A slow-moving storm brought deadly flooding to Oklahoma on Wednesday, shutting down roadways and sweeping away cars.
Parts of Oklahoma and Texas were expected to see more rain on Thursday that could cause more flash flooding, the National Weather Service warned, after several inches of rain fell in both states.
One man was killed in Pottawatomie County in Oklahoma, the sheriff’s office said, after it received a report of a vehicle that had been swept off the road. A deputy sheriff tried to rescue the man, according to the sheriff’s office, but “was caught in a powerful current and became trapped in a life-threatening situation.” The deputy was transported to the hospital, and the man died at the scene, the sheriff’s office said.
A second person died in neighboring Lincoln County when their vehicle was caught in floodwaters, an Oklahoma Highway Patrol spokeswoman, Sarah Stewart, told The Associated Press.
Parts of central and southern Oklahoma received up to eight inches of rain on Tuesday and Wednesday, with up to six inches falling in parts of Texas. The National Weather Service said areas in southwestern Oklahoma and across the Red River into Arkansas were expected to receive more than an inch of rain, and some spots just north of the river could get over two inches on Thursday.
Rainfall could come down at a rate of one to two inches per hour, which would easily overwhelm the already soaked ground. The heaviest rain was expected on Thursday evening and overnight, according to forecasters.
