Hot air mass blamed in storms
Hot air mass blamed in state storms

By John David Sutter

Published: May 28, 2008

Warm air stuck over Oklahoma sparked outbreaks of severe weather Tuesday, adding to a string of storms that hit the state since the weekend.

At least one house was damaged in Tuesday's storms, which carried golf-ball-size and larger hail and winds up to 65 mph, according to reports from the National Weather Service.

A home in Duke, in far southwest Oklahoma, burned after it was struck by lightning Tuesday evening, said Clay Farrington, a reserve deputy at the Jackson County sheriff's office.

Lightning also sparked two grass fires, he said. The weather service reported downed telephone lines in Jackson County.

Ty Judd, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Norman, said the storms carried intense rain. In southwest Oklahoma, about 2¾ inches of rain fell during one hour Tuesday afternoon in southwest Oklahoma.

The slow-moving storms were expected to pass through Oklahoma City and then out of the state by morning. Severe weather chances will decrease for the rest of the work week.

But localized flooding chances will remain as the week continues, forecasters said. Some rivers and creeks, particularly in eastern Oklahoma, could continue to rise through Thursday.

"If any rain falls in an area that's already gotten 2 to 5 inches in the last two days, the ground is saturated and it just can't handle it,” said Max Blood, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Tulsa.

On Tuesday, eastern Oklahoma saw moderate and minor flooding on streets and on rural land. Some roads in Tulsa reportedly flooded in the morning.

Gary Brooks, emergency management director for Miami, in far northeast Oklahoma, said his city had seen only minor flooding by Tuesday evening. He expects the Neosho River to continue rising and eventually flood State Highway 125.

Blood said to expect highs in the middle and lower 80s today, and highs in the 90s by Friday.

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