Updated 4:30 p.m. The National Weather adds several Severe Thunderstorm Warnings, including a recently tweeted statement regarding a strong storm impacting Pittsburg County.
Storm with a history of tornadoes will be moving into SW Pittsburg Co. TORNADO WARNING til 5 pm South Central Pittsburg CO. #okwx
— NWS Tulsa (@NWStulsa) May 25, 2015
Updated 3:00 p.m. Storms are moving into the Oklahoma City metro. Meanwhile, National Weather Service meteorologists extended a previously listed Tornado Warning for areas including: Durant OK, Calera OK, Colbert OK until 3:30 p.m.
Tornado Warning including Durant OK, Calera OK, Colbert OK until 3:30 PM CDT pic.twitter.com/I6MNDB9p9I
— NWS Tornado (@NWStornado) May 25, 2015
Update 2:15 p.m. The tornado watch area has been expanded and runs to 6pm. Oklahoma counties included are:
Atoka Bryan Caddo
Canadian Carter Cleveland
Coal Comanche Cotton
Garvin Grady Hughes
Jackson Jefferson Johnston
Kiowa Love Mcclain
Marshall Murray Oklahoma
Pontotoc Pottawatomie Seminole
Stephens Tillman Washita
Updated 12:50 a.m. The National Weather Service has extended the tornado watch and it now includes the OKC metro area until 6pm.
Updated 11:20 a.m. National Weather Service Warning Coordination Meteorologist Rick Smith offers this county-by-county graphic of areas (of Texas and Oklahoma) under a Tornado Watch until 6 p.m.
Tornado watch until 6pm. #Okwx #txwx pic.twitter.com/dx2HSlfEH0
— Rick Smith (@ounwcm) May 25, 2015
Updated 9:30 a.m. National Weather Service meteorologist Rick Smith says to "pay attention and expect watches and warnings, especially along and south of I-40."
The current NWS forecast calls for thunderstorms to develop across northwest Texas and the southern half of Oklahoma. These storms will move to the North and East through the day. Oklahoma City metro area residents should expect showers and storms by late afternoon /early evening. Damaging winds, hail, and even tornadoes may be possible. Periods of heavy rainfall and resulting flooding are to be expected.
A tweet from KOCO TV offers this hourly 'slide show' projection:
UPDATED Hour-by-hour gallery for Memorial Day severe weather chances http://t.co/e8oHOcJKd3
— koconews (@koconews) May 25, 2015
Original Post
Authorities are blaming a third death on weekend storms that have barreled through the Plains and Midwest. Keli Cain, an Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management spokeswoman, said in a statement yesterday that a 33-year-old woman was killed Saturday in a traffic collision in Tulsa. She didn't release the woman's name.
The Claremore firefighter who died after being swept away by floodwaters while assisting in a water rescue has been named. Claremore Fire Chief Sean Douglas says Captain Jason Farley died while helping to rescue about 10 people who were trapped in duplexes by rising water. Farley was swept into a drainage ditch about 11:30 p.m. Saturday. His body was recovered about 1 a.m. Sunday.
This weekend's heavy rains contributed to the shattering of all previous statewide monthly rainfall amounts. The National Weather service reports a total of 18.69 inches of rainfall in Oklahoma City this month, making this May Oklahoma's wettest month on record. And more rain is coming.
The National Weather Service says moderate to strong instability and lots of moisture will be in place over Oklahoma and north Texas today. These conditions will provide support for a complex of thunderstorms, some of which could become severe. Flash Flood Watches and Warnings remain in effect across the state.
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