Tulsa Christmas snow and weather: Timing is a 'blessing in disguise' says Oklahoma Highway Patrol

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — The Oklahoma Highway Patrol says the timing of an expected Christmas Day snow storm is a "blessing in disguise."

The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm warning for most of the central section of Oklahoma from Clinton in the west to the Arkansas state line on Christmas Day.

OHP Lt. George Brown in Tulsa and Trooper Betsy Randolph say the day is typically not a heavy travel day and that most people have already reached their destination.

The weather service says the storm is expected to dump 4 to 8 inches of snow in the region with locally heavier amounts possible.

Precipitation is expected to begin early Christmas Day in western Oklahoma as a mix of rain and sleet before changing to snow during the day as the storm moves eastward and out of the region late Tuesday.

The weather service says roads will likely become slick and gusty winds of 30 miles per hour or more could create near "white out" conditions that limit visibility.

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