After recent extreme wind conditions caused fires across Oklahoma and led to two confirmed fatalities, local meteorologists forecast more more strong winds coming to the state Monday and Tuesday.
The National Weather Service’s Norman forecast office predicted wind gusts in central Oklahoma could reach up to 35 to 45 mph Monday and up to 45 mph on Tuesday. Gusts between 40 to 50 mph will hit southwest Oklahoma Tuesday, and slightly lower winds are expected Monday.
“It looks like Monday will be 5 to 10 mph lighter than Tuesday in most areas,” said Phillip Ware, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service’s Norman forecast office.
A Fire Weather Watch has been issued from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday in several areas as southwest winds of 15 to 25 mph with gusts up to 35 to 45 mph are expected to hit much of central and southwest Oklahoma. However, meteorologists forecast conditions to be worse on Tuesday, posing higher risks for fires.
The National Weather Service has issued a fire weather watch for Monday, March 17.
See photos: Oklahoma wildfires destroy more than 200 homes; one dead; Gov. Stitt declares emergency
The Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management has confirmed two deaths caused by recent wildfires.
On Friday, 60 to 70 mph winds tore through the state, causing havoc in several counties, including Oklahoma, Cleveland, Creek, Dewey, Grady, Lincoln, Logan, Pawnee, Payne, Pottawatomie, Roger Mills and Stephen counties, leading to hundreds of destroyed homes and structures, The Oklahoman reported.
Recent winds led to 130 wildfires. Strong winds and high fire risks are expected throughout the week, especially Tuesday, Ware added.
“We’re going to continue to have a lot of dry air still both Monday and Tuesday, and with those wind seeds and, you know, the dry vegetation out there, we do expect critical to extreme fire weather, especially focused on the western half on Tuesday,” said Ware. “On Tuesday, it might be more across the entire area — a bit more widespread fire danger, but both days have a bit of risk over the entire area.”
Ware said people should avoid using heavy machinery outdoors, parking or driving through grassy areas and throwing cigarettes outside. He added that if anyone sees a fire, they should immediately contact their local emergency officials.
Winds of up to 60 to 70 mph knocked out OG&E’s power lines, leaving thousands of customers without power until late Saturday evening.
More: Live updates: More than 200 homes destroyed; wildfire risk in Oklahoma continues Saturday
On Friday, winds knocked out power and service lines, broke 331 power poles, damaged transmissions and equipment, including 48 transformers and 132,000 feet of wire, OG&E stated in a media update.
“Approximately 1,700 operational and support personnel are responding by repairing the grid and restoring power to homes and businesses that can accept power. As power was restored to other regions Saturday night, OG&E deployed all available personnel to Oklahoma City metro Sunday morning to restore power as quickly and safely as possible,” the company said in the latest update.
OG&E reported at 10:30 a.m. Sunday that around 2% of its customers remained without power, leaving around 1,100 residents stuck experiencing power outages, mostly in the energy servicer’s northeast Oklahoma and north, south and east Oklahoma City metro locations. Some areas affected included Kellyville, Muskogee, Del City, Forest Park, Guthrie, Norman, Midwest City, Moore, Northwest Oklahoma City east of Meridian, Shawnee, Seminole, south Oklahoma City and other communities.
OG&E deployed crews to clean up debris in all of its service area. The company added that homeowners might need to hire a certified electrician to repair a weather head, meter base or service cable.
Prices for these services should remain flat after the Emergency Price Stabilization Act went into effect in the most affected counties, which prohibits the increase of goods and services to over 10%, the attorney general’s office said in a news release March 15.
“Oklahoma consumers reeling from the wildfires can be assured they will be protected by unfair price hikes and fraud,” Attorney General Gentner Drummond said in the news release.
(This story was updated to add new information.)
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Strong winds and high fire risks forecast Monday, Tuesday in Oklahoma
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