Flash Flood, Alfalfa
- When
- July 26, 7:45 AM CST
- Where
- Alfalfa County, Byron and Driftwood
- Coordinates
- 36.731, -98.324 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flash Flood in Oklahoma, July 26, 1996
Up to 8 inches of rain fell in northern Alfalfa County early the morning of the 26th and caused flash flooding throughout much of northern Alfalfa County. The Alfalfa County sheriff reported that Highway 58 and county roads were closed around Byron and Driftwood due to the high water.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 1 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 1
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
What happened
The episode as NWS OUN wrote it up.
Up to 8 inches of rain fell in northern Alfalfa County early the morning of the 26th and caused flash flooding throughout much of northern Alfalfa County. The Alfalfa County sheriff reported that Highway 58 and county roads were closed around Byron and Driftwood due to the high water. Highway 11 and county roads were closed east and west of Byron. State Highway 8 was open through Driftwood only to vehicles with high clearance. Most of the bridges across Medicine River and Little Sand Creek were partially washed out or completely closed. Some dikes on the lower Medicine River were washed out by the flash flooding. The store in Byron had water surging under the door and onto its floor.
The radar
The Vance AFB radar (KVNX), 18 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 13:43 UTC.
Event by event
1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
What these are
- Flash Flood
- Flooding that begins within six hours of the rain that causes it, or of a dam or levee failure or ice jam release, often with deadly speed.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Rip Current in Florida, July 26, 1996
- Damaging Wind in Oklahoma, July 26, 1996
- Lightning Strike in Texas, July 26, 1996
- Hail in Utah, July 26, 1996
- Tornado in South Carolina, July 26, 1996
- Hail in Texas, July 26, 1996
- Hail in Nebraska, July 26, 1996
- Damaging Wind in Nevada, July 26, 1996
- Damaging Wind in North Carolina, July 26, 1996
- Damaging Wind in Kansas, July 26, 1996
- Hail in Kansas, July 26, 1996
- Flash Flood in Kansas, July 26, 1996
More
Every storm in Oklahoma in 1996Every state in 1996This day in weather historyWarnings in Oklahoma, July 1996
Sources
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5574999.