round hay bales and caused power outages in the area due to damaged power lines.The scorched land and dry conditions were continuing to affect farmers and ranchers due to low or dry farm ponds and burned pasture and hay.

Rain changed over to freezing rain as cold air surged southward into the Southern Plains. The freezing rain began to accumulate in northwest Oklahoma during the morning hours of January 4th. As the cold air continued southward the freezing rain spread into the rest of northern and central Oklahoma. Later on in the event the freezing rain changed over to sleet and then eventually to snow before ending. Areas along and north of a line from Roger Mills county northeastward into Blaine county and through Garfield and Kay counties received one to two inches of ice accumulations, while the rest of the area received a half an inch to an inch of ice accumulation. One to two inches of sleet also fell in many locations. Trees and power lines were damaged due to the ice. This winter storm also prompted numerous school, church, and business closings. Many accidents were reported with some injuries and one indirect fatality due to the slick and hazardous road conditions.

Power poles were downed.

Seven power poles were snapped in half. A mobile home was overturned, and a large barn was destroyed.

A severe thunderstorm developed along a weak outflow boundary that was draped across Harper county. The winds from the thunderstorm snapped a power pole. No other damage was reported.