Norman — Cleveland County residents should prepare for hazardous travel conditions on this, the first day of spring.
National Weather Service meteorologists predict a winter storm packed with freezing temperatures and blowing snow will arrive as early as this morning.
John Pike, with the weather service office in Norman, said a strong cold front was expected to reach Norman by Friday evening.
“It looks like we will have showers and thunderstorms with the cold front” Friday evening, Pike said. “Shortly after it passes, we will get a quick change over to snow.”
The fickle nature of weather means meteorologists could not pinpoint an exact time when rain will change to snow.
“It may impact travel and reduce visibility,” he said.
The forecast showed temperatures are expected to drop to the 30s today.
“The wind chill will be down in the 20s and teens,” Pike said.
He said the storm could drop between 2 and 4 inches of snow in Norman.
“It could be blowing snow and some areas could receive more than others,” Pike said. “It should taper off by Sunday morning.”
He said weather conditions should rebound and another warming trend will begin in a few days.
“By mid-week we will have spring-like thunderstorms,” Pike said.
City prepares for the worst
Just before noon Friday, City of Norman streets crews already were preparing for the possibility of snow and hazardous travel conditions. Workers are pre-scheduled for 12-hour shifts at 8 a.m. and 8 p.m.
“All of our equipment is ready,” Greg Hall, City of Norman street superintendent, said. “We’re just watching the forecast like everyone else.”
Hall said crews pre-treated roads before the last snowstorm hit in January as a precaution because temperatures were consistently cold.
“Pre-treating streets won’t be required because the ground temperature has been significantly warm,” Hall said.
Hall said should snow or any kind of freezing precipitation cause slick roads this weekend, trucks will be out spreading a mixture of snow and salt on streets. Workers will treat designated snow routes first, followed by secondary roadways.
He said about 4,000 tons of sand and between 2,000 and 3,000 tons of salt are piled up at the city barn, just west of the Classen Boulevard and East Lindsey Street intersection.
“We will monitor conditions and use the appropriate quantities of salt and sand mix,” Hall said.
Residents get ready
People worried about the possibility of accumulating snow popped into Ace Hardware’s West Main Street store Friday to stock up on supplies.
“That’s the main conversation that’s going on,” cashier Nick Martin said.
He said customers concentrated their purchases on snow shovels. Plenty of materials that melt ice were still on store shelves.
“They’re buying snow shovels,” he said.
Martin said business at the store picked up Friday afternoon.
Meghan McCormick 366-3539 mmccormick@normantranscript.com
