High winds led to thousands of power outages across the state Tuesday evening and prompted residents in some western Oklahoma towns to evacuate amid a wind-driven wildfire.
The National Weather Service in Tulsa recorded a 66 mph gust at the Bartlesville airport and a 59 mph gust at Tulsa International Airport.
Sustained winds up to 40 mph are expected to continue through at least midnight Tuesday night in eastern Oklahoma, while gusts are expected to reach up to 60 mph.
Thousands of customers reported power outages in the northeast Oklahoma region amid the fierce winds on Tuesday night, according to the Public Service Company of Oklahoma website. Those outages peaked at 4,300 customers.
Across the state, the Oklahoma Corporation Commission reported 15,453 outages at 8 p.m.
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Meteorologists issued a red flag warning for areas that include parts of Tulsa, Nowata, Washington, Rogers, Okfuskee and Okmulgee counties. Any fires that develop likely will spread rapidly, exacerbated by the low humidity and high winds, officials said.
Red flag warnings were also issued for most of the western and west-central parts of the state Tuesday. Officials issued a burn ban in Texas County, according to an Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management news release. State officials also asked that others delay any outdoor burning.
In western Oklahoma, emergency management officials ordered parts of Woodward County to evacuate as a wildfire raged near the towns of Fargo and Mooreland, about 200 miles west of Tulsa.
A wildfire northwest of Fargo was moving rapidly toward the southeast Tuesday afternoon, according to the National Weather Service in Norman. Those living in the area were advised to evacuate, but as of 9 p.m. Tuesday, state officials reported that some evacuees had returned to their Mooreland homes.
Meteorologists warned those evacuating that "dense smoke will likely precede the fire significantly reducing visibility" and that it is hazardous to drive into smoke. Evacuees are encouraged to follow safety instruction from their local emergency management officials.
Wildfires were also reported elsewhere around the state, including in Osage, Lincoln, Muskogee, Noble, Pottawatomie, Rogers and Payne counties.