Over the weekend our area was treated to a meteorological phenomenon that shows just how troublesome Oklahoma weather can be. Snow capped the mountains in the area even though most of our surrounding towns, even Talihina itself experienced nothing more than heavy misting.
Parts of the Buffalo, Kiamichi, and Ozark mountains were covered in ice and snow in minutes as the unrelenting mist turned immediately into a densely packed snow but only for the highest areas. Highway signs were frozen over completely and trees were growing icicles.
Many of us are used to uneven freezes and random patches of black ice, but this time it was a little different, within the span of only a few hundred feet you could see a blanket of snow in one area and patches of green grass in another.
On the left we see the entrance to the Talimena Drive, covered in snow and beginning to freeze over. On the right we see only 1/8 of a mile further west where there is hardly any snow at all. Another 1/8 mile and almost all of the snow is completely gone.
As the elevation dropped even further in the drive into Talihina there was nothing but the day’s mist and light flooding in some areas. Just a few more feet up and we likely would have seen a good amount of snowfall. Just goes to show how unpredictable Oklahoma weather can be!
