The Panhandle and northwest areas of the state received up to 4 inches of snow. Icy conditions kept police and medical responders busy in areas farther south.
For about two hours Tuesday afternoon, the high volume of winter weather calls caused Emergency Medical Services Authority personnel to operate in "disaster mode” — when responders go from call to call.
Between 2 and 5 p.m., paramedics responded to 85 calls, EMSA spokeswoman Lara O’Leary said.
O’Leary said it is possible that ice would remain overnight as temperatures stayed in the 20s. There is danger of slipping and falling this morning, she said. Elderly people especially should be mindful when walking out to get the paper or stepping onto the back porch, she said.
"Make sure you take a cell phone with you just in case, and be sure to wear shoes that have good traction,” O’Leary said.
How it unfolded Snow began falling about 4:30 a.m. across northwest Oklahoma as a mass of arctic air pushed into Oklahoma and combined with moisture from an upper midlevel system, said Daryl Williams, a forecaster with the National Weather Service in Norman. Most of the snowfall was concentrated in the northwest quadrant of the state, north of a line extending from Ponca City to Elk City, Williams said.
The National Weather Service said the most snowfall was 3.5 inches at Medford in Grant County and 4 inches in Fairview.
Light freezing drizzle continued after sunset in central Oklahoma, but no significant accumulations were reported.
Several athletic events were postponed in the northwest and north central areas of the state.
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