Heavy rain caused a moderate flood on the Verdigris River near Lenapah.
Every event with a place to put it. 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.
Heavy rain caused a moderate flood on the Verdigris River near Lenapah.
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 May 26, 7:10 PM CST, 6 hours 5 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
810 PM CDT MON MAY 26 2008
.DISCUSSION...
GOOD INSTABILITY REMAINS OVER THE REGION TONIGHT ALONG WITH
EXCELLENT LOW LEVEL MOISTURE. DEEP LAYER SHEAR IS SOMEWHAT LACKING
BUT INCREASING LOW LEVEL JET WILL MAKE UP FOR THAT SOME OVER THE
NEXT FEW HOURS. BELIEVE THAT WITH TIME THE TORNADO THREAT WILL
GRADUALLY DIMINISH AND THE HEAVY RAIN AND STRONG WIND THREAT
WILL INCREASE. SEE LITTLE CHANGE IN THE FORECAST AT THIS TIME
BUT WILL LIKELY UPDATE WITH TRENDS LATER THIS EVENING.
&&
.TSA WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
OK...FLASH FLOOD WATCH UNTIL 7 AM TUESDAY FOR OKZ054-OKZ055-OKZ056-
OKZ057-OKZ058-OKZ059-OKZ060-OKZ061-OKZ062-OKZ063.
AR...NONE.
&&
SHORT TERM...10
LONG TERM....15HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK 503 PM CDT MON MAY 26 2008 ARZ001-002-010-011-019-020-029-OKZ049-053>076-271000- ADAIR OK-BENTON AR-CARROLL AR-CHEROKEE OK-CHOCTAW OK-CRAIG OK- CRAWFORD AR-CREEK OK-DELAWARE OK-FRANKLIN AR-HASKELL OK-LATIMER OK- LE FLORE OK-MADISON AR-MAYES OK-MCINTOSH OK-MUSKOGEE OK-NOWATA OK- OKFUSKEE OK-OKMULGEE OK-OSAGE OK-OTTAWA OK-PAWNEE OK-PITTSBURG OK- PUSHMATAHA OK-ROGERS OK-SEBASTIAN AR-SEQUOYAH OK-TULSA OK-WAGONER OK- WASHINGTON OK-WASHINGTON AR- 500 PM CDT MON MAY 26 2008 THIS OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHWEST AND WEST CENTRAL ARKANSAS AS WELL AS MUCH OF EASTERN OKLAHOMA. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT. TORNADO. RISK...LIMITED. AREA...NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA AND NORTHWEST ARKANSAS ONSET...ONGOING. SEVERE THUNDERSTORM. RISK...ELEVATED. AREA...EASTERN OKLAHOMA AND NORTHWEST ARKANSAS. ONSET...ONGOING. AREA AT GREATEST RISK...NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA. FLASH FLOOD. RISK...ELEVATED. AREA...NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA AND NORTHWEST ARKANSAS. ONSET...ONGOING. AREA AT GREATEST RISK...NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA. HEAVY RAIN. RISK...ELEVATED. AREA...NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA AND NORTHWEST ARKANSAS. ONSET...ONGOING. AREA AT GREATEST RISK...NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA. DISCUSSION... MULTIPLE OUTFLOW BOUNDARIES CRIS-CROSS THE REGION EARLY THIS EVENING WITH A DRYLINE ACROSS THE OKLAHOMA AND TEXAS PANHANDLES. VERY UNSTABLE AIR REMAINS ACROSS THE REGION AND ADDITIONAL THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED OVERNIGHT. HEAVY RAIN POTENTIAL EXISTS WITH SOME OF THE THUNDERSTORMS WITH NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA HAVING THE GREATEST THREAT BUT CAN NOT RULE OUT LOCAL HEAVY RAIN IN ANY AREA. LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS ARE ALSO A STRONG POSSIBILITY WITH THUNDERSTORMS OVERNIGHT. TORNADOES ARE ALSO A POSSIBILITY BUT IS A MUCH WEAKER THREAT COMPARED TO THE HEAVY RAIN AND STRONG WIND POTENTIAL. SPOTTER AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT ACTION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION LIKELY NEEDED. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY. TUESDAY...THUNDERSTORM POTENTIAL. WEDNESDAY...THUNDERSTORM POTENTIAL. THURSDAY...NO HAZARDS. FRIDAY...THUNDERSTORM POTENTIAL. SATURDAY...THUNDERSTORM POTENTIAL. SUNDAY...NO HAZARDS. EXTENDED DISCUSSION... A COLD FRONT WILL MOVE ACROSS THE REGION TUESDAY AND EARLY WEDNESDAY CAUSING AN INCREASE IN THUNDERSTORM COVERAGE. SOME THUNDERSTORMS COULD BE SEVERE WITH LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS. A WEAKER COLD FRONT WILL APPROACH THE AREA THIS WEEKEND BRINGING ANOTHER CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS. WWW.SRH.NOAA.GOV/TULSA CONTAINS ADDITIONAL TABULAR AND GRAPHICAL INFORMATION.
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
1246 AM CDT TUE MAY 27 2008
OKZ056>058-060>063-067-068-270700-
CHEROKEE OK-CRAIG OK-DELAWARE OK-MAYES OK-NOWATA OK-OTTAWA OK-ROGERS
OK-TULSA OK-WAGONER OK-
1246 AM CDT TUE MAY 27 2008
...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ALERT...
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TULSA HAS ISSUED A
SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ALERT EFFECTIVE UNTIL 200 AM CDT
FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES...
IN NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA
NORTHERN WAGONER...ROGERS...DELAWARE...CRAIG...OTTAWA...
NOWATA...TULSA AND MAYES
IN EAST CENTRAL OKLAHOMA
NORTHERN CHEROKEE
AT 1246 AM CDT...DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ALONG A
LINE EXTENDING FROM 10 MILES NORTHWEST OF HOLLOW TO 4 MILES EAST OF
TALALA TO TULSA...MOVING EAST AT 35 MPH. SOME LOCATIONS THAT WILL BE
AFFECTED BY THESE STORMS INCLUDE...TULSA...JAY...OAKS...LEACH...TWIN
OAKS...KANSAS...CHLOETA...ZENA...CLEORA...GROVE...BERNICE...NOWATA...
DELAWARE...LENAPAH...WATOVA...NEW ALLUWE...CLAREMORE...INOLA...
CATOOSA...VERDIGRIS...TIAWAH...FOYIL...OOLOGAH...BUSHYHEAD...
TALALA...CHELSEA...PEGGS...SCRAPER...OWASSO...MIAMI...COMMERCE...
AFTON...FAIRLAND...NARCISSA...WYANDOTTE...OTTAWA...PEORIA...QUAPAW...
CARDIN...PICHER...VINITA...KETCHUM...BIG CABIN...WHITE OAK...
CENTRALIA...HOLLOW...PYRAMID CORNERS...BLUEJACKET...CENTRAILIA...
WELCH...PRYOR...MAZIE...MURPHY...CHOUTEAU...LOCUST GROVE...ROSE...
SALINA...SPAVINAW...STRANG...ADAIR...PENSACOLA...LANGLEY AND DISNEY.
THESE STORMS WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING SMALL HAIL AND WIND GUSTS
TO 40 MPH. RESIDENTS IN THESE AREAS SHOULD REMAIN ALERT IN CASE THE
SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ALERT IS UPGRADED TO A WARNING.
LAT...LON 3699 9461 3660 9461 3603 9487 3610 9591
3653 9578 3700 9568 3700 9462
TIME...MOT...LOC 0546Z 270DEG 30KT 3697 9540 3652 9562
3612 9579SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
127 AM CDT TUE MAY 27 2008
OKZ060-064-270730-
CREEK OK-TULSA OK-
127 AM CDT TUE MAY 27 2008
...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ALERT...
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TULSA HAS ISSUED A
SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ALERT EFFECTIVE UNTIL 230 AM CDT
FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES...
IN NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA
EASTERN CREEK AND TULSA
AT 127 AM CDT...DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A STRONG THUNDERSTORM 5 MILES
NORTH OF KELLYVILLE...MOVING EAST AT 23 MPH. SOME LOCATIONS THAT WILL
BE AFFECTED BY THIS STORM INCLUDE...TULSA...LIBERTY...BIXBY...
JENKS...GLENPOOL...BROKEN ARROW...MOUNDS...KIEFER...KELLYVILLE AND
SAPULPA.
THIS STORM WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING SMALL HAIL AND WIND GUSTS TO
40 MPH.
LAT...LON 3608 9630 3609 9576 3591 9581 3591 9582
3586 9583 3586 9618 3586 9619 3585 9631
TIME...MOT...LOC 0627Z 275DEG 20KT 3601 9621The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
The Verdigris River near Lenapah rose above its flood stage of 30 feet at 2:15 am cdt on May 27th. The river crested at 33.35 feet at 7:00 am cdt on May 28th. The river fell below its flood stage at 8:45 pm cdt on May 29th.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Oklahoma in 2008Every state in 2008This day in weather historyWarnings in Oklahoma, May 2008
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: 107779.