Friday, Jan. 23, 2026 • Winter storm begins. Temperatures fall throughout the day, and wind chills will be bitterly cold. ❄️

Every county in Oklahoma except one is under a Winter Storm Warning from 6 a.m. Friday through noon Sunday.

There will be an Oklahoma Memo newsletter on both Saturday and Sunday.

Closings: OKC | Tulsa | Texoma
Road conditions: ODOT | ArcGIS
ACOG: Central Oklahoma snow routes
Oklahoma City Free Press: City of OKC services updates
The Oklahoma Eagle: How to protect your pets
News On 6: Warming shelters across Oklahoma
KOCO: Protecting your driveways and sidewalks
KXII: Fireplace safety tips

By Anna Pope and Graycen Wheeler, KOSU
Click here to support their newsroom.

After weeks of warmer weather, Oklahoma is bracing for below freezing temperatures, possible snow and ice this weekend. Here’s what weather officials are forecasting and what you can do to prepare for inclement weather.

Below freezing temperatures, with multiple inches of snow and a glaze of ice are expected to sweep through much of the state this weekend.

On Friday, wind gusts are expected to reach 35 miles per hour, ushering in below-freezing temperatures, dangerously cold wind chills and possible precipitation. The National Weather Service (NWS) has a Winter Storm Warning starting tomorrow and stretching over the weekend. An Extreme Cold Watch begins Friday night and ends Monday morning.

This week, Oklahoma State Climatologist Gary McManus said the incoming days resemble a record-setting winter storm in 2011. Then, the wind chill reached 25 degrees below zero and total snowfall billowed to a foot in certain parts of the state.

“You should currently be preparing for a significant winter storm to impact your state, your city, your neighborhood, your house, with a good chance of 6-12 inches of snow or significant ice, at times near white-out conditions, impassable roads, and life-threatening cold,” McManus said in Wednesday’s Mesonet Ticker.

He said areas of the state could stay below freezing for over five days, with some data claiming certain places will not reach above freezing temperatures until February. 

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Editor’s note: Links requiring subscriptions have an *.

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A hand-curated list of the best journalism from across the state:

• As OKC preps for winter storm, volunteers prep homeless count (Oklahoma City Free Press)

• City of Lawton announces death of Police Chief Smith (KSWO)

• Oklahoma legislative leaders keep power brokers in place as they run for statewide office (Oklahoma Watch)

• Oklahoma governor amends executive order requiring Medicaid providers sign abortion attestation (KGOU)

• Deadline to get Oklahoma open primary question on ballot is approaching (Tulsa Flyer)

• Inmate dead one day after arriving at Oklahoma federal correctional institution (KOCO)

• Data centers, childhood literacy among Oklahoma House Speaker’s session goals (Oklahoma Voice)

• Mental health will be a focus for Oklahoma lawmakers. Here are some bills to watch this year (KOSU)

• House budget chairman targets tobacco trust fund for Oklahoma's Promise (The Oklahoman)

• ‘Improper conduct’: Criminal questions linger on 2023 RFP for mental health contract (NonDoc)

• Oklahoma officials aim to strike U.S. Naturalization Test from teacher licensing (Oklahoma Voice)

• 'More small town feel': Zoning overhaul in the works for Catoosa (2 News Oklahoma)

• Cherokee Nation contributions aid transformation of Westville parks, downtown (Cherokee Phoenix)

• Mounting trash, mounting legal problems: 8 new lawsuits against Tulsa-based Vesta Realty (2 News Oklahoma)

• Oklahoma agency sues vendor over ethics reporting system debacle (Oklahoma Voice)

• Oklahoma climatologist Gary McManus on what to expect in 2026 (KOSU)

• What new additions you can expect from Tulsa International Airport in 2026 (Tulsa Flyer)

• After 5 decades, Starship Records & Tapes closing up shop in Tulsa (Tulsa World)

The ‘Oklahoma Memo’ mission is simple: Reignite the daily local news habit by connecting Oklahomans and those who love Oklahoma to quality sources of news and vetted information.

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