Flash Flooding and Flood in Oklahoma, May 1 to 2, 2009

Name: Flash Flooding and Flood in Oklahoma, May 1 to 2, 2009
Start: 2009-05-01T01:15
End: 2009-05-02T23:30
Location: Oklahoma

May 1 to 2, 2009 · NWS TSA · 30 events in 11 counties and zones

A weak cold front and an outflow boundary provided the focus for slow moving and training thunderstorms which produced an average of 2 to 5 inches of rain across parts of northern Tulsa, Rogers, Mayes, Delaware, northern Cherokee and northern Adair Counties during the morning of the 1st. Widespread flash flooding occurred across this part of northeast Oklahoma into the afternoon hours.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 1
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $391,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 30

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 happened

The episode as NWS TSA wrote it up.

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 Apr 30, 11:03 PM CST, 2 hours 12 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 30, 11:03 PM CST, 2 hours 12 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
1203 AM CDT FRI MAY 1 2009

...AVIATION...

.DISCUSSION...
EXPECT CIGS TO LOWER WITH TIME.  THUNDERSTORMS IN CENTRAL
OKLAHOMA AT THIS TIME MAY MAKE A RUN AT KTUL AND KRVS. BETTER
THUNDERSTORM CHANCES COME LATER IN THE TAF PERIOD WHEN THE
FRONT TO THE NORTHWEST OF US SAGS INTO THE AREA.

&&

.TSA WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
OK...NONE.
AR...NONE.
&&

SHORT TERM...17
LONG TERM....12
AVIATION...17

Hazardous weather outlook, Apr 30, 8:51 PM CST, 4 hours 24 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
951 PM CDT THU APR 30 2009

ARZ001-002-010-011-019-020-029-OKZ049-053>076-011000-
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-
951 PM CDT THU APR 30 2009

...SEVERE WEATHER AND HEAVY RAIN POTENTIAL CONTINUE FOR DAYS...

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

.DAY ONE...TONIGHT.

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM.
RISK...LIMITED.
AREA...PRIMARILY NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA.
ONSET...AFTER 2 AM.

DISCUSSION...
THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP AGAIN LATE TONIGHT IN
VICINITY OF A SLOW MOVING FRONTAL BOUNDARY.  THESE STORMS
WILL TRACK EASTWARD INTO NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA AND POSE A
LIMITED RISK OF SEVERE WEATHER...ALONG WITH LOCALLY HEAVY
RAINS.  THE MORE WIDESPREAD AND SIGNIFICANT RAINFALL IS
LIKELY TO OCCUR FRIDAY INTO SATURDAY.

SPOTTER AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT ACTION STATEMENT...
LOCAL SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED...HOWEVER A REGIONAL
SPOTTER NETWORK IS NOT ANTICIPATED.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY.
FRIDAY...THUNDERSTORM POTENTIAL...HEAVY RAIN POTENTIAL.
SATURDAY...THUNDERSTORM POTENTIAL...HEAVY RAIN POTENTIAL.
SUNDAY...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM POTENTIAL.
MONDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY...THUNDERSTORM POTENTIAL.

EXTENDED DISCUSSION...
THUNDERSTORM CHANCES CONTINUE DAILY THROUGH THE UPCOMING WEEK
WITH HEAVY RAINFALL LIKELY ACROSS MUCH OF EASTERN OKLAHOMA
AND NORTHWEST ARKANSAS.  SEVERE WEATHER WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE
AS STRONG INSTABILITY REMAINS AHEAD OF A SLOW MOVING FRONTAL
BOUNDARY.  THE DEVELOPING WEATHER PATTERN FOR THE UPCOMING
WEEK IS LIKELY TO SUPPORT SEVERAL ROUNDS OF SEVERE WEATHER...
ALONG WITH AREAS OF EXCESSIVE RAINFALL LEADING TO A HEIGHTENED
FLASH FLOOD POTENTIAL FOR THE ENTIRE FORECAST AREA.

EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PLANNING STATEMENT...
AN ACTIVE WEATHER PATTERN WILL REMAIN PLACE OVER THE UPCOMING
WEEK...WITH WEATHER RELATED RESPONSES LIKELY ONE OR MORE TIMES
DUE TO SEVERE WEATHER AND FLOODING POTENTIAL.

WWW.SRH.NOAA.GOV/TULSA CONTAINS ADDITIONAL TABULAR AND GRAPHICAL
INFORMATION.

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Apr 30, 11:25 PM CST, 1 hour 50 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK
1225 AM CDT FRI MAY 1 2009

OKZ054-059-010615-
OSAGE OK-PAWNEE OK-
1225 AM CDT FRI MAY 1 2009

...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ALERT...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TULSA HAS ISSUED A
SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ALERT EFFECTIVE UNTIL 115 AM CDT
FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES...

IN NORTHEAST OKLAHOMA
     WESTERN OSAGE AND PAWNEE

AT 1225 AM CDT...DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A STRONG THUNDERSTORM 21
MILES WEST OF PAWNEE...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 35 MPH. SOME LOCATIONS
THAT WILL BE AFFECTED BY THIS STORM INCLUDE...FAIRFAX...PAWNEE...
BLACKBURN...SKEDEE AND RALSTON.

RESIDENTS IN THESE AREAS SHOULD REMAIN ALERT IN CASE THE SIGNIFICANT
WEATHER ALERT IS UPGRADED TO A WARNING.

LAT...LON 3654 9699 3656 9690 3659 9690 3660 9693
      3658 9699 3659 9702 3674 9676 3625 9645
      3625 9692 3633 9692 3635 9703 3651 9704
TIME...MOT...LOC 0525Z 245DEG 28KT 3637 9718

The radar

The Tulsa radar (KINX), 98 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 07:13 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

15 hail, 13 flash flood, 1 thunderstorm wind, 1 flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Craig

When: May 1, 1:15 AM CST
Where: Craig County, 7 mi N of Welch
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 36.971, -95.100

Flash Flood, Craig

When: May 1, 2:00 AM CST to 4:45 AM CST
Where: Craig County, 8 mi N of Welch to 8 mi NW of Welch
Cause: Heavy Rain
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 36.986, -95.100

Heavy rain caused Cabin Creek to overflow.

Flash Flood, Ottawa

When: May 1, 2:15 AM CST to 4:45 AM CST
Where: Ottawa County, 3 mi W of Commerce to 4 mi WNW of Commerce
Cause: Heavy Rain
Reported by: Law Enforcement
Coordinates: 36.930, -94.924

Heavy rain caused flooding, which required Step Fork Bridge to be closed.

Hail, Ottawa

When: May 1, 2:30 AM CST
Where: Ottawa County, 1 mi SE of Afton
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Reported by: Post Office
Coordinates: 36.690, -94.957

Flash Flood, Rogers

When: May 1, 4:30 AM CST to 11:30 AM CST
Where: Rogers County, 12 mi NE of Foyil to 12 mi E of Foyil
Cause: Heavy Rain
Property damage: $25,000
Reported by: Law Enforcement
Coordinates: 36.553, -95.367

Heavy rain caused flash flooding across the northeast part of Rogers County during the morning hours of the 1st. Highway 28 on the southeast side of Chelsea had to be closed and numerous county roads had to be closed. Water also entered some businesses in the city of Chelsea.

Flash Flood, Craig

When: May 1, 5:30 AM CST to 4:35 PM CST
Where: Craig County, 2 mi N of Welch to 2 mi W of Welch
Cause: Heavy Rain
Reported by: Post Office
Coordinates: 36.899, -95.100

Heavy rain caused numerous streets to be flooded in and around Welch.

Hail, Mayes

When: May 1, 5:45 AM CST
Where: Mayes County, Locust Grove
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Reported by: Law Enforcement
Coordinates: 36.200, -95.170

Thunderstorm Wind, Mayes

When: May 1, 6:30 AM CST
Where: Mayes County, Salina
Measured: 61 kt (70 mph) estimated gust
Property damage: $1,000
Reported by: Broadcast Media
Coordinates: 36.300, -95.150

Thunderstorm winds estimated at 70 miles an hour damaged the high school football stadium at Salina.

Flash Flood, Mayes

When: May 1, 6:45 AM CST to 3:30 PM CST
Where: Mayes County, 4 mi W of Adair to 4 mi W of Mazie
Cause: Heavy Rain
Property damage: $200,000
Reported by: Newspaper
Coordinates: 36.430, -95.342

An average of 2 to 5 inches of rain fell across Mayes County during the morning of the 1st with a maximum of 7 inches at Pryor. Widespread flash flooding occurred throughout the county. At one time as many as 75 percent of the roads in the county had to be closed including Highways 69, 69A, 20 and 28. The sheriff's office reported that they had to perform 41 water rescues. In addition, 15 homes had to be evacuated. 11 homes in Chouteau received water damage. Homes and businesses in Pryor were affected as well. Downtown Pryor had to be closed for a time. Damage also occurred to the water treatment plants at Locust Grove and Salina.

Flash Flood, Delaware

When: May 1, 7:00 AM CST to 3:30 PM CST
Where: Delaware County, Colcord to 3 mi W of Jay
Cause: Heavy Rain
Reported by: Law Enforcement
Coordinates: 36.270, -94.680

Heavy rain caused numerous roads to be under water over mainly the western part of Delaware County. Some of the roads had to be closed.

Flash Flood, Cherokee

When: May 1, 7:26 AM CST to 3:30 PM CST
Where: Cherokee County, Peggs to 5 mi S of Scraper
Cause: Heavy Rain
Property damage: $50,000
Reported by: Law Enforcement
Coordinates: 36.080, -95.100

Heavy rain caused numerous roads and some homes to be flooded across the northern part of Cherokee County. Some water rescues had to be performed.

Flash Flood, Adair

When: May 1, 9:04 AM CST to 12:00 PM CST
Where: Adair County, 3 mi N of Watts to 5 mi N of Chewey
Cause: Heavy Rain
Reported by: Post Office
Coordinates: 36.163, -94.570

Heavy rain caused water to flow over roads in the northern part of Adair County.

Flash Flood, Tulsa

When: May 1, 9:05 AM CST to 1:05 PM CST
Where: Tulsa County, 2 mi N of Owasso to 2 mi W of Owasso
Cause: Heavy Rain
Reported by: Law Enforcement
Coordinates: 36.299, -95.850

Heavy rain caused severe street flooding across the city of Owasso. Some streets had to be closed. Water from the streets came right up to the doors of some businesses in a strip mall in one part of Owasso.

Flash Flood, Ottawa

When: May 1, 9:30 AM CST to 3:00 PM CST
Where: Ottawa County, 5 mi N of Fairland to 5 mi W of Fairland
Cause: Heavy Rain
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 36.822, -94.850

Heavy rains caused water to flow over several roads in and around Fairland.

Flash Flood, Rogers

When: May 1, 9:39 AM CST to 3:30 PM CST
Where: Rogers County, 3 mi W of Oologah to 3 mi NE of Claremore
Cause: Heavy Rain
Property damage: $100,000
Reported by: Newspaper
Coordinates: 36.450, -95.754

Heavy rain caused widespread flash flooding across Rogers County. As many as 40 county roads were closed due to flooding. Highway 88 near Inola was flooded as well. City streets in Claremore were flooded and the flood waters approached homes and businesses. Homes in Verdigris were also flooded.

Hail, Osage

When: May 1, 10:07 AM CST
Where: Osage County, Burbank
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Reported by: Post Office
Coordinates: 36.700, -96.720

Hail, Osage

When: May 1, 10:32 AM CST
Where: Osage County, 8 mi W of Pawhuska
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 36.670, -96.474

Hail, Cherokee

When: May 1, 10:50 AM CST
Where: Cherokee County, Peggs
Measured: 0.88 in hail
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 36.080, -95.100

Hail, Washington

When: May 1, 12:04 PM CST
Where: Washington County, 2 mi N of Copan
Measured: 1 in hail
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 36.929, -95.930

Hail, Mayes

When: May 1, 12:35 PM CST
Where: Mayes County, 2 mi E of Locust Grove
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 36.200, -95.134

Hail, Delaware

When: May 1, 1:27 PM CST
Where: Delaware County, 4 mi NNE of Kansas
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Property damage: $15,000
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 36.254, -94.772

Hail, Delaware

When: May 1, 2:27 PM CST
Where: Delaware County, 4 mi N of Kansas
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 36.258, -94.800

Hail, Craig

When: May 1, 2:38 PM CST
Where: Craig County, 5 mi NNE of Centralia
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 36.867, -95.315

Hail, Delaware

When: May 1, 2:38 PM CST
Where: Delaware County, Colcord
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 36.270, -94.680

Flash Flood, Washington

When: May 1, 3:00 PM CST to 5:00 PM CST
Where: Washington County, 3 mi N of Copan to 3 mi W of Copan
Cause: Heavy Rain
Reported by: Post Office
Coordinates: 36.943, -95.930

Heavy rain caused roads and bridges to be impassable in the Copan vicinity.

Flash Flood, Nowata

When: May 1, 3:00 PM CST to 5:00 PM CST
Where: Nowata County, 2 mi N of Wann to 3 mi NE of Wann
Cause: Heavy Rain
Reported by: Post Office
Coordinates: 36.949, -95.800

Heavy rains caused roads and bridges to be impassable in the Wann vicinity.

Hail, Ottawa

When: May 1, 3:07 PM CST
Where: Ottawa County, 2 mi W of Miami
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Reported by: Emergency Manager
Coordinates: 36.880, -94.916

Hail, Ottawa

When: May 1, 3:26 PM CST
Where: Ottawa County, 3 mi SE of Miami
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 36.849, -94.842

Flood, Mayes

When: May 1, 3:30 PM CST to May 2, 11:30 PM CST
Where: Mayes County, 2.22 mi SSE of Pryor to 2.24 mi SSE of Pryor
Cause: Heavy Rain
Deaths: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Reported by: Emergency Manager
Coordinates: 36.269, -95.311

A low water crossing on County Road 432 remained flooded due to earlier excessive rainfall that occurred in the area. The road was barricaded and remained badly flooded. A motorist drove around the barricade and attempted to drive through the flood waters at around 750 pm CDT 5/2 but was swept off the road and drowned.

Hail, Ottawa

When: May 1, 4:00 PM CST
Where: Ottawa County, Wyandotte
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 36.800, -94.730

The people who died

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
Flood, Mayes	2009-05-02	49	Female	Vehicle/Towed Trailer	Direct

What these are

Hail: Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
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.
Thunderstorm Wind: Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.
Flood: Flooding that develops more slowly than a flash flood: rivers leaving their banks, or water standing over land for an extended time.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Oklahoma in 2009 Every state in 2009 This day in weather history Warnings in Oklahoma, May 2009

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: 176101, 176102, 176103, 176104, 176105, 176131, 176106, 176107, 176109, 176110, 176111, 176112, 176113, 176114, 176115, 176116, 176117, 176118, 176119, 176120, 176121, 176123, 176124, 176125, 176126, 176127, 176128, 176129, 176377, 176130.