Nutritional science sophomore Amanda Shaffer has had enough winter this year.

During the snowstorms that hit Norman last semester, Shaffer's car got stuck in OU parking lots four times. She managed to make it to her car Tuesday before the cold rain turned to ice and snow, but she was not looking forward to starting the new semester with yet another storm.

Shaffer's not alone in her feelings about Oklahoma's excess of winter. Across the state, the unusual weather has cost time, money and quite a bit of sand.

According to a statement from the Oklahoma Department of Transportation, the state has already spent $5.9 million on road maintenance following this season's winter storms, more than twice the amount usually spent in an entire winter.

In Norman specifically, Assistant to the City Manager Scott Martin said the city has had to extend its budget allotments to buy more sand and salt after reserves ran low.

"The source for salt was being bombarded by requests for additional salt," Martin said.

Norman was able to acquire an additional 250 tons of salt, 3500 tons of sand and 1500 tons of a sand and salt mix during the warming period the area enjoyed in the last couple of weeks.

Getting the salt and sand on the roads also takes a toll on Norman's budget. Martin said the city has spent $20,000 just in pure salary for the 1,721 hours of overtime that occurred between Dec. 12 and Jan. 11.

"I think if people get out to surrounding communities, they'll see that Norman does a good job of getting the roads clear," he said.

Associate State Climatologist Howard Johnson said that although this winter has certainly been unusual in comparison to recent years, it may not be that far from the ordinary overall.

"It's been awhile since we've seen this kind of winter," he said.

What's made the difference this year, he said, is that this year's storms have hit the whole state rather than isolated areas, and the way the storms have stacked up against each other have meant slower movement over the state.

Johnson said that although it looks as if last November and December were the coldest in Oklahoma's recorded history, people shouldn't be quick to blame the notorious El Ni
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