Flash Flood in Oklahoma, September 26, 1996

Thunderstorms during the morning and early afternoon of September 26th produced very heavy rainfall which resulted in widespread flash flooding across eastern Oklahoma. One of the storms also briefly became severe in the city of Tulsa and produced strong winds near 7600 South St. Louis Street near the Arkansas River. One large tree and several tree branches were blown down by the strong winds, and roofs were damaged by the fallen branches.4 to 8 inches of rain were common across eastern Oklahoma, and this excessive rainfall resulted in the flash flooding. In Delaware County, up to 2.5 feet of water covered low-lying areas of State Highway 127 in Jay, and 8 inches of water covered U.S. Highway 59 4 miles north of Jay. In Mayes County, 1 to 2 feet of water covered U.S. Highway 69 south of Pryor. In Osage County, Sand Creek overflowed its banks north of Pawhuska. In Rogers County, significant street flooding occurred in and near Claremore. In Adair County, many creeks overflowed their banks, and many secondary roads were closed due to flooding. U.S. Highway 59 north of Stilwell was also closed due to flooding.In Muskogee County, homes near Spaulding Park in the city of Muskogee were flooded, and around 30 homes in the Meadows subdivision in the 1300 block of Dorchester in Muskogee were evacuated. U.S. Highway 69 was closed at Border Street in Muskogee, and street flooding was widespread in and near Muskogee. In Cherokee County, major flooding occurred in and near Tahlequah. All creeks in the county overflowed their banks, and many roads were closed due to flooding. A 25 year old woman and her 3 young children were killed when their van was swept off a low water crossing on a county road 7 miles west of Tahlequah.In Tulsa County, street flooding occurred in Broken Arrow, and the intersection of Garnett Road and 101st Street South was flooded. In Wagoner County, street flooding occurred 2.5 miles east of Broken Arrow at the intersection of 101st Street South and 193rd East Avenue. In Pittsburg County, major street flooding occurred in Quinton, and a store and a nursing home were flooded in Quinton. In Okmulgee County, major street flooding occurred in Henryetta. In McIntosh County, U.S. Highway 69 was flooded north of Checotah. In Sequoyah County, some creeks and bridges were flooded in Akins, and street flooding occurred in Sallisaw and Vian. In Latimer County, a highway was flooded south and east of Wilburton, and some roads were flooded in Wilburton. In Haskell County, street flooding occurred in Stigler. In Le Flore County, street flooding occurred in Heavener, where some roads were covered by 3 feet of water.