Oklahoma City has officially logged its wettest April since record-keeping began in 1890, surpassing a rainfall benchmark that had stood for nearly 80 years.
As of 8 a.m. Wednesday, 11.94 inches of rain had fallen this month in the city—topping the previous record of 11.91 inches set in April 1947, according to the National Weather Service (NWS). With additional precipitation expected throughout the day, meteorologists say the final total will climb even higher.
“This is a little more rain for April than we normally see,” Mark Fox, meteorologist-in-charge at the NWS office in Norman, Oklahoma, told Newsweek. “Oklahoma City, by end of the day today, this will be the wettest April we have on record.”
Why It Matters
The record-breaking rainfall marks a dramatic chapter in what has already been a turbulent spring across much of the central United States. Oklahoma City joins a growing list of locations affected by widespread flooding, downed power lines and severe thunderstorms as a result of this week’s massive storm system.
What to Know
Multiple rivers in Oklahoma are already well above flood stage, according to the NWS, with forecasters warning that water levels could remain high for weeks.
“The rivers are going to take a couple of weeks before things go down,” Fox told Newsweek. “High water is out there all across the southwest part of the state and the central part of the state. May is actually our rainiest month, so it may be June, early July before things truly get back to normal.”
Flash-flood warnings and high-water advisories remain in effect across several counties in central and southwestern Oklahoma, including in parts of the Washita River basin, where water has inundated roads and farmland.
As of Wednesday morning, the Red River near Gainesville was at 26.8 feet. It is expected to crest at 29 feet by Saturday morning. Meteorologists warned that crops, range lands, pecan groves, oil wells and rural roads will be flooded or isolated at that level.
“Sandpit operations area affected. Livestock and other property should be removed to places which are at least 4 feet higher than nearby river banks to avoid being stranded,” a flood warning from the NWS office in Norman said.
In addition to heavy rain, severe thunderstorms also are posing a threat across Oklahoma, accompanied by the potential for tornados. Fox said the storm will move out of the region later on Wednesday, though more rain is expected to arrive on Friday.
What People Are Saying
KFOR-TV meteorologist Emily Sutton posted on X, formerly Twitter: “BREAKING: #OKC just set a record for the wettest April in our weather history. We’ve seen nearly a foot of rain over the past couple of weeks and it’s still raining. This is nearly 4x what we typically see for the entire month!”
NWS office in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in a severe weather statement: “Remain alert for a possible tornado! Tornadoes can develop quickly from severe thunderstorms. If you spot a tornado go at once into the basement or small central room in a sturdy structure. For your protection move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a building.”
What Happens Next
With May typically bringing even more rain, local and federal emergency responders are bracing for a drawn-out flood response season. Hydrologists and forecasters are closely watching river gauges across the state to determine where additional evacuations or protective measures may be necessary.
The post Oklahoma City Breaks All-Time Rain Record in April appeared first on Newsweek.
