Flash Flood — Pittsburg, Oklahoma

2020-01-10 · near Ashland, Pittsburg, Oklahoma

Event narrative

Portions of several roads were flooded across southwestern Pittsburg County, as a result of three to five inches of rain that fell across the area. A 58 year-old man drove his pickup truck into deep flood water flowing over S Harper Valley Road, where it became inoperable. He exited the vehicle, was swept downstream by the rapidly flowing water, and was drowned.

Wider weather episode

A strong storm system and associated cold front moved into the Southern Plains on the 10th. Unseasonably warm and moist air spread northward from the Gulf of Mexico ahead of this system, resulting in weak to moderate instability developing across eastern Oklahoma and northwest Arkansas. This instability, combined with very strong wind fields and wind shear, resulted in organized severe thunderstorms. The strongest storms produced large hail up to golfball size, damaging wind, a tornado, and flash flooding.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (34.6870, -96.0385)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 867124. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.