Tulsa Weather and Flooding, fun times [updated]

"Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo" (akioohtori) 05/22/2019 at 15:42 • Filed to: Tulsa

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[Update 530PM CST] Home. Cars covered, back yard cleaned, emergency kit checked, dogs sedated. Two tornadoes on the ground to the far SW. Just started raining in Tulsa . Here we go!

No better way to put this: things are pretty fucked here in Oklahoma. We had some serious weather Monday evening and then even more Tuesday. Mostly a ton of rain, but also some heavy winds and minor tornadoes. More on that in a second.

As a result, Keystone Lake, already 20 feet above normal, gained an additional 4 feet pretty much overnight. As a result of this Keystone Dam went from releasing 60,000 cubic-feet per second (cfs) to releasing 165,000 cfs. The maximum release that still keeps the Arkansas river in its banks is 100,000 cfs, so we’re exceeding that by 65% already.

Give you some idea of how large Keystone Lake is.

Flooding was expected to be minor, but certainly a problem.

That was this morning.

They just announced they’re increasing the release to 215,000 cfs, or to put it another way 1.6 million gallons per second . Keystone’s spillways are open 10.5 feet at this point.

Widespread flooding is expected and several communities are recommended for evacuation.

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

To give it some historical context, the 100-year flood release level is 205,000 cfs and the infamous 1986 flood, which was the tipping point at which Tulsa began a massive project to rework its storm water system, was 307,000 cfs. (Source: !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! )

This also means that our favorite ORV park (as seen on the other side of the dam in the above video) is mostly underwater and will be for some time. Boo.

On top of all that, strong storms, hail, tornadoes, and more rain is expected tonight starting at 3PM CST.

Monday was mostly OK for us, hanging out by the TV comforting the dogs. Dog A hates storms, so he was wrapped up in his thunder vest, under a blanket fort between the couch and coffee table, and loaded up with benadryl.

Please excuse the mess, I wasn’t expecting guests.

Dog B doesn’t mind the storms, but does like to howl at the sirens.

Meanwhile, Tuesday morning there was some activity very close to our house, which meant I made the call to head down the the basement for a bit.

This is whenI found out Dog B doesn’t like the basement.

He just stood there shaking uncontrollably, a picture of misery. Looks like he’ll be getting the bennies tonight.

As of right now (2:35CST) a “particularly dangerous situation” (PDS) tornado watch, which is apparently a thing, has been issued for central and southwest Oklahoma.

Stuck at work for a little while longer, but certainly going to make the case we shouldn’t be driving in that shit and should go home early.

So yeah! Fun stuff!

VajazzleMcDildertits - read carefully, respond politely > Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo 05/22/2019 at 15:45

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Dogs can have Benadryl? 

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo 05/22/2019 at 15:47

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Control, be advised we are Code Brown at this time.

farscythe - makin da cawfee! > Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo 05/22/2019 at 15:49

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stay safe mate

been following it some from here.... theres a hellova lot of weather in your weather for the moment

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo 05/22/2019 at 15:50

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Very not good. Scary stuff. Glad we’re out east now, and not in my old neighborhood just north of the river (just north of the Indians Springs Sports Complex)!

Hoping the coming rain is less than expected. 

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo 05/22/2019 at 15:51

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Some video from ‘86 here:

Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo > VajazzleMcDildertits - read carefully, respond politely 05/22/2019 at 15:51

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Yup! It is awesome stuff for dogs! Doesn’t make them as sleepy as it does humans, but good for allergies and upset stomachs . You’d have to look up the dosing but IIRC it is up to 1 pill for every 15 pounds, more or less.

VajazzleMcDildertits - read carefully, respond politely > Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo 05/22/2019 at 15:53

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ttyymmnn > Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo 05/22/2019 at 15:54

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Thunder vest?

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo 05/22/2019 at 15:56

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The forecast for the Arkansas River at the Tulsa flood gauge near U.S. 75 downtown is expected to reach 21 feet, according to the National Weather Service, which would put it at moderate flood stage. The river crested at 25.2 feet in 1986 [ highest ever recorded ].

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The Arkansas River near Muskogee was at 36 feet this morning, according to NWS Tulsa. Flooding in the Muskogee area is expected to exceed 1986 flood levels by today, sooner than previously anticipated and in greater volume.

NWS Tulsa forecasts the river to reach 41 feet by Wednesday evening and remain near or above 40 feet through Monday. The 1986 flooding at that gauge, near U.S. 62 at Three Forks Harbor, reached 39.6 feet.

“If I had to reiterate one thing, this is going to be, based on data from the Corps of Engineers and the National Weather Service, worse than originally anticipated and faster than anticipated,” Muskogee County Commissioner Ken Doke said. “Not Thursday, not 38 feet. We’re talking about a lot of water in a short time.”

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Maps and projections are largely based on the flood of record, the 1986 flood. The warned flood levels the Corps of Engineers and the Weather Service are “talking about exceeds all the data models they have ,” Doke said.

Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo > ttyymmnn 05/22/2019 at 15:57

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Err sorry, Thunder Shirt . Basically a thing you strap to your dog to make them feel “safe”. Just got it and giving it a trial run I’m... not impressed. Dog B seems to like it more than Dog A, but Dog B doesn’t have anxiety issues!

Sampsonite24-Earth's Least Likeliest Hero > VajazzleMcDildertits - read carefully, respond politely 05/22/2019 at 15:57

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oh yeah ours gets it in the spring and fall cause she has allergies

Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 05/22/2019 at 15:58

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Yeah. Fingers crossed.  Stay safe!

Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 05/22/2019 at 15:59

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This is awesome/ terrifying! Glad Tulsa did the right thing after this and got flooding mostly under control.... but also annoyed all of our levees desperately need work.  Wouldn’t be surprised if one of them fails this week. :-(

ttyymmnn > Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo 05/22/2019 at 16:00

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Is it just supposed to make them feel snug, like they are being held?

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo 05/22/2019 at 16:02

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Back at you and your crew!

I forded some water yesterday morning out near my place that, in hindsight, I probably shouldn’t have... Made it through fine, but definitely was a little deeper than I felt comfortable with.

Future Heap Owner > Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo 05/22/2019 at 16:02

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Poor doggos! I hope you’re all safe and sound tonight, and I hope they don’t get too scared.

Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo > ttyymmnn 05/22/2019 at 16:05

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I guess?  Or like they’re in a den?  For Dog A he seems to feel more... trapped.  Like... he just doesn’t move when it is on.

ttyymmnn > Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo 05/22/2019 at 16:08

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I have a friend who just got hired on at OSU. He’s not looking forward to this aspect of living in OK.

DAWRX - The Herb Strikes Back > Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo 05/22/2019 at 16:09

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I was following the storms earlier this week on the weather subreddit, looked like really scary stuff, glad y’all are safe, and please continue to stay safe.

Seems like a lot of crazy weather is getting spread around. We had a freak thunderstorm a couple weeks ago that dumped 10-14” inches in some areas in a couple hours. People who didn’t even  flood during Harvey got flooded by that one. Not to mention the Brazil’s was already pretty high so there was nowhere for the water to go. 

wafflesnfalafel > Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo 05/22/2019 at 16:12

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...”and the wavin’ wheat can  sure smell sweet when the wind comes right behind the rain...”  

VajazzleMcDildertits - read carefully, respond politely > Sampsonite24-Earth's Least Likeliest Hero 05/22/2019 at 16:18

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TIMFL 

TheRealBicycleBuck > Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo 05/22/2019 at 16:19

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Glad to hear you are doing OK through it all. All of that water will be coming down to Baton Rouge in a week or so. The Mississippi River has set a new record by being above flood stage for over 3 months https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/environment/article_667ae3ea-7bee-11e9-836b-3bcfce279daa.amp.html   Fortunately, it hasn’t overtopped or broken a levee yet.

I’m glad I don’t live in Oklahoma any more. That being said, in all the years I lived there I wasn’t directly impacted by a tornado. It wasn’t until I moved to Louisiana that a tornado hit my house. 

Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo > ttyymmnn 05/22/2019 at 16:21

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“Real” Okies seem to get excited by this shit, but  I hate it. Even though I’ve lived here for 15 years, give or take, I still can’t stand it.

ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) > Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo 05/22/2019 at 16:22

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Was following that system on my phone’s weather app, so nothing professional-grade. I could have been easily convinced some deity had decided it was time to erase OK from the map.

Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo > TheRealBicycleBuck 05/22/2019 at 16:27

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Yikes! Yeah I guess all that water has to go somewhere...

I had a similar experience . Lived in California for three years and never experienced an earthquake. Moved to Washington and went through my first . Later moved to Oklahoma where they were happening daily for a while.

MoCamino > Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo 05/22/2019 at 17:06

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Gotta love Spring in Tornado Alley.  I have lived in Southwest MO most of my life, so I’m used to it.  Don’t like it, but I’m used to it.  Keep your head down!

shop-teacher > Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo 05/22/2019 at 23:08

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That's some nasty weather! Stay safe!

JMKarstetter > Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo 05/23/2019 at 01:17

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It’s been interesting over here in Norman as well. Lot’s of flooding and stuff, and had an EF-2 touch down a few miles north of me the other night. I had to take the Land Cruiser through some water the other morning on the way home from work. Water wasn’t running and I was following another vehicle though it or I probably would have went around.