Icy, snowy winter storm knocks out power in State

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Nearly 20,000 Oklahoma homes and businesses were without power early Friday after a winter storm dumped snow and ice across a large swath of the state.

The website PowerOutage.US reported 19,238 outages in the state, mostly in Cleveland and Oklahoma counties in central Oklahoma.

The Department of Transportation discouraged travel and reported highways and interstates across western and central Oklahoma are covered in snow and slick. The National Weather Service in Norman said the heaviest accumulations of snow appeared to be on the western side of the Oklahoma City metro area, with 3 to 6 inches reported.

Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt declared a state of emergency for 39 central and western Oklahoma counties because of the storm. The declaration temporarily suspends some size and weight restrictions for vehicles assisting with storm cleanup. Stitt’s executive order is scheduled to remain in effect until Jan. 13.