Woodward, Okla. — After a night and early morning of rain, some sleet and some snow, the heavier snow began a little before 5 a.m. and continues.
Perhaps a foot of snow or more is expected to fall in the area over the next couple of days and with high wind also expected, blizzard conditions are likely by Monday morning. The entire area is under a blizzard warning until 6 a.m. on Tuesday and travel conditions are geting worse by the minute.
Roads outside of town were described earlier on Monday morning as getting slick and hazardous and in fact the highway patrol has closed or is the process of closing highways in the area. Highwy 412 heading out of Woodward to the northwest is closed.
Woodward Emergency Management Director Matt Lehenbauer said his office had declared a state of emergency in the county due to the storm. "This process allowws for emergency expenditures and acquisitions, mutual aid assistance from local, state and federal resources and is the first step in applying for disaster funding."
In advance of the storm several local and area school districts cancelled classes for Moday.
Woodward, Mooreland, Fort Supply and Sharon-Mutual in Woodward County will all be closed as will Northwestern Oklahoma State University.
In fact almost every school and technology center in the area are closed.
Also closed Monday are the courthouses in Woodward County, Beaver County and Dewey County and the Woodward County Health Department.
Woodward City offices will also be closed, essential personnel such as firefighters and police will be on duty as well as street crews.
So far, though, no major accidents have been reported locally.
Woodward's basketball teams are battling the weather as they attempt to get in regional tournament games at Weatherford.
The earliest they will play, however, is Tuesday as Monday's schedule was postponed.
Now, Woodward's girls will play at 11 a.m. Tuesday and the boys at 12:30 p.m. wtih the tournament wrapping up on Wednesday at the earliest.
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