These Two Years... Part I

These two years… Part I.

On the third of January, I'll have spent 25 months, or just over two years, as an employee of News 9.  After spending three years in Wichita Falls, TX and seeing my fair share of exciting weather (the record floods of 2007, for starters), I never could have guessed what waited for me here in Oklahoma City upon my arrival.  It's the time of year when folks start reminiscing about the year that was, whether it was a good year with hopes for an even better one to follow, or a bad year with promises to turn the next one around.  Well I'm not here to look back on the past year.  I'm here to look back on the past two.  A brief summary, if you will, of what's occurred in the Sooner state since my time at News 9.

Given the fact this little blurb could become quite lengthy; I'll try to keep it as concise as possible.  After all, a LOT has happened in Oklahoma since December 3, 2009.  And when I say ‘December' and ‘2009,' what's the first thing that springs to mind?  That's what I thought.

That's a storm, severe and winter, that I'll never forget for the rest of my life.  I hadn't been on the air for even a month when the blizzard to end all Oklahoma blizzards decides to set up shop in Oklahoma.  It really was the storm of storms. It started as rain, turned to freezing rain and sleet, and then eventually turned to snow after a solid layer of ice had already formed on the ground.  And then there's the wind.  Sustained at 40mph+ for several hours, producing white-out, can't-see-or-feel-anything, blizzard conditions.  My poor little HHR wasn't built for that kind of weather, so I spent that Christmas Eve and Christmas morning here at the station.  I had to work the morning show on Christmas Day, so it was easier just to stay here than attempt to navigate those roads.  I could go into a LOT more detail I don't have time for now, but that storm is one I'll be passing down from generation to generation.  I just don't know how many more times I'll see 12.1 inches of snow in a 24-hour period in Oklahoma.

It just occurred to me while writing this that I'll probably split this into two parts.  When I blog, I tend to keep going and going, so a two-parter sounds more reasonable.  As you were…

Just one short month after the infamous Christmas Eve Blizzard, Oklahoma went through another winter storm, this one more of an icing event.  If there's anything worse than 12 inches of snow on top of ice (and that's a short list), it's ICE.  Ice cripples.  And you can't enjoy it like you can snow.  Suffice to say, I was SO over winter by the time spring rolled around.  Ready for spring.  Ready for storm season.  And in early-mid May, storm season delivered.

We'll pick it up here next time…

What do you remember most about the weather over the past two years?  What impacted you the most?