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U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Denis Mc-Donough recently met with Oklahoma tribal leaders in Oklahoma City at a roundtable discussion.

Oklahoma’s extended spate of warmer than normal weather— which began in early June and continued largely uninterrupted for the next five months—came to an abrupt halt on Nov. 10 following a clash with the season’s first true arctic cold front. Highs in the 70s and 80s those first 10 days of November were soon replaced with highs in the 40s and 50s, and low temperatures below freezing more often than not. Any hint of a return to the weather’s previous mild ways was quashed by recurring cold fronts throughout the rest of the month. The continual intrusions of frigid air also brought the state its first widespread snows of the season. A quick burst blanketed the central Panhandle with a couple of inches on Nov. 4, but the big show occurred on Nov. 14 across west central Oklahoma where widespread totals of 3-5 inches were reported. Localized heavier amounts were also reported with Elk City topping the totals at 7.3 inches. Lesser amounts were reported to the east, but much of the state received at least a dusting during the month. The same storm system that brought the snow on Nov. 4 produced significant severe weather in far southeast Oklahoma, including six tornadoes in McCurtain and Le Flore counties.An EF2 twister touched down near Pickens in McCurtain County and rolled a mobile home, killing one person. The most significant tornado in terms of strength was an EF4 monster that touched down across the Red River in Texas before moving into McCurtain County. Although most of the damage path in Oklahoma was at EF2 intensity, the tornado caused significant EF3 damage through Idabel along its path of 61 miles before dissipating near Eagletown. The tornado also sideswiped the Idabel Mesonet site, producing a wind gust of 108 mph. Idabel became the fifth Mesonet site to be hit by a tornado since the network’s inception in 1994, and the 108 mph gust was the fifth highest recorded by the network—tops is the 151 mph gust recorded by El Reno on May 24, 2011, in its brush with an EF5 twister. The Oklahoma State Department of Health reported at least 30 storm-related injuries from the Nov. 4 severe weather event in Bryan, Choctaw, Le Flore, and McCurtain counties.

Sulphur Rotary Club Fundraiser Aids Local Charities