Those strong winds that smacked Oklahoma on Sunday were fierce enough to bring down power poles and power lines, blocking Interstate 35 in Norman and other streets around the central part of the state. They also helped fuel dangerous wildfires in the state. Thousands were left without power.
Wind gusts reached 65 miles per hour and fueled more than a dozen wildfires throughout the state, creating large challenges for firefighters. One of the largest was a 5,000 acre wildfire between the towns of Fairfax and Hominy in the northeast part of the state.
Oklahoma Gas and Electric reported at least 11,500 customers were without power as of early Sunday afternoon. Late in the afternoon, it posted a statement.
” OG&E is coordinating with local officials in these areas to repair the lines as safely and quickly as possible. High wind speeds are expected to continue throughout the night. This will impact restoration times as crews must safely extend buckets and equipment in the air.
Across OG&E’s system, about 10,000 customers are without power as of 4:00 p.m. Restoration personnel are actively repairing damage to poles and infrastructure as our control center reroutes power to bring more customers up as quickly and safely as possible. High winds with gusts of up to 65 miles per hour are forecasted to continue into the evening,” stated the utility.
Public Service Company of Oklahoma reported several thousand as well, including nearly 3,000 in the Tulsa metro area.
In its Sunday update on wildfires, the Oklahoma Forestry Service knew the day would be a potentially dangerous one as the cold front hit Oklahoma and brought the strong winds with it.
It also was aware that the danger of more wildfires would remain for the coming week.
Outlook: Following a wild temperature swing with this
cold front, warm and dry conditions are expected to
return this week persisting for the next ten days or more.
Potential record breaking high temperatures are on
expected later in the week. Increasing wildfire activity is
expected statewide with challenging initial attack
conditions and a moderate large fire potential especially
in the drier areas north of I-44.