City of Tulsa Prepared for Potential Winter Weather

12/3/2025

The City of Tulsa is prepared for the potential for light winter weather on Thursday.

While current forecasts indicate snowfall/winter precipitation totals will likely remain light, City crews will report at midnight tonight to treat elevated surfaces such as bridges, hills and overpasses with brine (salt/water mixture) to help prevent freezing.

Thursday drivers are encouraged to be prepared and alert, as any change in conditions can cause disruptions to travel.

Snow & Ice Response

The City of Tulsa has been preparing since late summer to ensure its equipment, personnel and salt and brine supplies are ready for the 2025–2026 winter season. Crews monitor winter weather forecasts closely and activate resources as needed when the first indications of snow or ice appear.

The City of Tulsa is responsible for clearing snow and ice from the Gilcrease Expressway (except for the Turnpike section), L.L. Tisdale Expressway and all arterial (main) streets. Other highway segments, including numbered highways, interstates and turnpikes in Tulsa, are the responsibility of the Oklahoma Department of Transportation.

After a snow or ice storm begins, the goal is to make expressways and arterial streets safe and passable as soon as possible. These resources are available to attain this goal:

• 66 trucks mounted with salt spreaders
• Of the 66 trucks with spreaders, 53 have mounted snowplows.
• 4 trucks, mounted with plows that have Liquid Applicator Systems for brine application when appropriate
• 7, 4x4 pick-up trucks equipped with snowplows
• 2 motor graders for use as plows
• 210 employees (including drivers and support staff)
• Approximately 9,000 tons of salt and still receiving material
• 2 salt brine mixing systems with 76,600 gallons of salt brine
• Tanks with 3,000 gallons of 32% Calcium Chloride to use with brine

Crews are assigned to 36 specific routes totaling approximately 1,770 lane-miles, which is approximately the same distance as driving from Tulsa to San Francisco. Spreading and plowing routes are prioritized based on traffic counts. Once the main streets are cleared and conditions permit, selected residential streets may be treated based on traffic and steepness.

During winter weather response, the first focus is to clear city arterial streets for emergency responders. After arterial streets are clear, the second focus then moves to residential or collector streets. The following link includes every map and route the City uses for arterial and collector streets: www.cityoftulsa.org/winterpreparedness.

Stay Prepared

For more information on how to prepare for upcoming winter weather, visit https://www.cityoftulsa.org/weather/. For local updates, follow the City of Tulsa and the National Weather Service on social media.