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By Anna Skinner
Associate News Editor
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An "unheard-of" storm has flooded parts of southern Oklahoma and northern Texas after dumping 14 inches of rain in some cities over seven days.
Two cities in Oklahoma and one in Texas broke their April rainfall records after receiving months' worth of rain during the unusually wet spring storms.
Why It Matters
The record levels come after more than a week of rain brought a deluge to parts of Oklahoma and Texas. Although the heavy precipitation helped remedy drought across the region, it also sparked severe impacts, including rising river waters that have now been flooding for more than a week.
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Weather warnings of dangerous floodwaters remain in place across the region, with some not expiring until "further notice." The floodwaters have endangered livestock, closed roads, and inundated farmland.
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What to Know
Throughout April, Oklahoma City had 12.55 inches of rain, more than 3.75 times its average monthly rainfall of 3.33 inches. Wichita Falls, Texas, 10.35 inches, breaking a previous April rainfall of 8.5 inches set in 1957, roughly 3.7 times its monthly average rainfall of 2.79 inches. Lawton, Oklahoma, also shattered a record, suffering 13.92 inches of rain during April, 4 inches more than its previous record of 9.76 inches set in 1915 and nearly 5 times its average monthly April rainfall of 2.93 inches.
The heavy rainfall caused "pretty widespread river flooding" across parts of Oklahoma and Texas, National Weather Service (NWS) lead meteorologist Kaitlin Schueth told Newsweek, some rivers entering major flood stages. Meteorologists warned it will take time for the high water to recede, and some rivers across the region might remain flooded until this weekend.
"Turn around, don't drown when encountering flooded roads. Most flood
deaths occur in vehicles," a flood warning issued by the NWS Norman office said." Motorists should not attempt to drive around barricades or drive cars through flooded areas."
More rain arrived Monday morning and is expected to continue on Tuesday. There will be additional rainfall chances through the remainder of the week.
As of Tuesday morning, myriad weather alerts remain in place across the region, including severe thunderstorm warnings, flood warnings and tornado watches. Large hail is also possible.
Schueth added there's a chance the cities might break their May rainfall records as well, although that remains unclear this early in the month.
What People Are Saying
NWS lead meteorologist Kaitlin Schueth, who works at the Norman, Oklahoma, office, told Newsweek: "We broke several records for rainfall. This is kind of a widespread, unheard-of event. We had areas that got 10 to 14 inches of rain in seven days. We are well-above our rainfall totals for the end of April."
NWS meteorologist in charge Mark Fox, who works at the Norman office, previously told Newsweek: "The rivers are going to take a couple of weeks before things go down. High water is out there all across the southwest part of the state and the central part of the state. May is actually our rainiest month, so it may be June, early July before things truly get back to normal."
What Happens Next
After Saturday, the region will "dry out a bit," Schueth said. The NWS Climate Prediction Center anticipates that eastern Oklahoma is expecting near normal rainfall and eastern Texas could see below average rainfall.
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