An Oklahoma man tragically lost his life after being swept away by flooding on Wednesday, as heavy rain prompted high water alerts for approximately 16 million residents across Oklahoma and Texas. The incident occurred in Pottawatomie County when the man’s vehicle was carried off the roadway around 12:30 p.m. A sheriff’s deputy who attempted to rescue him also became trapped, though firefighters later saved the deputy. Despite their efforts, the man could not be reached in time and was pronounced dead at the scene. The sheriff’s office expressed deep condolences to the victim’s family in a social media statement.
The severe weather was attributed to a stalled frontal boundary, resulting in significant flooding in central Oklahoma and the Dallas area. On the preceding day, four fatalities were reported in Pennsylvania due to severe weather, including one related to electrocution while attempting to extinguish a fire. On Wednesday, Wichita Falls, Texas, received about 2 inches of rain, while Lawton, Oklahoma recorded 2.8 inches—setting new daily records. Radar estimates indicated that some areas in Oklahoma could have received up to 8 inches of rainfall over the preceding 72 hours.
By Wednesday afternoon, around 16 million people were under flood watches or warnings across Oklahoma, Texas, and Missouri. Additionally, tornado watches affected nearly 5 million residents in eastern Texas, northern Louisiana, and much of Arkansas. As rescue efforts, including airboat deployments, continued in areas like Skiatook, the National Weather Service warned of potential flooding along rivers and predicted thunderstorms could shift towards the Mississippi, Ohio, and Tennessee valleys after the rain subsided on Thursday.
