Spring storm returns winter to Oklahoma

KANSAS CITY, Mo., March 27 (UPI) -- A winter storm hit parts of Kansas, Oklahoma and northern Texas Friday with a mix of rain, sleet, ice and snow.

Forecasters said that up to 22 inches of snow could fall in the Oklahoma Panhandle.

The storm had dumped 7 to 8 inches of snow on areas around Dodge City and Garden City in Kansas by early afternoon, The Wichita (Kan.) Eagle reported.

Jerilyn Billings, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Wichita, said the city could get 15 inches, adding "the worst is yet to come, at least for Wichita."

Officials in all three states urged residents to stay off the roads, and many were closed.

In Oklahoma, the NWS issued a blizzard warning for the entire Panhandle, The Oklahoman said. Snow began falling in the western Panhandle late Thursday.

"At times we can't see at all. It's pretty bad. It's snowing and blowing. Winds are about 40 mph," said Jane Apple of Kenton.

In Texas County in Oklahoma, Emergency Management Coordinator Harold Lyons said that calculating the amount of snow was difficult because winds were so high.

"It's blowing snow horizontal if you can imagine that," Tyson said.