Two people died Wednesday after being swept in floodwaters as heavy rain struck Oklahoma and Texas, where around 16 million people were under high water alerts, officials said.
A man in Pottawatomie County died after his vehicle was swept off a roadway around 12:30 p.m., and a sheriff’s deputy who tried to save him also became trapped in the water, the sheriff’s office said. Firefighters rescued the deputy.
"Tragically, despite every effort made, the individual in distress could not be reached in time and passed away at the scene," the sheriff’s office said in a statement on social media. "Our hearts are heavy tonight for this loss of life, and we extend our deepest condolences to the man’s family and loved ones."
Meanwhile, an 86-year-old woman identified as Eileen Sanders, of Prague, Oklahoma, drowned in Lincoln County Wednesday after her vehicle entered high water around 3 p.m. and got swept away, the Oklahoma Department of Public Safety said.
Both she and a passenger were able to exit the vehicle, but Sanders went underwater and did not resurface. The Prague Fire Department rescued the passenger with her.
The deaths occurred as roadways and other areas in central Oklahoma and the Dallas area flooded due to heavy rain caused by a stalled frontal boundary, according to the National Weather Service.
The heavy rain there came a day after severe weather contributed to the deaths of four people in Pennsylvania, one of whom was electrocuted as he tried to extinguish a mulch fire, police said.
Around 2 inches of rain fell in Wichita Falls, Texas, and 2.8 inches in Lawton, Oklahoma, on Wednesday, which set daily records, forecasters at the weather service in Norman, Oklahoma, said. Radar estimates, which have not yet been verified, show areas of up to 8 inches in the state over the 72 hours leading up to Wednesday night.
Around 16 million people were under flood watches or warnings in Oklahoma, Texas and Missouri on Wednesday afternoon, according to the weather service.
Tornado watches also covered an area where almost 5 million people live, from eastern Texas to northern Louisiana and most of Arkansas, on Wednesday afternoon, it said.
In Skiatook, north of Oklahoma City, the Oklahoma Highway Patrol used an airboat on city streets as it monitored rising floodwaters from Bird Creek and prepared to assist with any rescues, according to a post on X.
The heaviest rain threat was for southeastern Oklahoma, northeastern Texas, and western Arkansas, the weather service said.
The heaviest rain had moved out of southeastern Oklahoma by late Wednesday afternoon, according to the weather service in Norman, but rivers were expected to continue flooding through Thursday.
In the Dallas area, a flood warning remained in effect for Rowlett Creek near Sachse until 7:50 a.m. Thursday. Moderate flooding was expected, the weather service said.
The rain for the south-central United States is expected to end Thursday, but the risk of thunderstorms will then move to the Mississippi, Ohio and Tennessee valleys, the weather service said.
