Summary of flash flood event on April 27 1998:Moderate to heavy rains near the center of a nearly stationary upper level weather system developed late in the evening on April 26. As the nearly stationary area of rain continued into the pre-dawn hours of April 27, grounds became saturated and flash flooding commenced in Creek, Osage, Pawnee, and Tulsa Counties.
Every event with a place to put it; 6 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
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.
The episode as NWS TSA wrote it up.
Summary of flash flood event on April 27 1998:Moderate to heavy rains near the center of a nearly stationary upper level weather system developed late in the evening on April 26. As the nearly stationary area of rain continued into the pre-dawn hours of April 27, grounds became saturated and flash flooding commenced in Creek, Osage, Pawnee, and Tulsa Counties. There were widespread two-day rainfall totals in excess of 4 inches in these counties, most of which fell during the early-morning hours of April 27. Some places approached 6 inch totals. The following are some two-day rainfall totals (in inches): Cleveland_5WSW...6.23, Hominy...6.02, Bristow...5.81, Mannford_6NW...5.76, Oilton...5.71, Maramec...5.65, Skiatook...5.21, Pawnee...4.87, Burbank...4.65, Wynona...4.43, Ralston...4.40, Tulsa International...3.93, Tulsa Riverside...3.76. Again, most of this fell between 7 PM CDT on April 26 and Noon CDT on April 27.One death occurred in this event as a 39-year old man tried driving across a low-water bridge over Fred Creek near 86th and Lewis in southwest Tulsa between 500 and 530 AM CDT. Floodwaters swept his car off the road and carried it two blocks downstream before the water submerged it completely. It took three hours before floodwaters receded enough for rescuers to even find the car.Otherwise, numerous streets in Creek, Tulsa, and Osage Counties were flooded. In Creek County, Sahoma Lake Road (161st W. Ave) near Sapulpa was closed. In Osage County, Delaware Creek came out of its banks and forced the closing of Osage Drive in Sperry. In Hominy, high waters from Penn Creek caused the closing of a street near the Hominy City Barn for several hours. Water levels at the Low Water Bridge were the highest in years. High waters completely covered Main Street in front of the Hominy Animal Clinic.In Tulsa County, flooding forced the closure of several roads in Bixby and in the city of Tulsa, including 56th Street North just east of Hwy 75, E. 86th Street N. and E. 96th Street N. from US Hwy 75 to SH 11, and SH 51 from 137th W. Ave. to W. 41st Street. Hwy 20 in and around Skiatook had to be closed as well as Hwy 11 north of Skiatook and south of Skiatook to Sperry. About 15 people evacuated their homes in Skiatook. In Owasso, a woman had to be rescued when water pushed her car off of Mingo Road. Heavy rains sent the Bird Creek, Caney River, Polecat Creek, Deep Fork River, and the Neosho River above flood stage.
The Tulsa radar (KINX), 34 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 05:55 UTC.
4 flash flood, 1 heavy rain, 1 cold/wind chill. Local standard time, as filed.
The 2.33 inches of rain that fell at the Tulsa International Airport between midnight CST and Noon CDT was enough to break the daily rainfall record for April 27. The previous rainfall record for April 27 had been 1.85 inches set in 1985.
The high temperature at the Tulsa International Airport (KTUL) on the afternoon of April 27 was 57 degrees Fahrenheit. This broke the previous record low maximum temperature for the date of 60 set in 1920.
As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.
| Event | Date | Age | Sex | Where | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood, Tulsa | 1998-04-27 | 39 | Male | Vehicle/Towed Trailer | Direct |
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Oklahoma in 1998Every state in 1998This day in weather historyWarnings in Oklahoma, April 1998
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: 5637641, 5637642, 5637637, 5637638, 5637639, 5637640.