Volume 10 , Issue 45

1948 - Snow Storm - NW Oklahoma

The Oklahoman, dated Feb. 12, 1948, page 21, had the following headlines: "High Drifts Trap Motorists in Panhandle, Ice Glazes Southwest."- Sub-headlines read: "Many Northwest Roads Closed."

About two weeks (actually, 13 days) before this NW Okie's birth, a howling blizzard was piling snow and closing roads in northwest Oklahoma. Gene and Vada Paris McGill and the two oldest daughters were living on their Farm/Ranch, 10 miles North of Waynoka, Oklahoma, on SH 14 when their 3rd daughter and younger sister, Linda Kay, was born February 25, 1948.

Feb. 12, 1948 -- The entire state shivered on that date in mid-February 1948. The weatherman forecasted that the mercury would reach lows of low 20 to 15 degrees in the southeast.

At 4 p.m. Wednesday, drifting snow was accumulating in the vicinity of Boise City. All routes were closed. Schools were closed with the temperature reporting to be one degree above zero.

Ed O'Dell, division engineer at Buffalo, reported 10 cars, with occupants on the highways in the Panhandle.

Snow plows cleared the roads and helped stranded motorists get started again or helped them find shelter in nearby farm houses.

Many of those trapped, included 10 children, who were suffering from exposure to the extreme cold, even though they had stayed in their cars.

Snow in the Oklahoma Panhandle, was blown by high winds, filled ditches level with the roads, spilled over the top of snow fences, and piled drifts in places more than four feet deep from Gate in the east part of Beaver county to the New Mexico border.

One Car Almost Covered... O'Dell reported that one of the cars trapped by the blinding snow was almost completed covered by drifts when it was found by the road crews.

Three cars were found between Hardesty and Guymon on SH 3. There were 10 people in the cars, four of them children, all suffering from the cold.

Seven cars were located between Gate and Forgan, containing 14 people, six of them children. O'Dell reported the crews had no difficulty in getting them started again or finding shelter for them.

State highway No. 3 had become closed. Others reported closed by 3 p.m. included SH 15 in Ellis county, and US 60 from Arnett to the Texas line.

US 66 Is Dangerous... All roads west of El Reno and south of Clinton were reported in bad shape." -- The Oklahoman, dated Feb. 12, 1948, page 21
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