Thunderstorms producing very heavy rainfall resulted in flash flooding over the western and central Oklahoma panhandle during the late evening hours.
Every event with a place to put it; 3 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 AMA wrote it up.
Thunderstorms producing very heavy rainfall resulted in flash flooding over the western and central Oklahoma panhandle during the late evening hours.
The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
NWS Amarillo, TX wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Aug 20, 1:20 PM CST, 7 hours 30 minutes earlier.
TEXAS/OKLAHOMA PANHANDLES AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AMARILLO TX 220 PM CDT TUE AUG 20 2002 HEAVY RAIN PRODUCING CLUSTER CONTINUES TO MOVE NORTHEAST OVER THE SOUTH CENTRAL TEXAS PANHANDLE WHERE RAINFALL AMOUNTS HAVE BEEN MINIMAL SO FAR TODAY. MOST OF THE ACTIVITY TONIGHT IS EXPECTED OVER THE EASTERN ZONES. WILL ADJUST POP FORECAST BASED ON RADAR TRENDS BEFORE ZONE RELEASE. AIRMASS WILL REMAIN MOIST AND WEAKLY FORCED ON WEDNESDAY. CANNOT RULE OUT ISOLATED TSRA WITH DAYTIME HEATING MAINLY OVER THE WESTERN ZONES WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON/EVENING. 12Z AVN/ETA MODELS BOTH INITIALIZED VERY WELL THIS MORNING OVER THE TEXAS PANHANDLE. CLEARING SKIES OVER EASTERN NEW MEXICO SHOULD SPREAD OVER THE WESTERN PANHANDLES THIS EVENING. AVN/ETA DISAGREE ON LOW LEVEL UPSLOPE OVER WESTERN KANSAS AND EASTERN COLORADO THURSDAY SO WILL NOT GET CARRIED AWAY WITH THIS NOTION AND PLAN FOR SEASONAL TEMPERATURES. FCSTID = 13 AMARILLO 66 95 67 96 / 20 00 00 00 BEAVER 69 95 69 97 / 30 00 00 00 BOISE CITY 63 93 63 95 / 00 00 00 00 BORGER 68 96 68 98 / 20 00 00 00 BOYS RANCH 67 96 67 98 / 10 00 00 00 CANYON 66 94 67 96 / 20 00 00 00 CLARENDON 68 96 69 98 / 30 00 00 00 DALHART 64 94 64 96 / 00 00 00 00 GUYMON 68 95 68 97 / 20 00 00 00 HEREFORD 65 94 66 96 / 00 00 00 00 LIPSCOMB 68 95 69 97 / 30 00 00 00 PAMPA 67 94 68 96 / 30 00 00 00 SHAMROCK 69 96 70 98 / 30 00 00 00 WELLINGTON 69 97 70 99 / 30 00 00 00 .AMA... TX...NONE. OK...NONE. SLATTERY
The Amarillo radar (KAMA), 183 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 02:49 UTC.
3 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Water was reported covering the road.
Water was reported covering the road.
Water was reported covering the road.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Oklahoma in 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings in Oklahoma, August 2002
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: 5312600, 5312601, 5312602.