A Report, With Pictures
After we got the notice last night, we gathered up the dog and headed into the shelter. Fiona was scared of the thunder and some of the BOOMS shook the ground. The rain and wind were vicious. We didn't get a tornado here, but I understand there was a report of one on the ground in Shawnee, about 90 minutes NW of us.
When we climbed out of the shelter an hour and forty five minutes after going down, we were met with some flooding around the house, but no damage inside the house or the shops. A few minor leaks, nothing to worry us. We had to wade across a mini-river to get back in the house.
- back yard flooding just after shelter.jpeg (284.18 KiB) Viewed 520 times
After I got the gang back in the house safely, I went to check around the house. I saw that the front yard beside the drive was flooded as well. The water was draining from the hayfield, which sits above us, and running down beside the shop and down the side of the drive.
- front yard flooding after shelter.jpeg (424.26 KiB) Viewed 520 times
I found that the water had drained mostly away the next morning, but was STILL draining down and into the ditchline and running down toward the creek. Tina said she could hear the creek flowing from the barn and coop area when she went to check the coop this morning so I drove down to get a shot of the creek... it WAS rushing, but there was another surprise....
That and the power of the rushing water took down the fence and the two fence posts and rail across the creek. One of the posts is IN the Culvert (Called a Tinhorn in Oklahoma) about halfway through...
- barn crossing tinhorn.jpeg (586.02 KiB) Viewed 520 times
Where the heck did that Culvert pipe come from? Oh, Wait, one place it could have come from.
The Old Barn Crossing. I drove up and looked and ... sure enough. That must have been some powerful water flow last night.
That will be a project, once the water flow in the creek slows and the seasonal creeks dry out. Sheesh, another honey do list item.
- barn crossing.jpeg (574.12 KiB) Viewed 520 times
All night long, I kept getting alerts on the phone:
"Severe Weather, Flood Warning. If you are in the flood zone, prepare to paddle."
I'd turn on the cameras and check... yup, more heavy rain....
- heavy downpour.jpeg (384.79 KiB) Viewed 520 times
As with all the really heavy rain events, we even get our own mini "old faithful" pop up in the back yard.
- back yard spring.jpeg (706.86 KiB) Viewed 520 times
I'm thinking it's from vole tunnels, but it always pops up, shoots water out of the ground until the flow stops from the hay fields, then slowly silts in. Doesn't happen every time it rains, but will pop up like old faithful with every severe weather event.
sometimes it can shoot as much as six to eight inches straight up in the air.
Welcome to Oklahoma.
