Spring Blizzard Hits Oklahoma, Arkansas

Some Parts Reporting 8 to 12 Inches of Snow as Storm Blows Through Southern Plains; 3 Deaths Blamed on Weather

(AP) More snow was falling Sunday as part of a powerful storm blowing through Oklahoma and the southern Plains on the first weekend of spring.

The National Weather Service said there was moderate to heavy snow across northeast Oklahoma and northwest Arkansas, with some places reporting 8 to 12 inches of snow. The snow and rain was expected to end later Sunday.

Authorities have attributed at least three deaths in three states to the weather. The storm also disrupted travel on the roads and in the air. The storm came a day after temperatures had reached into the 70s, and forecasters say temperatures should rebound into the 60s as soon as Monday.

The Oklahoma Department of Transportation urged people in the eastern part of the state not to travel on the snow-packed and slick roads if they didn't have to, but said roads in the western part of the state were improving as the weather did.

Authorities reported dozens of wrecks amid heavy snow and high winds, many of them with injuries. Single deaths were reported in Missouri, Kansas and Oklahoma.

The storm is the third major winter storm to hit Oklahoma in the last three months, including a Christmas Eve blizzard that stranded holiday travelers at airports and on snow-packed highways. Forecasters, though, said that this time temperatures should rebound into the 60s as soon as Monday.