Thursday, January 11, 2007

Ijs en sneeuwstormen treffen wederom drie staten VS

Ice storm ahead for Oklahoma, 2 other states

TULSA, Oklahoma -- Frigid arctic air is forecast to move across the southern Plains, causing a "significant ice storm" this weekend in Oklahoma and parts of Texas and Arkansas, the National Weather Service said Thursday.

A winter storm watch has been issued for portions of northwest Texas, the Texas panhandle, northwestern Arkansas and all of Oklahoma, the weather service said.

"A winter storm watch means, there is a potential for significant snow, sleet or ice accumulations that may impact travel," the weather service said.

On average the storm could produce as much as 1 inch of ice, coating trees and power lines across the region, and could lead to major power outages.

Friday's storm is predicted to last until Sunday.

Northeastern Oklahoma and the Tulsa metro area will be the hardest hit, with ice accumulations of 1 inch or greater expected, CNN meteorologist Sean Morris reported.

"There still remains some uncertainty about the track of the upper level storm. Therefore, ice and snow forecast accumulations may change," the weather service said.

Temperatures in the week ahead will have highs in the 20s and lows in the teens and possibly single digits, the weather service added.