Flash Flooding in Oklahoma, August 30, 2003

Name: Flash Flooding in Oklahoma, August 30, 2003
Start: 2003-08-30T05:15
End: 2003-08-30T10:00
Location: Oklahoma

August 30, 2003 · NWS TSA · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

2 flash flood, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 2 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

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The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $10,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 2

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 forecasters said that day

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 Tulsa, OK wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Aug 30, 1:57 AM CST, 3 hours 18 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 30, 1:57 AM CST, 3 hours 18 minutes before

EASTERN OKLAHOMA/NORTHWEST ARKANSAS FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OKLAHOMA
257 AM CDT SAT AUG 30 2003

HEAVY RAIN REMAINS A SIGNIFICANT THREAT ACROSS EASTERN OKLAHOMA AND
NORTHWEST ARKANSAS THROUGH SUNDAY. WILL EXTEND THE CURRENT FLASH
FLOOD WATCH INTO TONIGHT WITH THE SAME AREAL CONFIGURATION AS
BEFORE. WITH TROPICAL AIRMASS IN PLACE ACROSS THE AREA(PRECIPITABLE
WATER RUNNING AROUND 2 INCHES) AND DECENT ISENTROPIC LIFT EXPECTED
FOR MUCH OF THE DAY WILL GO WITH CATEGORICAL POPS ACROSS THE ENTIRE
FORECAST AREA. MUCH OF THE AREA IN THE FLASH FLOOD WATCH WILL SEE 1
TO 3 INCHES OF RAIN TODAY WITH SOME LOCALS SEEING AS MUCH AS 5
INCHES.

LIKELY TO CATEGORICAL POPS WILL REMAIN IN PLACE ON SUNDAY AS
THE UPPER LEVEL LOW CURRENTLY OFF THE TEXAS COAST MOVES NORTHWARD
INTO EASTERN TEXAS AND BRINGS ANOTHER SURGE OF TROPICAL MOISTURE
INTO THE AREA. THE FLASH FLOOD WATCH MAY NEED TO BE EXTENDED INTO
SUNDAY.

THE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO MOVE OUT OF THE AREA
ON MONDAY AS A MID-LEVEL SHORTWAVE CURRENTLY OVER IDAHO MOVES
THROUGH THE REGION AND PUSHES THE TROPICAL MOISTURE OFF TO THE EAST.

NO CHANGES MADE TO THE EXTENDED PORTION OF THE FORECAST.

PRELIM NUMBERS:

TUL    79   69   79   63 / 100   90   80   60
FSM    85   70   84   70 /  80   70   60   80
MLC    85   69   84   67 /  80   70   60   60
BVO    76   66   76   62 / 100   90   80   60
FYV    79   67   78   64 /  90   90   80   80
BYV    79   67   77   64 /  90   90   80   80
MKO    81   69   81   64 /  90   90   80   70
MIO    77   67   76   62 / 100   90   80   70
F10    82   69   82   64 /  90   90   80   60
HHW    87   70   84   69 /  80   60   60   60

FORECAST ID= 10

.TSA...
AR...FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR TODAY AND TONIGHT FOR ZONES ARZ001>002...
ARZ010>011.

OK...FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR TODAY AND TONIGHT FOR ZONES OKZ054>071.

Hazardous weather outlook, Aug 30, 5:00 AM CST, 15 minutes before

ARZ001-002-010-011-019-020-029-OKZ049-053>076-311100-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
600 AM CDT SAT AUG 30 2003

THIS OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHWEST AND WEST CENTRAL ARKANSAS AS WELL AS
MUCH OF EASTERN OKLAHOMA.

...LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL POSSIBLE THROUGH TONIGHT...

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT
AREAS OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE OVER NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA
EARLY THIS MORNING...AHEAD OF A COLD FRONT ACROSS NORTHWEST OKLAHOMA
INTO THE TEXAS PANHANDLE. 1 TO 3 INCHES OF RAIN HAS FALLEN
OVERNIGHT...AND LOCALIZED FLOODING WILL CONTINUE THIS MORNING OVER
PARTS OF NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA.

RAINFALL INTENSITY SHOULD TAPER OFF DURING THE AFTERNOON...BUT
ADDITIONAL HEAVY RAIN MAY DEVELOP AGAIN TONIGHT AS LOW-LEVEL WINDS
INCREASE.

PLEASE SEE THE LATEST FLASH FLOOD WATCH /OKCFFATUL/ FOR FURTHER
DETAILS.

WARNING PROBABILITIES FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS AND TORNADOES CAN BE
FOUND IN THE OUTLOOK SECTION AT: WWW.SRH.NOAA.GOV/TULSA. GIVEN
PROBABILITIES REPRESENT THE POTENTIAL FOR A WARNING TO BE ISSUED AT
YOUR LOCATION.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY
SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE SUNDAY...AND POSSIBLY INTO
LABOR DAY BEFORE TAPERING OFF. DRY AND SEASONABLY COOLER WEATHER IS
EXPECTED TUESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY.

.SPOTTER / EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT ACTION STATEMENT...
SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED. HOWEVER...ANY FLOODING
REPORTS YOU MAY PROVIDE WOULD BE APPRECIATED.

ADDITIONAL WEATHER INFORMATION CAN BE FOUND AT...
WWW.SRH.NOAA.GOV/TULSA

The radar

The Tulsa radar (KINX), 34 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 11:17 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flash Flood, Tulsa

When: August 30, 5:15 AM CST to 10:00 AM CST
Where: Tulsa County, Countywide
Property damage: $10,000
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 36.121, -95.941 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy thunderstorm rains totalling 6.10 inches in Jenks, 5.62 inches in Bixby and around 4 inches across much of the city of Tulsa produced localized flooding across Tulsa County during the morning hours of the 30th. Severe street flooding occurred in parts of Tulsa, Jenks and Broken Arrow while a swollen Duck Creek flooding farmland southwest of Bixby.. A few locations which were particularly impacted were Harvard Avenue between 81st and 91st Streets, Delaware Avenue at 91st Street, Sheridan Avenue at 43rd Street, Interstate 44 near Harvard Avenue, Memorial Avenue at 144th Street and 101st Street South between Mingo and Garnett. In addition, water from street flooding in the downtown parts of Jenks and Glenpool entered a church and a grocery store causing some damage.

Flash Flood, Creek

When: August 30, 7:00 AM CST to 9:00 AM CST
Where: Creek County, Northeast Portion
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 35.903, -96.371 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy thunderstorm rains caused flooding across the northeast part of Creek County. Flooding caused the evacuation of several trailers on A Street and B Street in Kiefer. Childers Creek between Kiefer and Sapulpa overflowed and flooded protions of Highway 75A. Another swollen creek southeast of Kiefer flowed over a bridge on 161st Street South between 33rd West Avenue and 49th West Avenue.

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

Every storm in Oklahoma in 2003 Every state in 2003 This day in weather history Warnings in Oklahoma, August 2003

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: 5377569, 5377293.