Flooding from storms claims lives in Oklahoma and Texas, leaving two individuals deceased on the affected roadways.
In the heart of the US, two folks unfortunately drowned in their vehicles as they became trapped in floodwaters triggered by relentless storms in Oklahoma and Texas on Wednesday. These storms, characterized by heavy rain and powerful electrical activity, caused a series of havoc, submerging roads, and even postponing flights at major airports.
Authorities declared that the incident in Pottawatomie county, Oklahoma, claimed the life of a man when his car was swept away by torrential rains. Witnesses reported that law enforcement tried to rescue him, but they too faced the same dire circumstances. Fortunately, the deputy who attempted the rescue was treated and released from a nearby hospital. Over two dozen roads in the county were shut down due to the unruly floodwaters.
Another unfortunate incident occurred in Lincoln county, close by, where a driver's car was trapped in the floodwaters along a northwest road leading to Prague. Numerous individuals were rescued from the floodwaters, while the small town of Lexington saw some residents evacuating their homes as the waters crept up.
The city of Oklahoma City recorded a whopping 30.33 cm (11.94 inches) of rain in April, shattering a previous record established in 1947. The region is on the cusp of breaking yet another statewide record for an April's rainfall.
Meanwhile, the metropolitan area of Dallas experienced a halt in airplane takeoffs at Dallas Love Field and Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport due to the ferocious storms. Many flights were canceled, with hundreds at DFW International Airport alone and dozens more at Love Field wiped out according to FlightAware.
In Pennsylvania, an earlier storm that cut a path of destruction on Tuesday left over 425,000 residents without power. Steel city, Pittsburgh, bore the brunt of the damage, as nearly 250,000 of Duquesne Light's customers found themselves in the dark. The storm's wrath uprooted trees and power poles, forcing the utility company to seek outside aid to restore power. Residents of Pennsylvania could face a week-long power outage, forecasted officials.
Governor Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania analyzed the devastation in Allegheny County on Wednesday, visiting Fiori's, a popular pizzeria whose roof was torn apart by the violent storm. Authorities confirmed three deaths in Pennsylvania that appeared to be storm-related. A man in State College was electrocuted while aiming to extinguish a fire near a utility pole when the wicked weather struck. In Pittsburgh, a person was electrocuted due to their encounter with live wires in the South Side Slopes area, and another unfortunate victim lost their life when a tree collapsed on a house in Ross Township.
The office of the National Weather Service in Pittsburgh reported observing destructive wind damage across their territory, with gusts exceeding 145 km/h (90 mph) – a strength reminiscent of many EF0 and EF1 tornadoes in the area. The storm system formed a "bow echo," a powerful wind wave, which prompted the most severe damage in its path. Pittsburgh International Airport recorded wind gusts of 114 km/h (71 mph), placing it among the airport's top three wind gusts ever recorded. The National Weather Service team investigated wind damage in Wilkinsburg, but could not definitively confirm a touchdown of a tornado.
(Remark: Severe storms are primarily driven by a strengthening jet stream, warm, humid air from the Gulf of Mexico, and the interaction between these warm air masses and a cold front, which enhance thunderstorm activity. These storms lead to unfortunate incidents such as vehicle drownings, airport flight cancellations, power outages, and sadly, casualties.)
- The average number of vehicle drownings due to flooding in the US, as shown by the incidents in Oklahoma and Texas, could potentially increase, given the increasing frequency of such floodwaters caused by relentless storms like those recently observed.
- The general news has been filled with reports of car accidents, fires, and other incidents related to the deadly storms that washed away roads and caused chaos across several states, such as the floodwaters in Pottawatomie county that resulted in a tragic accident.
- Aside from the weather-related accidents mentioned in the news, the recent storms have also been responsible for causing general disruptions, such as the cancellations of flights, power outages, and the destruction of infrastructure like the roof of Fiori's pizzeria in Pennsylvania.
