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news
February 7, 2024
Winter finds its voice
By Gary McManus State Climatologist,

Winter made a striking return to Oklahoma in January, surprising a state that had just experienced its fourth-warmest December on record.

This frosty resurgence brought with it a myriad of wintry phenomena, including freezing fog, freezing rain, snowstorms, a blizzard warning, an ice storm warning, and the lengthiest stretch of sub-freezing temperatures since the infamous Arctic air outbreak of February 2021.

Following a seasonably mild first week, Arctic air surged southward in multiple waves. The initial wave blanketed northern Oklahoma with snow on Jan. 8-9, accompanied by a blizzard warning in the Panhandle.

Snow accumulations were generally modest, though the western Panhandle saw over 6 inches, coupled with wind gusts exceeding 60 mph. This led to near-zero visibility and whiteout conditions, resulting in road closures.

Subsequent blasts of frigid Arctic air infiltrated the state starting late on the 11th, persisting until the morning of the 17th, holding much of Oklahoma in a deep freeze for over 100 hours.

Some northern regions endured over 100 hours below 20 degrees Fahrenheit, a clear indicator of the polar origin of the air mass.

Mercury readings plummeted to as low as minus 15 degrees, marking the coldest recorded temperature in the state since February 26, 2021, when Nowata recorded minus 22 degrees. Additionally, light snowfall graced northern and eastern Oklahoma on the 15th.

After a brief respite, winter made a formidable return.

Freezing rain swept across the state late on the 21st and persisted through the morning of the 22nd, prompting an ice storm warning for far eastern Oklahoma due to anticipated heavier ice accumulations and gusty winds.

Up to three-tenths of an inch of ice coated the southeastern two-thirds of the state, leading to traffic disruptions and hundreds of motor vehicle accidents.

Portions of Oklahoma’s turnpikes and interstate highways turned into impromptu parking lots for numerous semi-trucks.

The ice was a hazard to pedestrians as well, with dozens of slip-and-fall accidents reported by state hospitals. Although temperatures finally climbed above freezing on the 22nd, inclement weather persisted through the 27th, with successive waves of chilly rain under perpetually gray skies.

Fortunately, the month concluded on a brighter note, with temperatures reaching the 60s and 70s from the 28th through the 31st.

According to preliminary data from the Oklahoma Mesonet, the statewide average temperature for the month was 34 degrees, 4.3 degrees below normal and ranked as the 26th coldest January since records began in 1895.

Reflecting on the first two months of climatological winter, encompassing December and January, the statewide average temperature stood at 39.5 degrees—marginally above normal by 0.3 degrees—and ranked as the 42nd warmest such period on record.

Jefferson Highway keeps on rollin’
A: Main, news
Jefferson Highway keeps on rollin’
By JERRY FINK MANAGING EDITOR 
June 11, 2025
Long before Route 66, there was the Jefferson Highway. Route 66 was a federally funded, 2,448-mile highway that crossed the country going east and west from Chicago, Illinois to Santa Monica, Californ...
A: Main, news
Jacob Foos re-hired as Eufaula City Manager
By JERRY FINK MANAGING EDITOR 
June 11, 2025
It was a surprise hire, but not a total surprise as former Eufaula City Manager Jacob Foos was rehired as Eufaula’s city manager. The hiring took place following an executive session at a special meet...
A: Main, news
Complications of finding a city manager
June 11, 2025
Jeb Jones resigned as city manager in April. He was hired in 2022 to replace Jacob Foos, who had resigned months earlier and became assistant city manager in the City of Shawnee. Andrea Weckmuel-ler B...
A: Main, news
LEA Poker Run Saturday
June 11, 2025
The Golden Eagle Poker Run, one of the most popular events on Lake Eufaula, is Saturday, June 14. This year’s theme is Pirates & Parrots, so get your crew and costumes ready for a day of high seas adv...
McIntosh County Democrat wins Sequoyah Award
A: Main, news
McIntosh County Democrat wins Sequoyah Award
June 11, 2025
The Oklahoma Press Association presented its Better Newspaper Contest Awards during the OPA Annual convention June 6-7, at the Grand Casino Hotel and Resort in Shawnee. The top award a newspaper can r...
A: Main, news
Commissioners getting an increase in road spending
By JERRY FINK MANAGING EDITOR 
June 11, 2025
Rep. Tim Turner, R-Kinta, announced some good news and some bad news at the Monday morning Monthly County Commissioner meeting. First, the bad news, at least for those who oppose wind turbines in the ...
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Bridge dedicated to World War II veteran
A: Main, news
Bridge dedicated to World War II veteran
By JERRY FINK MANAGING EDITOR 
June 11, 2025
The Oklahoma Department of Transportation recently honored the late veteran William “Bill” Antrum Fox Jr. by naming a bridge after him. The William A. Fox Jr. Memorial Bridge is on SH 9 East at Nine M...
A: Main, news
Ten Mile Yard Sale this weekend
June 11, 2025
Bring an umbrella Bargain hunters set your alarms. The annual 10-milelong yard sale begins at 7 a.m. Sunday, stretching from the east end of Eufaula, down SH 9 east through Longtown and past Enterpris...
Preliminary set for 2 suspected of killing Eufaulan
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Preliminary set for 2 suspected of killing Eufaulan
June 11, 2025
Two Muskogee men charged with killing a Eufaula resident were ordered to appear at a preliminary hearing in district court at 10 a.m., Thursday, July 3. Suspects Kyren Omari Boulware, 19, and Michael ...
2 dead, 4 injured in pileup
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2 dead, 4 injured in pileup
June 11, 2025
Two people from Marshall, Texas were killed, and four others were injured in a harrowing four-vehicle pileup on U.S. 69 half a mile south of the Muskogee City Limits at about 2:20 p.m. on Monday, June...
Fink inducted into OPA Half Century Club
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Fink inducted into OPA Half Century Club
June 11, 2025
Managing Editor Jerry Fink of The Eufaula Indian Journal and the McIntosh County Democrat was inducted into the Oklahoma Press Association Half Century Club on Saturday, June 7 at the Grand in Shawnee...
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