By Julianna Parker
Winds up to 50 mph whipped through Norman Saturday, knocking over trees, fanning flames and creating hazardous driving conditions.
One man was shocked when a tree crashed onto the truck he was about to climb into.
“It was either real fortunate or sort of comical,” said Mike Dennis, owner of Stone Objects in Norman.
He said was delivering stone to 804 Lahoma Ave., but his clients didn’t answer the door. He heard a loud crack, turned around and then watched a tree fall onto his company truck.
“I was probably literally six or seven seconds away from getting into the truck,” Dennis said.
The tree pulled power lines down with it, causing a light show of sparks, said Asia Scudder, a friend of Dennis who quickly arrived on the scene.
Norman Fire Department received dozens of calls about trees and power lines being blown over Saturday, Deputy Fire Chief Jim Bailey said.
The downed power lines caused several fires.
The high winds spread the fire “like a blow torch,” making it difficult for the fire department to fight, Bailey said.
One power line pole blew over into a building at 1220 W. Rock Creek Road, the exposed wires sparking a fire, Bailey said.
There were a couple of small grass fires, which were put out quickly, he said, including one at the intersection of state Highway 9 and Classen Boulevard.
In addition to fires, the downed power lines caused many Norman residents to lose power temporarily.
At the height of the weather, about 14,000 Oklahoma Gas and Electric customers were without power around the state, according to their Web site.
At one point Saturday, there were 1,200 Norman customers without power, the Web site said. By 6 p.m., that number had been halved.
A low pressure system moving from Kansas into Oklahoma brought storms overnight and winds Saturday, said Jennifer Palucki, meteorologist at the National Weather Center.
“It’s a very strong pressure gradient that is causing those winds,” Palucki said.
Winds reached up to 68 mph in some areas of the state, blowing dust and decreasing visibility for motorists, she said.
Bailey said the only way to stay safe in such high winds is to “stay in your house.”
“We’ve got no control over power poles falling over,” he said.
Police Lt. John Bowman said the main safety concern is power lines, so make sure there are none down near your home.
He said to call dispatch at 321-1444 to report any dangers.
Julianna Parker366-3550jparker@normantranscript.com
