Winter thunderstorm forces closure of Oklahoma City metro schools

Schools will decide

Transportation officials with Oklahoma City Public Schools will drive bus routes early Friday morning to determine if roads are too slick for school to reopen, district spokeswoman Tierney Tinnin said Thursday afternoon.

Officials with other metro school districts also planned to drive the roads Friday morning before making a decision on whether to cancel classes.

Yager said city crews worked through Thursday to clear roads of any remaining snow or slush that might melt and then refreeze Thursday night and Friday morning.

“Overnight temperatures are expected to be in the mid to low 20s, which will cause the pavement to refreeze,” Yager said. “We are expecting some black ice in the morning.”

Yager said crews have dropped about 150 tons of salt so far, which “really isn't much” for a winter storm.

“Most of the day today we spent plowing,” Yager said. “We will have about 25 trucks on the streets tonight looking for slick spots or places where the pavement is still wet.”