Jan. 8—Officials said the City of McAlester is prepared ahead of forecasted winter weather that is expected to affect parts of southeastern Oklahoma beginning Thursday.
The National Weather Service in Tulsa is currently forecasting 2-4 inches of snow in the McAlester area on Thursday with locally higher amounts possible.
Temperatures will dip as low as 28 degrees Thursday night with a high 37 degrees on Friday before a low of 16 degrees Friday Night, according to the weather service.
The NWS has a 30-70% chance of snow on Thursday with snow likely Thursday night.
If accumulating snowfall occurs on city streets, city employees will first clear the “priority 1” roads such as Strong Boulevard, Wyandotte/Wade Watts Avenue, Electric Avenue, A Street, V. Hulbert Smith, and South Street.
“Priority 2” roads include Washington Avenue, D Street, West Street, Monroe Avenue, and other major streets.
The city of McAlester will focus on clearing priority streets before moving onto secondary and neighborhood streets. The city’s streets department is equipped with salt, deicer, and plowing equipment to treat the streets as needed, however, in the event of severe winter weather, the city strongly encourages everyone to avoid driving “unless absolutely essential.”
“Our Streets Department is committed to keeping city streets as safe as possible during winter weather,” said City Manager Dave Andren. “But if you don’t need to be on the roads, it’s best to stay home.”
According to the city, approximately 450-500 tons of salt is ready for street treatment if the need arises. City crews strategically delay pre-treating streets to prevent resources from being washed away by rain or wasted in the absence of precipitation.
The Oklahoma Department of Transportation oversees the clearing and treatment of U.S. Highway 270/Carl Albert Parkway, U.S. Highway 69, Business 69/Main Street, and State Highway 31.
Pittsburg County Commissioners and their road crews are responsible for clearing rural roads throughout the county.
Statewide, the latest road conditions can be found by visiting the interactive travel map at www.okroads.org, through the free Drive Oklahoma mobile app, or by calling 1-844-465-4997.