Tulsa's Winter Weather Disruption: Travel Dangers, Shelters, and Advice for Staying Safe

Good morning, this is Tulsa Local Pulse for Sunday, January 25th. We're waking up to a winter weather situation that's affecting our entire region and we need to talk about what that means for your Sunday. The Oklahoma Department of Transportation is reporting snow packed highways across most of the state with icy conditions still present in southern and southeastern counties. Both Interstate 35 and Interstate 40 are slick and hazardous with snow packed surfaces, so if you're thinking about heading out today, the state is strongly discouraging all travel. If you absolutely must get somewhere, crews are urging you to slow down, drive for the conditions, and keep at least 200 feet behind those road clearing trucks. Think of it as about two basketball courts of distance. Here in Tulsa, the city has been working around the clock. Street crews have been plowing and applying salt to our main roads throughout the night and they're continuing through this snow event. There's special focus on those traditional problem areas like 61st and Sheridan and Tulsa Hills. One heads up though, Downtown is not expected to be plowed to the center lanes due to the less than expected snowfall we received. We do have one street closure to be aware of, South Elwood Avenue by Turkey Mountain is closed until further notice. The city is also making sure vulnerable residents are taken care of during this extreme cold. All area shelters remain open twenty-four seven and operating near full capacity. If you know someone who needs shelter, the CREOKS Winter Shelter over on East Admiral Boulevard has capacity for 250 people and they're accepting pets. They're also looking for additional volunteers if anyone listening wants to help out. On the weather front, this is part of a massive winter storm affecting nearly 180 million Americans from the Rocky Mountains all the way to New England. Meteorologists are saying the snow and ice will be very slow to melt and won't be going away anytime soon. We're also expecting frigid temperatures to follow, with some areas already experiencing windchills as low as minus 40 degrees. This storm has had widespread impacts. Thousands of flights have been canceled across the country and here at Will Rogers International Airport in Oklahoma City, all Saturday flights were canceled and all Sunday morning flights are called off as well. The airport is aiming to restart service Sunday afternoon. For those heading into this week, stay weather aware. Check on your neighbors, especially those who might need extra help during this extreme cold. Keep your distance from plows and never attempt to pass them. And remember, staying home if you can helps crews clear snow and treat those icy conditions much more effectively. Thank you for tuning in to Tulsa Local Pulse. Be sure to subscribe for more local updates. This has been a Quiet Please production. For more, check out quietplease dot ai. For more http://www.quietplease.ai Get the best deals https:// This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.