Very heavy rainfall during the latter portions of April 2025 resulted in prolonged river flooding across portions of central and southern Oklahoma during the first days of May 2025.
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 OUN wrote it up.
Very heavy rainfall during the latter portions of April 2025 resulted in prolonged river flooding across portions of central and southern Oklahoma during the first days of May 2025.
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 Norman, OK wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Apr 30, 10:34 PM CST, 1 hour 26 minutes earlier. Its key messages:
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Norman OK 1134 PM CDT Wed Apr 30 2025 ...New AVIATION... .KEY MESSAGES... Updated at 710 PM CDT Wed Apr 30 2025 -Scattered storms tonight. Flood watch continues for portions of southwestern Oklahoma and western north Texas where even a little additional rainfall over saturated grounds could cause flooding issues. -More widespread thunderstorms expected late Thursday night and Friday morning with locally heavy rainfall. Additional significant flash flooding possible. Severe thunderstorms will also be possible. && .UPDATE... Issued at 710 PM CDT Wed Apr 30 2025 Made some significant adjustments to the POP forecast for this evening based on current convective trends. Highest POPs will be in the southwest with the current storms moving in from west Texas. The expected trend is for these storms to diminish this evening, but will watch trends and make adjustments if necessary. && .NEAR TERM... (Rest of today and tonight) Issued at 249 PM CDT Wed Apr 30 2025 The ongoing severe and flooding risks will persist through tonight with highest risk across parts of southwest Oklahoma and western north Texas. HRRR runs consistent with the current storm activity across our southeast CWA continuing to slowly exit eastward out of our area along with the surface boundary/cold front as the afternoon progresses. However, the upper shortwave trough axis digging across the southern Texas Panhandle may initiate a final round of strong to severe convection on the Southern High Plains by early evening which could track into our southwestern CWA before weakening as it moves into less unstable air. A few of these storms across southwest Oklahoma and western north Texas could produce large hail and damaging wind gusts this evening before weakening. Although not producing any large QPF with these fast moving storms, could see some brief localized heavy rain added to some already flooded areas in parts southwest Oklahoma and adjacent northern Texas. Mid-level forcing west of the troughs axis may bring some additional elevated storms down from the Central High Plains across parts of our northern CWA so will keep storm POPs widespread this evening across our entire CWA although the severe risk will be much lower across our north with any rainfall accumulations falling into less saturated areas. Rain POPs will be ending from west to east early Thursday morning. Our current Flood Watch has been reduced to just 8 counties in southwest Oklahoma and two in Texas through this evening where additional rainfall may accumulate. && .SHORT TERM... (Thursday through Friday night) Issued at 249 PM CDT Wed Apr 30 2025 Most of Thursday should be dry between our next upper system coming through late in the evening into Friday morning. For Thursday, models in agreement with consistent runs lifting the previous days cold front across eastern Texas as a returning warm front into our southern CWA. Although can't completely rule out advection fog developing Thursday morning with the increasing surface moisture, the southeasterly surface winds will be fairly weak keeping confidence too low to be in the forecast. Although not full sun in the afternoon, the increasing surface moisture will result in moderate destabilization by late afternoon up to 2000 J/kg of SB Cape with increasing deep-layer shear toward the evening with the next system moving in. Strong inversion capping should suppress any late afternoon convection. However convection may start initiating during the evening on the Oklahoma & northern Texas Panhandles as the upper wave digs through with these storms moving into northwestern Oklahoma by late evening and expanding further south and east across our area overnight into early Friday. Although much of these storms will start out elevated but could strengthen when becoming more surface based when encountering the returning warm front. This will result in a severe risk near and south of the I-40 corridor on Thursday night/early Friday where the surface front is expected to be, with large hail and damaging winds as the two primary severe hazards. Storms may be restricted to southern Oklahoma and western north Texas by Friday afternoon and linger into the evening hours before exiting overnight. However, the severe risk in the afternoon and beyond will be much lower as instability weakens. Although parts of our southern CWA that flooded out will see a lull through most of Thursday, an additional couple of inches of rainfall by Friday morning in that saturated ground could pose an additional localized flooding risk. River flooding from the previous rainfall will also persist across our southern CWA during the the short term period. It will also feel unseasonably colder on Friday night with high surface pressure building across the U.S. Northern Plains under this cooler trough with lows in the 40s. && .LONG TERM... (Saturday through Tuesday) Issued at 1213 AM CDT Wed Apr 30 2025 Low amplitude ridging aloft will briefly influence our weather into the weekend before another western U.S. storm system deepens during the Sunday/Monday timeframe with some signals of unsettled weather for the southern Plains again by the first half of next work week. && .AVIATION... (06Z TAFS) Issued at 1134 PM CDT Wed Apr 30 2025 The dissipating showers over northwest Oklahoma will brings some variable winds to KWWR and KCSM, but should be gone by 06Z. MVFR and locally IFR ceilings in south central Oklahoma and northeast Texas will expand overnight. Some fog will be possible in areas of light winds and recent heavy rainfall. Another round of showers and thunderstorms will move into northwest Oklahoma on Thursday evening, affecting primarily areas around KWWR and KCSM through the 06Z valid time of these TAFs. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... Oklahoma City OK 55 78 57 67 / 20 0 60 70 Hobart OK 51 79 55 69 / 30 0 60 60 Wichita Falls TX 54 82 57 71 / 60 0 40 80 Gage OK 46 76 50 70 / 30 10 70 40 Ponca City OK 55 77 54 71 / 20 10 50 40 Durant OK 60 83 61 73 / 20 0 40 80 && .OUN WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... OK...None. TX...None. && NEAR TERM...68 SHORT TERM...68 LONG TERM....14 AVIATION...26
Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Norman OK
851 PM CDT Wed Apr 30 2025
OKZ004-009-010215-
Harper OK-Ellis OK-
851 PM CDT Wed Apr 30 2025
...A strong thunderstorm will impact portions of northwestern Ellis
and southwestern Harper Counties through 915 PM CDT...
At 851 PM CDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm 9
miles southeast of Slapout, moving east at 25 mph.
HAZARD...Wind gusts up to 50 mph and penny size hail.
SOURCE...Radar indicated.
IMPACT...Gusty winds could knock down tree limbs and blow around
unsecured objects. Minor damage to outdoor objects is
possible.
Locations impacted include...
Shattuck, Gage, May, and Catesby.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building.
&&
LAT...LON 3666 10000 3665 9960 3615 9978 3621 10000
TIME...MOT...LOC 0151Z 274DEG 23KT 3655 9997
MAX HAIL SIZE...0.75 IN
MAX WIND GUST...50 MPH
MeisterPreliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Norman OK
906 PM CDT Wed Apr 30 2025
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0729 PM Tstm Wnd Gst 4 ENE Odell 34.37N 99.35W
04/30/2025 M59 MPH Wilbarger TX Mesonet
Odell West Texas Mesonet site.
&&Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Norman OK
929 PM CDT Wed Apr 30 2025
OKZ004-009-010-010300-
Woodward OK-Harper OK-Ellis OK-
929 PM CDT Wed Apr 30 2025
...A strong thunderstorm will impact portions of north central Ellis,
southeastern Harper and west central Woodward Counties through 1000
PM CDT...
At 928 PM CDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm 4
miles south of May, moving east at 25 mph.
HAZARD...Wind gusts up to 50 mph and half inch hail.
SOURCE...Radar indicated.
IMPACT...Gusty winds could knock down tree limbs and blow around
unsecured objects. Minor damage to outdoor objects is
possible.
Locations impacted include...
Woodward, Fort Supply, and May.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building.
&&
LAT...LON 3650 9984 3667 9983 3669 9944 3640 9944
TIME...MOT...LOC 0228Z 270DEG 20KT 3656 9972
MAX HAIL SIZE...0.50 IN
MAX WIND GUST...50 MPH
MeisterSpecial Weather Statement
National Weather Service Norman OK
957 PM CDT Wed Apr 30 2025
OKZ004-009-010-010330-
Woodward OK-Harper OK-Ellis OK-
957 PM CDT Wed Apr 30 2025
...A strong thunderstorm will impact portions of northeastern Ellis,
southeastern Harper and west central Woodward Counties through 1030
PM CDT...
At 957 PM CDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm near
Fort Supply, moving east at 20 mph.
HAZARD...Wind gusts up to 50 mph and half inch hail.
SOURCE...Radar indicated.
IMPACT...Gusty winds could knock down tree limbs and blow around
unsecured objects. Minor damage to outdoor objects is
possible.
Locations impacted include...
Fort Supply.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building.
&&
LAT...LON 3654 9965 3667 9966 3672 9931 3651 9929
TIME...MOT...LOC 0257Z 261DEG 18KT 3661 9956
MAX HAIL SIZE...0.50 IN
MAX WIND GUST...50 MPH
MeisterThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
4 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
A section of County Road 1322 was washed out after the failure of nearby reservoir dam. The event time is estimated from broadcast media reports.
A portion of Aldine Road was closed due to flooding along the Washita River. The event time is approximate.
A portion of U.S. Highway 70 was closed due to flooding along Beaver Creek. The event time is approximate.
Roadway flooding occurred along a portion of East 1340 Road due to water rise from the Little River. A water rescue was conducted during the early morning hours of the 3rd. Flooding was likely ongoing before and after the listed event time.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Oklahoma in 2025Every state in 2025This day in weather historyWarnings in Oklahoma, May 2025
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: 1261707, 1265131, 1265132, 1259063.