The tropical storm that came ashore in Texas a few days ago meandered up to Oklahoma, spun back up, and dumped a whole bunch of rain (and a few tornadoes) early this morning. I have several relatives clustered in the NW part of the state, and the flooding missed them by about 20 miles. There are several small towns that look to be about half-underwater. I-40 was closed for several hours at one point - water was literally rushing over it.
http://www.newsok.com/video/brightcove/?bctid=1149279988&bclid=1111621425 , first three videos
An event like this is pretty rare, any kind of tropical disturbance not only making its way that far inland, but re-organizing so that it becomes more severe. I grew up in the midwestern part of the state, and localized storms can produce some pretty nasty results, but I've never seen widespread flooding like this, at least not in the western half of the state. I learned as a child how to deal with severe thunderstorms, but not flooding.
It has motivated me to re-think my car PSK. I realize this is nothing compared to getting hit by a hurricane on the coast, but again, this happened unexpectedly, very close to home and family. It's opened my eyes to possibilities.
http://www.newsok.com/video/brightcove/?bctid=1149279988&bclid=1111621425 , first three videos
An event like this is pretty rare, any kind of tropical disturbance not only making its way that far inland, but re-organizing so that it becomes more severe. I grew up in the midwestern part of the state, and localized storms can produce some pretty nasty results, but I've never seen widespread flooding like this, at least not in the western half of the state. I learned as a child how to deal with severe thunderstorms, but not flooding.
It has motivated me to re-think my car PSK. I realize this is nothing compared to getting hit by a hurricane on the coast, but again, this happened unexpectedly, very close to home and family. It's opened my eyes to possibilities.