Wild Oklahoma flash floods leave homes, cars and roads submerged in water

Flash floods struck the Oklahoma City area, causing road closures and prompting emergency rescues after a slow-moving thunderstorm dumped nearly 10 inches of rain in 24 hours.

Residents are urged to stay indoors and off the roads from Noble through Slaughterville and into Lexington as cars and homes are submerged in flood waters.

Heavy rainfall across parts of Oklahoma City and Norman has marked Oklahoma City’s seventh wettest day on record.

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The National Weather Service reported the highest rainfall total came from east of Noble in Cleveland County, with 9.94 inches falling between Saturday morning and Sunday morning.

Meteorologist Reed Timmer reported white caps and flash flood debris in the Canadian River near Purcell, Okla. Smaller flash floods flowed into the river, which received 5 to 8 inches of rainfall upstream.

“Chocolate milk down in the Canadian River,” Timmer said on social media. “Big time flash flooding, transitioning into river rain flooding.”

The Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office posted on Facebook, stating local first responders are assisting with the flood.

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“It’s been a busy morning in Cleveland County as flash flooding kept all our first responders on their toes,” the sheriff’s office said. “While water levels are receding in some spots, flooding continues in others. So, please stay vigilant and don’t attempt to cross flooded roadways. Stay safe, Cleveland County!”

Newsweek reached out to the sheriff’s office to inquire about reports of hospitalizations or casualties, however, they have not yet responded.

The Oklahoma Highway Patrol urged people to avoid intersections due to extreme water levels, as troopers have already rescued several individuals in the metro area from flooded vehicles.

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Flash flooding is a rapid and extreme flow of high water into a normally dry area or a rapid water level rise in a stream or creek above a predetermined level, beginning within six hours of the causative event – intense rainfall, dam failure or ice jam.

Portions of central, east-central, northern, southeastern, and southern Oklahoma are also under a heat advisory. The heat index is expected to reach 107 degrees. The advisory is in effect from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. CDT.

NWS encouraged individuals to drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room, stay out of the sun and check up on relatives and neighbors.

Oklahoma has experienced flash flooding like this before in 2018.

Fittstown, Oklahoma — 75 miles southeast of Oklahoma City — recorded 12.44 inches of rain between 6 a.m. and 5:15 p.m., making it the highest amount recorded in the 25 years since the Oklahoma Climatological Survey’s Mesonet was established. This total also ranks as the second highest in Oklahoma weather records dating back to 1890.

The floodwaters closed roads in southern Oklahoma and parts of northern Texas between the Dallas-Fort Worth area and the Red River.

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