A week of heavy rain and severe thunderstorms capped off what turned out to be, in many parts of Oklahoma, the wettest April on record.
Treacherous flooding occurred in communities across Oklahoma this week, leaving at least two dead from driving in high waters. The relentless rain also caused a patched dam to fail in northeast Oklahoma and triggered creeks to overflow, closing roads and highways across the state.
One man died while caught up in floodwaters at State Highway 102 and State Highway 59B, the Pottawatomie County Sheriff’s Office said. In Lincoln County, 86-year-old Eileen Sanders drowned after escaping her car amid sweeping floodwaters, NBC News reported.
A vehicle drives through water on N Hammond Avenue in Warr Acres, Okla., Wednesday, April 30, 2025.
This comes less than two weeks after Easter weekend storms left five dead: one death resulted from a tornado in Hughes County, while four others were killed after being swept away by floodwaters.
The weekend should be dry and sunny before chances of showers and storms return early next week.
Emergency declaration
Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt on April 30 declared a state of emergency for three Oklahoma counties because of continued heavy rain, flooding and severe weather that began on April 19.
Cleveland, Comanche and Cotton counties are under the emergency declaration so far, and more counties are expected to be added as damage assessments are made.
Water covers the intersection of NW 35 and N Hammond Avenue in Warr Acres, Okla., Wednesday, April 30, 2025.
The emergency declaration allows state agencies to make emergency purchases and acquisitions to provide resources to local jurisdictions, and allows for the application of federal assistance if needed.
Anyone impacted by the severe storms can report damage at damage.ok.gov, which will allow emergency managers to coordinate the response and recovery effort.
April rainfall breaks records
A vehicle is driven through high water April 30 at the intersection of NW 35th Street and North Hammond Avenue in Warr Acres.
April 2025 is now the wettest April on record for Oklahoma City. Tulsa, Lawton and Duncan also broke their April rainfall records, KOSU reported.
In April 2025, Oklahoma City received 12.55 inches of rainfall in total. This puts Oklahoma’s rain total for 2025 at 15.54 inches, up from almost 3 inches at the start of April.
Before 2025, the title was held by April 1947, which saw 11.91 inches of rain in Oklahoma City.
Contributing: Josh Kelly, The Oklahoman
A van is drivesn through standing water April 30 on Kelly Ave in Edmond.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Floodwaters leave 2 dead, three Oklahoma counties in state of emergency
Read the full article here
